How Far Is The English Channel?

Courtesy of Michael Oram of Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation, English Channel.

The courses taken and distances swum by the two slowest swimmers across the English Channel (Jackie Cobell in 28 hours 44 minutes in 2010 and Henry Sullivan in 26 hours 50 minutes in 1923) were dramatically different than the courses and distances swum by the two fastest swimmers (Trent Grimsey in 6 hours 55 minutes in 2012 and Petar Stoychev in 6 hours 56 minutes in 2006).

Jackie Cobell’s course in 28 hours 44 minutes across the English Channel in 2010

Petar Stoychev’s course of 6 hours 56 minutes across the English Channel in 2007

While the time in the water was well documented, how does one measure the distance they both swam?

Cobell traverse approximately 105 km in her 28 hours 44 minutes in the water as she was pushed laterally throughout the swim where Stoychev’s nearly straight-line course was much closer to 33.5 km. “According to tradition and globally accepted norms in the sport, the distance of marathon swims across a channel are the shortest distance between the closest points of land – no matter where a swimmer starts or finishes,” explained Steven Munatones.

There is also a separate discussion about the unit of measurement: miles versus statute miles versus nautical miles versus kilometers. “I used miles when I wrote about open water swimming in the 20th century, but that is because I was not well-traveled,” Munatones said.

“But I use kilometers exclusively now because I realized how few swimmers around the world – outside of a few countries – use inches, feet, yards, and miles.”

So what distance did Cobell, Sullivan, Grimsey and Stoychev swim across the English Channel?

Michael Oram who has taken more swimmers and relays across the Channel explains why 33.52 km is used by the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation, “Using the Admiralty Chart – Dover Straits Western 1892 – with measurements at Chart datum, the Chart Projection is Mercator. Positions are referred to the WGS84 compatible datum, European Terrestrial Reference system 1989.

The shortest crossing of the English Channel is from the western end of Shakespeare Beach to the rocks on the tip of Cap Gris Nez. The nautical course of 144°T UK to France — 324°T from France to UK. This is 18.15 nautical miles or 36,300 yards (based on the standard of 2000 yards to the nautical mile) or 20.625 UK land miles (based on a land mile being 1,760 yards), or 33.52 km or 33,521 meters (based on a nautical mile being 1,852 meters).”

But it is not so easy. Oram continues, “From Abbots Cliff Beach at the western end of Samphire Hoe to Cap Gris Nez is 18.5 nautical miles on 137°T UK to France. 18.5 nm is 3700 yards or 34.262 km or 38.89 land miles. From Shakespeare Beach to Cap Blanc is 19.4 nautical miles on 125°T or 35.928 km or 22.045 land miles.”

But in reality, no swimmer is ever traversing the shortest distance, even Stoychev and Grimsey on the absolutely finest day on the Channel. There is much more that goes into swimming the Channel and picking a starting point. Oram says, “The shortest distance is really only a concern for record swims, and then only a small part of the planning. For most, it is a paper exercise that gives a rough estimate as to how much swimming is required and a starting point to planning what could actually happen.

The Shakespeare Beach start is really for neap tides only when you start at around high water Dover. On a spring tide from here, you are taken across the Dover Harbour entrance and possibly into St Margaret’s Bay area depending on the swimmer’s speed. There is a start before high water start from the middle/eastern end of Shakespeare at 4-5 hours before high water which can be used on both neap and spring tides.

When we took on the spring tide swims, we moved our start point to Abbott’s Cliff to fit into the lock gate openings and avoid the tidal problems and the need for an early start – which is 4-5 hours before high water – if we continued to go from Shakespeare Beach. Abbott’s Cliff at Samphire Hoe can be used for either a spring or neap tide start at around high water and is now the popular start by most pilots these days. It is about 700 meters longer in chart distance.

Unfortunately, the chart distances have very little to do with Channel swimming which is down to the individual swimmer’s abilities and the use of the tidal flow. The swimmer is the pilots 3rd engine – that often has a few running problems as the crossing progresses.”

Michael Read, who has crossed the Channel 33 times and serves as the president of the Channel Swimming Association that was established in 1927, agrees, “The distance is constant and it makes sense to measure from the closest points, but the starting and finishing points are flexible and the conditions are continuously variable and it is that which makes the challenge.”

Often called the Mount Everest of open water swimming, the English Channel is the iconic stretch of water between England and France. But unlike Mount Everest whose summit height was just readjusted, the distance of the English Channel has stayed consistent over the decades since Captain Matthew Webb first crossed in 1875.

As Oram wisely summarized the situation, “I have been to and from Shakespeare Beach and Abbots Cliff Beach in England and Cap Gris Nez in France on numerous occasions over the years and can confirm that they have not moved very much in the last 40 years, if at all.”

