2017 English Channel swim

Friday, August 26, 2016

2016 Pat's North Channel Swim written by Fergal Somerville



By early evening on 24 August 2016 Pat Gallant-Charette had taken 65 years, 204 days, 14 hours and 22 minutes to become the oldest ever to swim the North Channel (Ireland to Scotland). The North Channel is the most difficult of all Channel Swims; notorious for strong tides, blooms of jellyfish and unpredictable weather. Undeterred by a 2013 attempt halted within 600 metres of the Scottish Coast in deference to a sprained wrist, rough seas and an outgoing tide Pat vowed to return. In 2015 she sat in windblown and rain soaked Donaghadee on the North Down coast earnestly waiting for a safe weather window to make her second attempt. The weather didn’t turn and Pat returned to Maine to continue her training regime, again vowing to return.

Mother nature relented and welcomed Pat (and son Tom) to Donaghadee on 23 August. Expert pilot, Quinton Nelson, broke the news that the 3rd attempt would commence at 5:00am on 24 August. Pat was ready and after a quick dip in the harbour took to the nest in advance of a 3:00am call.

By 5:16 Pat leapt from the pilot boat south of Donaghadee Harbour. Thereon a gruelling physical challenge that has vanquished many swimmers started for the oldest individual ever to take on the challenge. Over 1,200 have swum the English Channel. By August 2016 only 40 individuals had swum the North Channel.

The North Channel pinches the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Tides are funnelled through the channel at speed that moves swimmers and vessels in directly North – South directions and swimmers need to travel East – West.

Taking advantage of the tide Pat swam diligently hour after hour after hour; pausing (every 60 minutes for a 30 second feed of Gatorade or carbohydrate embellished porridge. She swam alongside the beautifully restored 1950s lifeboat, watched diligently by Tom, Quinton, Molly, Jordan and myself.

Messages of support from family, friends and fellow distance swimmers were relayed and boosted the spirits. The sun rose and the wind blew gently across the Channel after the disappointment of 2015 this day was proving to be highly satisfactory. Pat swam on hour after hour after hour. Watching a marathon swim informs the soul of what a human body can endure. It nonetheless is very difficult to take in. Time on the boat flies and it feels as if hourly feeds are overlapping. And yet the swimmer moves serenely throughout the day.

Pat was joined by a family of seagulls and one in particular who shadowed her throughout the day and paddled along behind her. The side of the boat was bedecked in plastic coated photos of her beloved daughter (Sarah), husband Jim and Sarah's three children and at each feed she could see each of them cheering her on from far away Maine. Also supporting her were Robbie and Johnny. 

Within five hours the half-distance mark was reached. Pat was not told. To tell a swimmer that they are halfway leads them to realise how tired they already are and how they have to replicate the same effort over the same distance only the second half only starts when they are exhausted from the effort of the first half distance. If that wasn’t cruel enough the North Channel offers a particularly difficult segment. The average swim time is 14+ hours, but every successful swimmer will tell you that it is only at 10 hours that the true physical challenge is unveiled. Having taken advantage of the flowing tide on the Donaghadee side the ebbing tide on the Scottish side pulls the swimmer away from the target of Portpatrick and while the tide pushes the swim northwards along the coast the protruding coast pushes the water back into the channel; the channel swim’s final hours are against a tide that relentlessly pushes the exhausted combatant away.

At 8 hours it looked like Pat would complete the swim in 12+ hours. At 9 hours it looked as if the swim would take longer than 14 hours. Pat had previously swam for over 16¾ hours, but by such time on 24 August she would have been back in the middle of the Channel. Pilot Quinton Nelson and supporters were determined not to let that happen. Pat swam, and swam and swam. At the 10th hour she was joined in the water for 50 minutes for company and encouragement. The swim was within 3 miles of the Scottish coast for almost one quarter of the total time of the swim. The last mile of the swim took almost three hours. Pat was encouraged and even though some of the swim went in reverse when the call came to make the final push at 7:15pm she put the head down and pulled one arm after the other to bring her to the rocks at the base of Killintringan Lighthouse, almost 3 miles north of Portpatrick; the idyllic capital on the Galloway peninsula that was passed going sideways in the preceding hours.

Pat’s success was exactly as she had planned. By 8:00pm on 24 August 2016 the social network world was buzzing with the news. A 65 year old had just completed the most difficult channel in the world. On the boat, Pilot Quinton Nelson welcomed Pat back. She had swam for 14 hours and 22 minutes and as she stood on the deck she appeared to have returned from a dip. She was tired but not exhausted, elated but not emotional. She realised her achievement and the rest of us could only stand in awe and applaud.



But I think over the next few days and weeks the world will wake up to Pat Gallant-Charette’s achievement. As a culture we have been raised to respect the elderly. We were reared with the target retirement of 65 which conveyed the expectation to be revered as grandparents and the right to be respected as experienced citizens. These stereotypes have been challenged over recent years. On 24 August, 2016 Pat Gallant-Charette has shown that ‘65’ is a number and physical activity is not monopolised by the young. 

