Performance Sea Kayak2
Sea Paddling Excellence...
Crossing:
English Channel - Dover Strait
Route Distance: ~19 nm / 35.2 kmPrevailing direction: W >> E
Record: 2011 - 02:28:00
Solo: 5
Team: 6
Records
| Paul Wycherley | K1M_Ski | 02:28:00 | 2011 |
| Ian Wynne | K1M_Ski | 02:59:06 | 2007 |
| Ian Tordoff | K1M | 03:21:00 | 2005 |
| Victor Copeland Nigel Tuffley Anthony Fielding | Team | ~06:51:00 | 1990 |
| Drew Samuel | K1M | ? | 1976 |
Image: Ian Tordoff, Dover Strait Crossing
The media often informs us of people who cross the Dover Strait by all sorts of means, from swimming to an eclectic variety of craft. Whilst this is not the longest of crossings, the crossing by kayak should not be underestimated. Ignoring the matter of 20 miles of open water, the combination of the busiest of shipping lanes, impressive bureaucracy and not least of all the cost for the de facto requirement of an escort boat, can make this a challenging undertaking. An obvious goal for many a UK paddler looking to make a crossing.
As far as we know all crossings shown here were escorted.
Crossing: English Channel - Dover Strait
Solo
Click column header to sort.| Posn. | K1W | Cat | Paddler | Elapsed | Date | Start | Finish | Boat | Verified | Note | Link1 | 1 | K1M_Ski | Paul Wycherley | 02:28:00 | 02-Oct-11 | ? | Cap Gris Nez | Epic V12 | -- | Escorted | Link1 | 2 | K1M_Ski | Ian Wynne | 02:59:06 | 05-Oct-07 | S'speare Beach | Cap Gris Nez | Fenn Mako 6 | -- | Escorted | Link1 | 3 | K1M | Ian Tordoff | 03:21:00 | 18-May-05 | Folkestone | Wisnant | Valley Rapier 20 | -- | Escorted | Link1 | 4 | K1M | Gary Fletcher | 07:21:43 | 03-Oct-22 | Dungeness | Boulogne-sur-Mer | SKUK Romany Surf | Yes | RIB Assist | YouTube | 5 | K1M | Drew Samuel | ? | 1976 | -- | Escorted? |
|---|
5 solo paddlers
Teams
Click column header to sort.| Posn. | Cat | Paddler | Elapsed | Date | Start | Finish | Boat | Verified | Note | Link1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K2 Ski | Dylan Barber-May / Maia Wallace-Loizou | 04:15:00 | 19-Feb-13 | Folkestone | ? | -- | Escorted | News | |
| 2 | Team | Rob Bates Richard Harpham Dave McCarthy Aisling Ni Chuinn Geoff Tilford | 05:11:00 | 18-Apr-09 | Dover Harbour | Cap Gris Nez | -- | Escorted | Blog | |
| 3 | Team | Charlie Brett Stuart Littler Jon Turner | 06:10:00 | 01-Sep-12 | Dover Harbour | Cap Gris Nez | Venture_Kayaks ? ? | -- | Escorted | Blog |
| 4 | Team | Victor Copeland Nigel Tuffley Anthony Fielding | ~06:51:00 | 20-Jun-1990 | Boulogne-sur-Mer | Dover | Annas Acuta Vyneck Sea King | -- | ||
| 5 | Team | Olly Sanders _ Welsh Guards group | ~07:00:00 | 2008 | Dover Harbour | Cap Gris Nez | P+H Capella | -- | Escorted | Blog |
| 6 | K2 | John Anderson / Drew Samuel | ? | 1980 | ? | ? | Double | -- | Escorted? |
6 Teams -- 17 Paddlers
Notes
John Anderson / Drew Samuel (1980)Escorted?.
Dylan Barber-May / Maia Wallace-Loizou (19-Feb-13)
Escorted.
Incredibly Maia was only 13 years old when she completed this crossing, surely the youngest person to paddle across the Channel. This shouldn't overshadow Dylan's achievement either - Dylan was 15 years old.
Rob Bates / Richard Harpham / Dave McCarthy / Aisling Ni Chuinn / Geoff Tilford (18-Apr-09)
Escorted.
As part of the Big 5 Kayak Challenge.
Charlie Brett / Stuart Littler / Jon Turner (01-Sep-12)
Escorted.
Did not land at Capre Gris Nez, coastline too rocky, so paddled close in and transferred to escort rib.
Gary Fletcher (03-Oct-22)
RIB Assist.
Gary points out that from 20212 it became forbidden to cross the shipping lanes (TSS) within the French controlled area of the Dover Straits. So Gary boarded a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) to carry him across the shipping lane before returning to his kayak to complete the crossing - this RIB section was ~11 km / 26 min
Drew Samuel (1976)
Escorted?.
Olly Sanders / _ Welsh Guards group (2008)
Escorted.
Olly Sanders paddled along with a team of 7 Welsh Guards on a charity paddle, we don't have names for the Guardsmen unfortunately.
Ian Tordoff (18-May-05)
Escorted.
Paul Wycherley (02-Oct-11)
Escorted.
Paul's time is impressive, maintaining an average speed of well over 7 kts. However BBC video footage has caused some debate. It appears to show Paul wash-hanging a support boat. We don't know if this is footage from the actual event, or from a separate training paddle. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/canoeing/15160182
Ian Wynne (05-Oct-07)
Escorted.
Summary:
Crossing: English Channel - Dover StraitSolo paddlers: 5
Team paddlers: 17
Teams: 6
Recorded Start Points:
- ?? (2)
- Boulogne-sur-Mer (1)
- Dover Harbour (3)
- Dungeness (1)
- Folkestone (2)
- S'speare Beach (1)