On Wednesday 9th September, the Brockwell Oui Swim Channel Relay Team set off to conquer the Channel and achieved their goal in an amazing 11 hours 50 minutes, a record time for the club.

After months of training and waiting for their September Channel window, the four-person relay team, Sarah, Stephan, Maddy and Sophie, finally got the call around lunchtime on Tuesday 8th September: would they be willing to swim on Wednesday, despite the prospect of a lumpy, and potentially very lumpy, start?

Sarah’s answer was yes, and the adventure was on.

They met at Dover Marina at 9:30 on Wednesday morning under beautiful sunshine. Almost immediately there was a slight complication: another relay team, the Polo Pod from Wales, arrived at the same time, and initially neither the swimmers nor the two observers seemed entirely sure which team was going with which boat and pilot.

After a few phone calls, everything became clear. Brockwell Oui Swim would be crossing on Sea Satin with Lance Oram, with Tony Ball as their observer, while the Polo Pod team headed off on Gallivant with Tanya Harding.

Once aboard Sea Satin, Tony checked all the details and made sure the swimmers’ costumes complied with Channel swimming rules. They then had a safety briefing from crew member Mia, covering everything from emergencies at sea to the correct use of the onboard toilet, along with the warning that misuse might result in an unscheduled ‘boatless solo’ in the Channel!

With introductions and safety checks complete, they motored for about half an hour towards Samphire Hoe. Lance reminded them that the start was going to be lumpy and that their first swimmer would effectively be surfing towards France on the waves.

At around 10:35, Sarah jumped from Sea Satin and swam ashore. Her ‘elegant’ Channel-swimming start included almost face-planting on the beach before clearing the water, raising her arms and heading back into the sea to the sound of the boat’s siren.

They were underway.

The first couple of hours were indeed lumpy. Sarah was followed by Stephan, then Maddy and Sophie, but despite the conditions the team made excellent progress away from England. Before they quite realised it, they were crossing the south-west-bound shipping lane, followed by the separation zone and then the north-east-bound shipping lane.

Somewhere along the way they encountered one of the more surreal sights of the day: a sea of oranges scattered across the Channel, apparently having escaped from a container ship.

By their third rotation, daylight was beginning to disappear, and they were treated to a spectacular sunset from the middle of the Channel. The evening brought its own challenges. Sarah had a couple of jerry cans heading towards her at alarming speed, while Stephan and Maddy collected their share of jellyfish stings in the darkness. The sea became increasingly lively again as France drew closer.

Finally, it was Sophie’s turn to bring them home. Battling plenty of chop on the final approach, she made her way towards the rocks near Cap Gris-Nez in the dark, climbed clear of the water and completed their crossing.

England to France: 11 hours and 50 minutes.

What had begun with a last-minute weather call, a lumpy forecast and some confusion over which boat they were actually getting onto ended with four very happy swimmers, and a new Brockwell Swimmers club record.

Together with our Lido Channel Challenge, the swim is raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. You can show your support by donating at our JustGiving page.

Has this inspired you to swim the Channel? If you are up for the Challenge in 2027 please get in touch.