AMID a bumper year for sea swimming in Jersey waters, the Island’s most renowned swimmer made a special journey to celebrate the centenary of a pioneering feat.
This month marked the centenary of a successful crossing of the English Channel by 20-year-old American Gertrude Ederle, who was the first woman to complete the swim and whose time of 14 hours 31 minutes was the fastest ever.
One of many female swimmers to be inspired by the achievement was Jersey’s Sally Minty-Gravett, who completed her first Channel swim in 1975 at the age of 18 and has since made seven further crossings, including a two-way swim in 2018.
Mrs Minty-Gravett was among a select group invited to Dover earlier this month for a celebration of the centenary, including a gathering on Oldstairs Beach at the exact time the woman dubbed “the Queen of the Waves” had completed her journey from Cap Gris Nez in France.
The event also included a gala dinner and the opening of an exhibition at Dover Museum which will run until early November.
“It was an incredible experience being there to mark this occasion with members of Trudi’s family who had come across from the United States,” Mrs Minty-Gravett said. “She kicked it all off, and lots of people in Jersey have been inspired by what she did.”
Of the 33 Islanders to have swum the English Channel, 22 have been women, while female swimmers from the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club have also been active over the past few weeks.
Fay de Gruchy completed a round-Island swim earlier this month, battling choppy seas and cramps to finish the circumnavigation in 11 hours and 50 minutes.
Earlier in the summer, Julia Morris made a solo crossing from Jersey to France in nine hours 24 minutes, while a five-woman team, the so-called “Jersey Mermaids”, completed a round-Island relay in 11 hours 16 minutes.
With the sea temperature coming close to 20°C, many other swims are planned over the coming weeks.
“It’s been an exemplary summer,” Mrs Minty-Gravett said.
A spokesperson for the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club said the club wished to acknowledge the contribution of the pilots, observers, crews, trainers and volunteers in the achievements by swimmers.
