Review: The Crossing by Kathy Watson
The story of Capt. Matthew Webb is the starting point for modern Open Water swimming. While there are other famous open water swims from before this time, Byron & Hellespont being the most famous,...
View ArticleCaptain Webb’s English Channel chart
I came across this recently, I’d forgotten the smaller version from Kathy Watson’s biography of Capt. Webb, The Crossing. Remember this?
View ArticleNo one swims to France by accident – Channel Season & Channel Fever
For some, there is no greater sporting event than the English Channel. Sporting event isn’t even a good description. The Australian surfer Nat Young once said the worst thing to happen surfing was that...
View ArticleCaptain Webb, Dawley and Webb Miscellenea
Captain Matthew Webb, Dover Memorial Captain Webb is synonymous with Dover for most swimmers. (Though I’ve never been able to figure out why his Dover memorial is situated so badly in front of a block...
View ArticleJuly 24th, 1883
Photo used with permission by reddit user zxo This is a maelstrom. Indeed the very definition of such, as it’s the whirlpool at the base of Niagara Falls. It’s where Captain Matthew Webb tragically...
View ArticleCelebrating the first World Marathon Swimming Day
The Swimmers August the 24th is the day in 1875 that Captain Matthew Webb successfully swam the English Channel, landing at Calais on his second attempt in under 22 hours. It’s the date that the sport...
View ArticleA short history of English Channel Swimming [Infographic]
It seems all the cool web kids are doing Infographics these days. Being neither cool, (more usually cold), nor a kid, I’ve created a few (I started just to see if I could create any at all) on...
View ArticleHot Coffee by Moonlight: the Birth of Marathon Swimming. Part 3 – Agnes...
Kathy Watkin’s book The Crossing, (reviewed here), is the only currently available biography of Captain Matthew Webb. It is required reading for any English Channel Aspirant and certainly for anyone...
View Article“For long swimming and strong swimming”- The Birth of Marathon Swimming IV –...
As mentioned in the first part, this irregular series resulted from the great documentation that former CS&PF President and multiple English Channel swimmer Nick Adams generously shared with me...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....