Ferry: Faster, much faster

A British female swimmer has successfully managed to beat the record for the slowest swim across the English Channel.

Jackie Cobell from Tonbridge in Kent took a massive 28 hours and 44 minutes to make the 21 mile crossing, nearly two hours slower than the previous record, set by Henry Sullivan in 1923.

After taking off from Shakespeare Beach in Dover, it has been calculated that the swim ended up covering 65 miles, more than three times the direct distance.

The 56 year-old mother of two has been in training for the event for up to 20 hours a week over the last five years. During this time she took the unusual step of going into hospital to have two shoulder operations and a gastric bypass, though not at the same time.

‘I’m a slow swimmer but I never dreamt I would be swimming for quite so long.’ Cobell astutely observed.

To date she has raised over £4,000 for the Huntingdon’s Disease Association and is still collecting donations.

There's only one: ASASFGBS

Britain’s national governing body for swimming is to relaunch as part of a streamlining process for the organisation of the sport.

For the sake of simplicity, the new organisation will combine all the different elements of the current governance structure, but under one all-encompassing umbrella.

The Amateur Swimming Association of Swimming Federations of Great British Swimming, or ASASFGBS for short, will remain based in Loughborough and will continue to be lead by chief executive David Sparkes.

However, it is hoped the unified structure will clear up some of the confusion surrounding the myriad of governing bodies currently in operation. As yet precise details remain unclear but a series of announcements are expected from the ASASFGBS headquarters over the coming weeks.

In the first such statement a spokesperson for the ASASFGBS said ‘Where there were previously four, or five, or something, now there is only one. One ASASFGBS to rule them all, one  ASASFGBS to find them, one ASASFGBS to bring them all and in the water bind them – and suchlike.’

Colin Brown, director of London Swimming and an expert in unity, unfortunately had no comment to make.