A team of soldiers has successfully swum the English Channel, navigating a way through the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Major Lance Morris swimming with ferry on the horizon.
Sergeant Nicola McCarthy swimming in darkness.
Lieutenant Colonel Vickie Warrington swimming clear of a tanker.
Swimming as a relay team, the six soldiers, from the Army’s Recruiting Group, took to the water near Folkestone in Kent late at night and crossed the strait of Dover to reach the shores of France just after midday the following day.
Each swimmer battled the elements for an hour at a time tackling strong winds, extreme tidal currents, and choppy conditions despite the sunny, summer conditions.
After swimming as far as possible for sixty minutes, each team member climbed aboard a safety boat as the next swimmer dived into the Channel.
Throughout the punishing 21-mile crossing, they were accompanied by an experienced pilot, who guided them through the potential dangers of huge oil and cargo tankers and other ships in their path.
The team was made up of Major Lance Morris, Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment; Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Vickie Warrington, Corps of Royal Engineers; Major (Maj) Johannes Kühn, Royal Logistic Corps; Captain Gray Searle, Army Air Corps; Sergeant (Sgt) Nicola McCarthy, Royal Army Medical Corps, and Captain Kate Major, Adjutant General’s Corps Staff and Personnel Support Branch.
The team has trained for the last year for the challenge, with a mix of indoor swimming pool, at Aldershot garrison, and open water sessions, from Poole in Dorset to the warmer Mediterranean Sea in Cyprus.
Individually, they have clocked up at least three kilometres of swimming a day.
Major Lance Morris said:
“Recruiting Group is spread far and wide across the UK, so we’ve had to motivate each other remotely, using fitness apps to record how far or fast each team member has swum. But we’ve made sure we’ve got together at least once or twice a month for training.”
After a few minutes you can only get warm by swimming faster. Finding a rhythm that balanced staying warm with not fatiguing, while fighting the tides and the current, was critical.
Lt Col Vickie Warrington said:
“Spinning work, being a mum, training and life in general has been really challenging at times.
“This is not just about swimming. It has been about strength and conditioning in the gym, nutrition, sea sessions, lake sessions, incredibly cold water, jelly fish stings, learning to and being comfortable with swimming in the pitch black.
“This is in my eyes 60% a physical challenge and 40% a mental challenge. The mental bit is the most difficult without a doubt.”
The crossing, which can take up to 20 hours to complete, is something many have attempted over the years, and many have failed to complete.
Fewer people have swum the English Channel than have climbed Mount Everest. It is a feat entirely dependent on the weather and a swimmer’s physical and mental strength.
As per the strict Channel Swimming Association regulations, the team members were only allowed Speedo-type swimwear, a hat, and goggles to protect them from the world’s busiest shipping lane and they had to keep to the same stroke.
If at any point a team member could not continue and had to get out of the water, the crossing attempt would have failed.
Before undertaking the challenge, Sgt Nicola McCarthy said:
“When fatigue hits, I'll dig deep and remind myself why I'm doing this. If I fail, the team fails. The thought of letting my teammates down is all the motivation I need to keep going.”
One of the biggest hurdles faced by the team was swimming in pitch blackness as they dived into the dark waters of the Channel for the first half of the crossing.
Trying to keep a wary eye out for jellyfish was another, potentially very painful, barrier which the soldiers strived to avoid.
Before the swim, Lt Col Vickie Warrington said:
“I was badly stung during a training session last year by a jellyfish. I do not want to experience this again or even see one if I am honest!”
Despite the huge challenges, the team completed the crossing in just 12 hours and 56 minutes.
Maj Lance Morris added:
“The water was around 12 degrees which may not sound that cold. But when you are only wearing Speedos, after a few minutes you can only get warm by swimming faster. Finding a rhythm that balanced staying warm with not fatiguing, while fighting the tides and the current, was critical.
“By taking on this challenge, we aim to inspire others, especially fellow military personnel and aspiring soldiers, to push beyond their limits and embrace the true spirit of determination and courage.”
The team took on the challenge to raise funds for the Army Benevolent Fund, the Army’s official charity which looks after injured personnel and families, funding everything from wheelchair ramps for soldiers’ homes, to respite care and personal recovery plans for injured soldiers returning from the frontline.
The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50, and if you want to find out more about a career in the Army, click here: British Army