Brockwell Swimmer’s first Channel relay team Jellyfish & Jetsam got off to a dramatic start when their swim slot was brought forward 24 hours. The team, Sarah, Emily, Gemma, Ben and David, were dining in Folkestone when the confirmation finally came: green light. They were swimming in eight hours.

Meeting their pilot Kevin and crew Tom and Graham at 2am, they boarded Connemara under cover of dense fog. At Samphire Hoe, David jumped into darkness with no shore in sight, guided only by a faint light. He reached the beach and, when he heard the klaxon, started swimming.

As the swimmers rotated through the night, the fog persisted. Visibility was minimal, and tension remained high. The second round brought jellyfish. David dodged one, but Emily was hit in the face on entry and Sarah was stung several times. Still, the team pressed on, determined to make France.

Eventually, the fog lifted, revealing a calm, sunlit Channel. Both coasts came into view. They passed a migrant boat being escorted by coastguards and heard that a solo swimmer ahead had been forced to pause by French authorities. As the third round of swims began, the team was told they needed to dig deep to reach Cap Gris-Nez, the prized landing point.

After David and Emily gave it everything, Ben took on the final leg. Battling fast currents and chop, he cut through the tide, guided by Graham in the rowboat. At last, he reached the rocky shore by La Sirène and raised his arms in triumph.

The team’s time was an impressive 12 hours and 22 minutes and they were the fourth boat to make it to shore. Ten of the eleven boats succeeded that day, with times between 11 and 19 hours. Back on board, they toasted with bubbles, thanking their incredible crew. It was a day of grit, camaraderie, and shared glory, and they are now proud Channel relay swimmers.