Les Reines du Rother are swimmers who care deeply about water quality. Swimming the River Rother and becoming increasingly aware of the issues our rivers and sea face led to the thought: what can we do to attempt to make a difference?
Isabelle Lavigne, Katherine Drew, Sophia Bartleet and Claire Reed, who all live in West Kent, decided to swim the English Channel to raise money for both Strandliners and Surfers Against Sewage. Strandliners is a Rye-based group that collects data on rubbish and monitors water quality to use as evidence for larger groups to lobby for change. Surfers Against Sewage provides a national water quality app and campaigns for water companies and polluters to be held responsible for what they put into our water.
The team, whose name was inspired by Isabelle’s nationality, was trained by veteran Channel swimmer Tony Ferguson, whose experience and encouragement were invaluable. Claire said, “The swim was way out of my comfort zone, but I realised if I didn’t try this, I would always regret it. There were times during training when we had to clear rubbish left by others before we got into the water. Strandliners and Surfers Against Sewage are working hard to put pressure on the water companies and government to clear up our rivers and seas, so we chose to raise funds to help with this important mission.”
Months of training, including swimming the River Rother in all conditions, preceded the planned departure date in June. A few ‘double dip’ sessions in Dover Harbour aimed to simulate the experience of a relay when each member of the group swims for an hour and then warms up for three hours before returning to the water – repeating four or five times until France is reached! As Sophia said of the Dover training, “The water was a brutally cold 14 degrees, so we weren’t quite so smiley second time around!”
Planning to set off in late June, the team booked a practice session with the piloting boat and team in Dover for Saturday 30th May. When they messaged Stuart Gleeson, the pilot, to finalise the details he suggested that they could embark on the crossing itself that weekend because the forecast conditions were so good. Sophia says: “It was quite a surprise for all of us, but we knew that the weather in the Channel is very unpredictable, so it was worth going for it while it was so calm.”
With just 48 hours’ notice, the team set off from Samphire Ho on Friday 29th May just before 11pm, with Claire taking the first leg, to be followed by Sophia, Katherine and Isabelle. When not swimming, the task was to encourage the person in the water, as well as help warm up whomever had just come out – no easy task in very cold-water conditions. Also on board The Sea Leopard was its pilot and crew, trainer Tony and an observer from the Channel Swimming Association (CSA), who ensures official regulations are adhered to!
The rules stipulate that swimmers can only wear a costume, swimming hat and goggles (no wetsuit) – this is to ensure that the conditions are the same as those experienced by the very first Channel swimmer, Captain Matthew Webb in 1875.
There is much to consider when deciding whether to take on this challenge, but the Channel Swimming Association (CSA) helps immensely, providing answers to all those questions you may have: how long will it take? Why can’t I swim straight across? Will I have to wear grease? Is there much rubbish? Will there be jellyfish?
The Channel is a very busy shipping route
Swimming through walls of jellyfish and some cuttlefish were a new challenge compared to the training days in the sleepy River Rother, as was swimming in the darkness of the night. Discovering plastic water containers floating in the central section and even some deflated helium balloons may not have been a surprise but continued to show our waters are not in a good state.
The CSA provides an interactive map for tracking progress and many people from around the world kept up to date with the team’s efforts. The Sea Leopard route took an ‘S’ shape due to the tidal conditions.
Katherine says: “Despite all the training, nothing can quite prepare you for the reality of the swim. It was really tough – and we only managed to keep going because of the camaraderie and mutual encouragement from the team, and all those supporting us from afar with their messages and donations.”
Sophia adds: “It was also very touch and go. The current along the French coast was very strong, in part because we were swimming on a spring rather than a neap tide, and we were really struggling to get into shore before the Calais Exclusion Zone, which is forbidden to swimmers. We all had to put everything into it at the point when we thought we had reached exhaustion.”
The route needs to take tides, currents and the wind into account
Teamwork certainly comes to the fore in a Channel swim, with family, friends and colleagues, the pilot and crew on board the escort boat and the CSA observer all helping ensure it is both possible and safe.
Les Reines du Rother made the crossing in 16 hours and 35 minutes. What an extraordinary feat. 100 years since the first woman swimmer to swim the Channel, Trudy Ederle, Queen of the Waves.
There is just still time to donate for these women whose concern for the health of our rivers and seas fuelled their courage and determination to raise awareness.
Just Giving – Queens of Rother
Image Credits: Strandliners , Google Map .