The 27-year-old left Dover’s Shakespeare Beach at 6.38 in the morning before finishing at Petit Blanc Nez, north of Wissant beach, shortly before 8 pm.
Harvey, of the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club, said: ‘It was like a bath, 18 to 20 degrees and I was delighted with my time because I was aiming for 13 to 15 hours.
‘All went to plan, I’ve been planning this swim since 2015 so it has been in my head for a long time.
‘Conditions were nice for the first four hours or so before it chopped up as it got windy.
‘It was tough going then, but I trained hard for it and I was comfortable in the water, despite the conditions.
‘Not once did I think I was not going to finish, when it gets choppy you just put more effort into it and that’s what I did.
‘I was surprised how few ships I saw too, especially when they told me I was swimming across the first shipping lane.
‘I’m not as tired as I thought I would have been, I barely slept on Sunday night and I suppose that was down to the adrenaline. My shoulders are a bit stiff but not as stiff as I thought they would have been.’
Harvey, who received support from Kirsty White Massage Therapy, Kit Chamier of True Food Nutrition and Carl Harvey of Design Dimensions, does not rule out a second Channel swim.
She added: ‘I would never say no because I don’t know, certainly not immediately but in a couple of years’ time possibly.
‘I’m focusing on running now, I’m into triathlon and I also want to run a marathon.
‘I will keep my swimming going and long term I’d love to complete an Ironman event.’
Harvey’s pilot was Eddie Spelling on Anastasia and her crew were Andy Truscott, Robin Johnson and Matthew Dark.
Channel Swimming and Pilot Federation observer was Phil Sears.
