British Expatriate Network

Full Version: Swimming the Channel
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
Has anyone here done this? Or know anyone who has? Apparently some Aussie soap star did it pretty recently and got stung by jellyfish in his trunks, as well as the usual hypothermia, exhaustion etc.

Do French people do it or is it just the mad Brits and their American and Australian cousins?

I was prompted by this article on the BBC site:

Little Britain Star to swim channel

and ended up browsing the channel swimming association page, where I noticed pretty much all the record holders are Brints, Yanks or Aussies.

When do you think I should start training my 4-year-old? :lol:
I saw Walliams on BBC News this morning explaining this - he said that someone asked him 2 years ago and he said yes without really thinking about it. Apparently he loves swimming, has done a fair bit of training but is really trying to get it across that swimming the channel is something that 90% of people who try don't do so don't expect miracles. Good on him I say.

As for me, I can't swim so no. My wife swims the lakes in the Adirondacks - there's some collection of lakes up there that they have a weirdo 4 hour race along.
Does seem all a little pointless now we have the chunnel.
A seven-year-old, did the Alcatraz swim

http//www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/22/alcatraz.swim.ap/index.html

So the four-year-old should be in training now lol

mrbungle2103 @ Thu 01 Jun, 2006 9:21 am Wrote:
As for me, I can't swim so no..


why not?

learn. now.

Yes, it's a dare/challenge/order/whatever. Go on, you can do it, you know you need a new hobby other than pubs while you're waiting for the missus to make it over! it'll increase your stamina...... ;)

My mother cannot swim and took lessons . . .must check on that

Off again, subject wise, a 7 year old attempted to swim the Bay trip from Alcatraz, must go check now to see if he did it!
[quote="monster @ Fri 02 Jun, 2006"]
why not?
quote]

Water phobia stopped me for years but I'm pretty much over that now so you're right - and my wife tells me that one of the things you have to do when you have kids is learn to swim so...just a matter of time.
Reading of water phobias is intriguing.

I was born with a caul; there are old wives tales about people born with cauls, one being that they won't drown. My mother wasn't supersticious, but she said she started to wonder, because keeping me out of water was difficult. It's true that, although I've been in some dangerous situations in the wter, I've never been frightened by them, although they've frightened some relatives who've been there.
What is a caul?
Can't say I have heard that term before.


Ok edited to say I looked this up on Wikipedia andit makes for intersesting reading.

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caul

wendl @ Fri 02 Jun, 2006 Wrote:
What is a caul?


Isn't that Welsh for soup?

Reference URL's