World record set for three way channel crossing

A group of six women set a new world record for an all-female, three-way English Channel crossing on 5 July 2017.

The six swimmers were aged from 24 to 39. They demolished the old record – shaving one hour 11 minutes from the previous time.

Dee Llewellyn-Hodgson (35), Nikki Fraser (24), Jane McCormick (35), Lucy Lloyd-Roach (33), Emma Ross (30), and Natalie Massey (28) took part in the swim, closing the crossing with a final time of 31 hours and 20 minutes.

The team set off from Dover at 7.40am on Tuesday 4 July and completed their record swim at around 4pm French time at Wissant, near Calais.

Lloyd-Roach said: “I feel overwhelmed! It’s really tricky to put into words how you feel.

“I’m overjoyed and relieved as we were unsure as to whether we’d get the record. And I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished.

“It was an incredible thing to be part of. It just shows you what you can achieve as a team. Without the girls and the Louise Jane charters crew, I don’t think I could have done it.”

McCormick added: “We are all over the moon to have successfully set a new world record. The swim was tough and we came across lots of obstacles (jellyfish, icy water temperatures, strong winds and unforgiving tides) but we pushed through.

“The support we got from friends and family back at home was phenomenal and kept us going. We all just love swimming and so it was a fantastic challenge made all the more special by being able to share it with five like-minded friends.”

Somewhat impressively, Llewellyn-Hodgeson had been part of the relay team who held the previous record of 32 hours and 11 minutes. This record had stood for 13 years.

A fantastic fundraising adventure

The team completed the crossing because they love to swim. They also had unfinished business from 2015 where they managed a two-way crossing before the weather turned.

They did have another motive though. The six swimmers were fundraising for the British Heart Foundation.

The charity have helped three of the team members in the past. They also supported Headway, which is a charity that works to improve live after brain surgery.

If you would like to donate to their causes, please visit the Andy’s Channel Ladies 2017 Just Giving page.