What were the conditions set by the English chennel Swimming Authority
Answers
Explanation:
Edurance swimmer Lewis Pugh completed his record-breaking feat of swimming the length of the English Channel this week, from Land's End in Cornwall to Dover in Kent, to raise awareness about the state of our oceans.
Pugh swam the last of his 348-mile epic after 49 days in the water, arriving at Shakespeare Beach on Wednesday afternoon. The environmental campaigner and UN Patron of the Oceans is estimated to have made as many as 750,000 strokes.
durance swimmer Lewis Pugh completed his record-breaking feat of swimming the length of the English Channel this week, from Land's End in Cornwall to Dover in Kent, to raise awareness about the state of our oceans.
Pugh swam the last of his 348-mile epic after 49 days in the water, arriving at Shakespeare Beach on Wednesday afternoon. The environmental campaigner and UN Patron of the Oceans is estimated to have made as many as 750,000 strokes.
Since Matthew Webb swam the Channel in 1875 (in less than 22 hours), 1,831 people have done it 2,369 times, with a further 7,694 taking part in just over a thousand relay swims.
Despite the whole army of successful participants, swimming the Channel is a lot more complex than it seems – and it already seems pretty complex. There are a number of considerations, regulations and complications. Here are some things to think about for those inspired by Pugh.
1. For a swim to be officially recognised, you must not be assisted by any kind of artificial aid – and you are only permitted to use goggles, one cap, a nose clip, ear plugs and one costume, that must be sleeveless and legless.
2. You are allowed to grease yourself up for insulation – many use goose fat.
3. You must enter the sea from the shore of departure and finish on dry land at the other side, “or touch steep cliffs of the opposite coast with no sea water”, according to the Channel Swimming Association, which regulates attempts.
4. Yep, there is a Channel Swimming Association (CSA). Founded in 1927, it drew up the code of rules governing the swimming of the Channel.
6. Of the thousands of swimmers to have completed the challenge, 63 per cent have been male. The average age of solo swimmers is 35 and a half.
. Swimming the Channel is not cheap and will set you back a few thousand pounds, the largest chunk of which goes towards a registered pilot and escort boat (up to £2,750).
8. The distance swum is approximately 21 miles, but changes according to the current. Tides need to be taken into account and most swimmers tackle a sort of S-shaped course.
9. The most successful day for cross-Channel swims is August 22, on which 66 have been completed over the years.
10. Swimmers usually start at or near Shakespeare’s Cliff or Samphire Hoe and aim to finish at Cap Gris Nez, between Boulogne and Calais, which features in one of Telegraph Travel's round-ups of the best lesser-known places to visit in France.
15. You don’t need your passport if you intend to turn right around once you hit the French beach, but it's advised you carry one. Where, is anyone's guess.
16. It’s blooming chilly and part of your training is getting used to the cold. During the swim season of July to September, says the CSA, the temperature in the water ranges from 14 to 18C, but can plummet to 6C. You must complete a six-hour swim in similar temperatures before the CSA will let you attempt a crossing.
17. You must book one to two years ahead for a slot to attempt a crossing.
18. The Serpentine Swimming Club in London boasts the most members to complete a crossing.
19. Before Matthew Webb made the first ever crossing in 1875, a seaman had floated across it on a bundle of straw. Not quite the same.
20. Webb, who wore porpoise oil, swam breast stroke - whereas Trudy Ederle preferred front crawl
21. Webb later died attempting a swim through the Whirlpool Rapids beneath Niagara Falls.
22. A number of early attempts to swim the Channel were sponsored by American newspapers. Trudy Ederle was supported by the New York Times and Chicago Tribune.
23. Argentinian Antonio Abertondo became the first person to swim the Channel both ways non-stop in 1961. It took him 43 hours.
24. Alison Streeter holds the record for most crossings. The Briton has swum the Channel 43 times.
Explanation:
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