Fastest Swims Across the English Channel:
1. Trent Grimsey (Australia) in 6 hours 55 minutes in 2012
2. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria) in 6 hours 56 minutes 50 seconds in 2007
4. Christof Wandratsch (Germany) in 7 hours 3 minutes in 2005
4. Yuri Kudinov (Russia) in 7 hours 5 minutes in 2007
5. Rostislav Vítek (Czech Republic) in 7 hours 16 minutes in 2009
6. Chad Hundeby (USA) in 7 hours 17 minutes in 1994
7. Christof Wandratsch (Germany) in 7 hours 20 minutes in 2004
8. Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria) in 7 hours 21 minutes in 2006
9. David Meca (Spain) in 7 hours 22 minutes in 2005
10. Yvetta Hlaváčová (Czech Republic) in 7 hours 25 minutes in 2006
11. Penny Lee Dean (USA) in 7 hours 40 minutes in 1978

Fastest Two-way Crossings of the English Channel:
1. Philip Rush (New Zealand) in 16 hours 10 minutes (en route to a 3-way crossing) in 1987
2. Susie Maroney (Australia) in 16 hours 14 minutes in 1991
3. Philip Rush (New Zealand) in 16 hours 56 minutes in 1985
4. Irene van der Laan (Netherlands) in 18 hours 15 minutes in 1984
5. Igor de Souza (Brazil) in 18 hours 44 minutes in 1996
6. Cindy Nicholas (Canada) in 18 hours 55 minutes in 1982
7. Cindy Nicholas (Canada) in 19 hours 12 minutes in 1979
8. Chloë McCardel (Australia) in 19 hours 21 minutes in 2012
9. Stuart Johnson (Australia) in 19 hours 46 minutes in 2014
10. David Čech (Czech Republic) in 19 hours 54 minutes in 2006

Fastest Three-way Crossings of the English Channel:
1. Philip Rush (New Zealand) in 28 hours 21 minutes in 1987
2. Alison Streeter MBE (UK) in 34 hours 40 minutes in 1990
3. Chloë McCardel (Australia) in 36 hours 12 minutes in 2015
4. Sarah Thomas (USA) in 37 hours 6 minutes 20 seconds (en route to a 4-way crossing) in 2019
5. Jon Erikson (USA) in 38 hours 27 minutes in 1981

Fastest and Only Four-way Crossing of the English Channel:
1. Sarah Thomas completed a four-way crossing in 54 hours 10 minutes 0 seconds in 2019

Oldest Individuals to Cross the English Channel:
1. Otto Thaning (South Africa), 73 years in 12 hours 52 minutes in 2014
2. Cyril Baldock (Australia), 70 years 9 months in 12 hours 45 minutes in 2014
3. Roger Allsopp (England), 70 years 4 months in 16 hours 51 minutes in 2011
4. George Brunstad (USA), 70 years 4 days in 15 hours 59 minutes in 2004
5. Chris Shapland (Australia), 69 years in 16 hours 28 minutes in 2016
6. Donald Riddington (Australia), 68 years in 19 hours 45 minutes in 2014
7. Clifford Batt (Australia), 66 years in 18 hours 46 minutes in 1986
8. Ashby Harper (USA), 65 years in 14 hours 52 minutes in 1982
9. Joe Smith (England), 65 years in 14 hours 9 minutes in 1999
10. Roger Allsopp (England), 65 years in 15 hours 40 minutes in 2006
11. Sue Oldham (Australia), 65 years in 16 hours 11 minutes in 2010

Top photo of the English Channel by John Laurens shows England on the left, France on the right, and the English Channel in the middle.

But could the Admiralty Chart – Dover Straits Western 1892 and the European Terrestrial Reference system 1989 be inaccurate for the purpose of measuring the shortest distance of the English Channel? Using Google Maps, Evan Morrison of the Marathon Swimmers Federation gives compelling reasons and shows why the assumed shortest distances are inaccurate – see here.

Google Maps uses aerial photography taken from aircraft flying at 240 to 460 meters and imagery from satellites. On the other hand, Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and have been produced for over 200 years. Over 90% of ships trading internationally use these charts. Navigation charts at a scale of 1:50,000 or smaller use the Mercator projection, and have since at least the 1930s. The Mercator projection has the property of maintaining angles correctly, so that a line on the earth’s surface that crosses all the meridians at the same angle (a rhumb line) will be represented on the chart by a straight line at the same angle. However, a rhumb line is not in general the shortest distance between two points, which is a great circle. Due to the changing nature of the seabed and other charted features, chart users’ information must be up-to-date to maintain accuracy.

So at least for the time being, the Marathon Swimmers Federation recognizes a different distance of the English Channel than the Channel Swimming Association and the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation.

Munatones observed, “To swim across the English Channel is very rightly so a tremendous achievement to be very proud of – regardless of time, gender, age, conditions or distance – because at the end of the day, no one swims the shortest straight-line tangent distance across the narrowest point of the Strait of Dover.
Amidst the challenge in attempting a crossing of the English Channel, there is beauty in human achievement and effort.”