4-Way English Channel Swim achieved by British team.

In the early hours of Tuesday 4th September, The FINIS-supported Big Ricks Swim Team, based in Warwickshire, England, became the first team from Great Britain & Europe to EVER successfully complete a non–stop 4-way relay crossing of the English Channel in over 100 years, establishish a new British & European swimming record.

The 6-person, all members of Perry Beeches SSS Swimming Club, team consists of, Paul Bates, Ryan Coley, Ross Emery, Stuart Fuller, Melanie Holland, and Charlie Wheadon.

The team began their attempt at 3:20am on Sunday 2nd September from Samphire Hoe Beach, Dover and swam to France and back twice, keeping the same relay order through out the challenge and swimming in hour slots. They finally arrived back in England for the second time, after a particularly grueling fourth leg at 1:33am on the 4th September.

The swim had lasted a whopping 46 hours and 13 minutes! The team had to deal with difficult tides and choppy waters throughout, with the final lap taking 13 hours 32 minutes because of strong tides pushing them further down the coast to complete the swim at Sandgate, Folkestone rather than back in Dover.

The distance traveled by the Ricks team over the 46 hours was almost 200 Kilometers, well over 100 miles nautical miles

Leg 1: 26.6 nautical miles 49.2 KM
Leg 2: 21.7 nautical miles 40.1 KM
Leg 3: 27.1 nautical miles 50.1 KM
Leg 4: 28.5 nautical miles 52.7 KM

“We wanted to do something special to mark the tenth anniversary since Big Ricks Swim Team was formed. We wanted to do something that no other British swim team had even attempted, let alone completed. Paul said, ‘Let’s have a bash at Four Way English Channel!!!’

We sat there and thought for a few moments, ‘Hmmmm…How do we work out the timings for this?’ With Tides, weather etc , it’s hard enough to get a good tide/weather window for a 12-13 hour, 1-way swim, let alone a 46 hour, 4-way swim!

We had think again and said, ‘you know what…let’s just get in and give it a go.

And what ‘a go’. We were just crazy enough to try it, succeed, and make history!”

In taking on this challenge, the team have so far raised £6,500 for their two chosen charities, British Heart Foundations & Marine Conservation Society.

Big Ricks Swim Team was formed in 2008 in memory of their good friend Mark Richuss, who lost his life in the channel to heart disease in 2005. This is Big Ricks’ 5th English Channel swim in 7 years. They have now crossed the English Channel 11 times in total, more than any other team in the history of English Channel swimming

One 1-way English Channel swim (2011)

Three 2-way English Channel swims (2012/13/16)

And now one 4-way English Channel swim (2018)

Big Ricks has now raised in excess of £95,000 for UK charities (BHF, Macmillan, Cancer Research UK, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and Marine Conservation Society )

The swimmers are all now taking a well-deserved rest before supporting next year’s team challenge, which will be another first for Channel swimming. The “Big Ricks Chicks” all-female channel team are attempting to be the first all-female team in the world to ever swim the English Channel as a Medley Relay (Back-Breaststroke-Butterfly-front crawl). The team will be captained By Claire Thorn.

Kind regards and thank you for West Midlands Swimming’s support.

From Paul & Big Ricks Swim Team:

We swam to help the British Heart Foundation & Marine Conservation Society continue their amazing work. If your have a spare fiver please throw it our way, if you can please .. 😉

Click here to donate to Big Ricks’ causes

For more information on the this swim and the history of all Big Ricks’ swims all over the UK since 2008:

Big Ricks Website

Big Ricks Twitter

Big Ricks 4-Way Facebook

Big Ricks’ Facebook