Kingfishers’ super seven swim Channel
The team of seven female swimmers from Kingfishers Swimming Club have successfully swum the English Channel.
They left the beach at Samphire Hoe at 9.27pm on Saturday August 5 with Heather Riley wading in under a full moon along with nine other hopeful swimmers and their boats and landed in France 13 hours and 44 minutes later.
The swim was everything they had hoped it wouldn’t be, rough and at night but the ladies swam their hearts out next to a boat that was being tossed around like a cork and some endured long bouts of sea sickness while on board.
True Yorkshire grit along with the powerful swims as always, won out and the team of Heather Riley, Claire Bamford, Elisha De’Alker, Sarah Platten, Di Roberts, Jane Sedman and Alex Sedman completed the marathon swim with Alex Walking ashore.
Coach Paula Ambury and club secretary Amanda Lee were onboard with the team.
The team would like to thank local businesses who have sponsored them with individual donations which added to all the smaller fundraising events made the attempt possible.
These supporters include Vonny Thorpe and the volunteers at OurCo, Kebbell Homes, Kevin Allen and the staff at Yorkshire Coast Homes, Thomas Staley, The Rotary Club, S.A.L.T, Danny Normandale, Stephen Burlinson and the staff at Hares Engineering, Alpamare and Skylark Fishing Trips.