Thursday, August 25, 2016

2016 North Channel result

On Wednesday, August 24 I had a successful solo swim of the grueling 21 mile North Channel between Ireland and Scotland in a time of 14 hours and 22 minutes. Setting a new world record for the Oldest Woman to successfully swim across the channel.  On the day of my swim I was 65 years and 204 days old.  The North Channel widely known as the most challenging swim in the world.  Mother Nature was kind and gave calm conditions. Water temp averaged 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 13 degrees Celsius.  My boat pilot said that I actually swam 26 miles due to strong currents. With calm conditions, Lion Mane jellyfish rise to the surface.  I was stung over every inch of my body. At one point during my swim, a jellyfish with a dome the size of a dinner plate, lodge onto my goggles.  I was viewing the underside of its dome with its tentacle wrapped on my face. I shook my head with hopes of it falling off....it did not. I had to pry it's dome off my goggles and face.  My skin was inflamed by the stings but the cold water help soothe my skin. It was a unique experience! Ha! Ha!
Prior to my swim I had my son write on my arm the name of my brother Robbie who died of a heart attack at the age of 34 and my brother Johnny who died at the age of 17.  I thought of them during my swim.
I became only the 41st person in history to have a successful channel crossing of this unforgiving channel.  For a successful crossing, it takes a pilot like Quinton Nelson with great navigational skills to find the best route and tides for the swimmer.  Quinton thank you.  Also, having a crew knowledgeable about marathon swimming is vital.  My son Tom did an incredible job. He knew exactly what needed to be done. Many thanks to my son Tom.  Fergal Somerville another crew member was amazing. He went well beyond the scope of a crew member. At the end of my swim, he jumped into the water to film me touching Scotland.  I can't thank him enough. Also. I would like to thank Molly the official for the Irish Long Distance Swim Association. She was fantastic.  My crew at home was a huge help.  My daughter Sarah placed  postings on Facebook and my blog. Also, she sent several photos of family members to Fergal. Fergal had contacted Sarah earlier in the week for family photos. He enlarged the photos and laminated each one.  Each hour of my swim my crew would attach a photo to the railing on the boat.  It was wonderful to see all the photos.  Thank you. My husband Jim has been a huge support for all my marathon swims. I can't thank him enough.  He's the best!   I want to thank my extended family members especially  my brother David and sister-in-law Jeannie for helping to crew for other swims. I want to thank everyone who posted words of encouragement and support on Facebook and my blog.   I want to thank Jackie Cobell's for inspiring me to continue with my swim no matter how long it would take.  Jackie has the world record for longest time of 28 hours to swim across the English Channel.  Also, a special thank you to Sal Minty Gravett for giving me advise on taking a prescription anti-nausea medication.  It was a tremendous help. Also, I want to thank Dr. Gregory Sawyer of Maine Medical Partners, who performed right shoulder surgery last September.  It was a success! I have no shoulder issues. Thank you.   And thank you to David Knop, P.T. (and his team)  at Livevital P.T. and Performance in Portland, for helping me in the first crucial months after my surgery.  Thank you to swim instructor Patti Drew of  Casco Bay YMCA. She was instrumental in correcting my many flaws in my freestyle.  Lastly I want to thank everyone for posting words of encouragement and support on Facebook and my blog....it is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Swim update:
She did it!!!!
My mom, Pat Gallant Charette, has completed her North Channel crossing (Ireland to Scotland), the oldest swimmer to make this crossing in the World in a time of 14hrs and 23minutes.
Holy. Smokes. Awesome!!!!!
Way to go Mom!
We're so proud of you!!! 👊🏻

 Mom will be posting an update to her blog soon
SWIM UPDATE:
boat crew reports Pat has been swimming for eight hours and still going strong.
She has gone through several fields of jellyfish and still pushing forward.
She was vomiting hourly in the beginning of her swim but that has subsided over the last few hours.
 The sea is very calm and she is about 6 miles away from where she needs to be.
 The boat pilot said it doesn't get much better than these weather conditions; he said it was probably the best day all year in Ireland!

This is the link to her boat tracker:  

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lK7A9ru75SgFiEcnYkqhni44nBqnxjcf

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

It's a go!

I will attempt a solo crossing of the North Channel on Wednesday,  August 24. My swim will start in Donaghadee, Ireland at 5:15am local time. In Maine with the time zone change 12:15am.   Fergal Somerville will activate his tracker.  See link posted a few days ago.   Many thanks to my family and friends for their words of encouragement and support.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Tracker for North Channel swim

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0lK7A9ru75

This tracker is not online until my swim starts.  I will post the date and time of my North Channel swim attempt.  Many thanks to crew member Fergal Somerville of Dublin, Ireland for providing a tracker.  This tracker is automatically updated every 10 minutes in real time.

Upcoming North Channel swim

My next marathon swim will be a solo attempt of the grueling North Channel between Ireland and Scotland.   It is regarded as one of the most challenging swims in the world due to very cold water temperatures,  prolific blooms of jellyfish, and unpredictable weather.  At the age of sixty-five, I am looking forward to this incredible adventure. My biggest concern is the weather.  Last year my crew and I waited for nearly two weeks for winds to calm and it never happened.  I returned to Maine without a swim.  I'm hoping that Mother Nature will bless the Channel with calm conditions.  My boat pilot is Quinton Nelson (awesome pilot).  I will swim under the rules governed by the Irish Long Distance Swimming Association.  My crew will consist of my son Tom and good friend friend Fergal Somerville of Dublin.  Fergal will activate his tracker the day of my swim (I will post link). This tracker will post live tracking updates every ten minutes.  My slot is August 26 to the 30th.  This will be my 5th swim of the Ocean's Seven. I have completed the Strait of Gibraltar, Tsugaru Strait, English Channel, and Catalina.
I have carefully tweaked my plans for a successful crossing of the North Channel.   I will be wearing a scopalomine patch and take an antiemetic before the swim starts.  A few weeks ago I did not wear a patch or take a prescription antiemetic before my English Channel solo attempt.  After 10 hours and 30 minutes of swimming, my swim was aborted due to severe motion sickness (uncontrollable vomiting).  It was a huge mistake on my part. I presumed after two years of no motion sickness during my training swims that I would not have any issues the day of my EC attempt...WRONG!!!!  Live and learn!  Keeping my fingers crossed for calm conditions and no further issues with motion sickness.
  Many thanks to my family and friends for their ongoing encouragement and support. Now, onto the next adventure.