[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you were born prior to 2000, you’ve heard the stories of a man from Martinique – Jacques Sicot – who swam from St Lucia to Martinique. Undoubtedly, you recently heard about Ross Edgley attempting to swim from Saint Lucia to Martinique towing a 100 lb tree. When he didn’t complete the swim, there weren’t too many surprised. Many of us scratch our heads and thought these might be outlandish, but marathon swimming or channel swimming is becoming the norm.
In 2008, Steve Munatones dubbed the seven MUST swim channels or straits of the world as “Oceans 7.” Each of these channels has its own challenges, besides cold water temperatures. Strait of Gibraltar is one of the shorter distance swims on the list. With over 300 cargo vessels passing daily through the strait and high winds (Morocco is the windsurfing capital of the world), you can imagine what a feat this would be. However, don’t plan to swim Gibraltar soon – there’s a three year waiting list.
Ka’iwi Channel in Hawaii is one of the longest distances, boasting warm waters and the threat of sharks. There are firm times of the year that it is not wise to attempt this channel, leaving the window for completion narrow. The most recent completion in April 2018 puts them right at 60 successes.
The English Channel is the most recognized and most popular channel to swim. It has been attempted over 7,000 times in recorded history. With 2228 successful completions since 1875, more persons have completed the English Channel than climbed Mount Everest! With cold water temperatures to acclimatize to and a minimum of a two year waiting list, swimmers still flock to the shores of Dover to year after year.
Over the next week, you will hear more about a couple of swimmers joining in these adventures right here. Chief among them is Molly Nance who is due to arrive here shortly. Nance is a 52-year old marathon swimmer from Lincoln, Nebraska. She swam competitively throughout her youth and high school. At the age 40, she joined U S Masters Swimming, competed in masters swim meets. After reading “The Great Swim” about the first women attempting to swim the English Channel, Nance was inspired and set that as her goal. After learning about a warm water swim the same distance as the English Channel, Nance was motivated to liaise with folks in St Lucia to make this dream come true.
Next week, Nance will swim from St Lucia to Martinique with the support of her husband Paul, Bruce Hackshaw and Captain Mike’s, Nathaniel Waring, and Sue Dyson. The one day swim is intended to take place between May 15-17, using weather as the determining factor.
Approximately 22 miles, 33 kilometers, the swim could take 13-15 hours for completion depending on various factors including her average speed swimming.
This swim will lead off what is becoming the newest sports tourism event in St Lucia. With support from Department of Youth and Sports, Department of Tourism, Events Company Saint Lucia, Nathaniel Waring and Sue Dyson, are organizing a much larger scale event to be held annually. The event will include much shorter distances inviting local and regional participation. For more information or details, email sluchannelswim@publicist.com
