Channel
Swim Database
I have recently compiled a single, comprehensive list of all
solo channel swims (click here to download).
Why you might ask?! There are pretty comprehensive lists at www.soloswims.com
(for C.S.A. swims) and www.channelswimming.com
(for C.S.A. & C.S.P.F. swims). Why is another list required?
I had 5 objectives for the comprehensive database of Channel
Swims:
1.
It should
be comprehensive! All swims – whether ratified by the
C.S.A., C.S.&P.F. or Butlins
– are included.
2.
It should
be the full picture in one place. Although the above sources all have
significant pieces of the puzzle, none had the full picture in one place.
3.
It should
be structured so it can be analysed. The above sources
are either in HTML or Word or Excel. The new database is in a structured database
format across all 3 ratifying organisation – I have chosen Excel which can
be easily imported into most databases.
4.
It should
be internally consistent. Swimmers names are all spelt the same –
i.e. for the same swimmer, Matt and Matthew is not allowed. Also Country names
have been made consistent – i.e. not United States of
5.
It should
be verified from primary sources. In the main, the best sources are the
records of the ratifying organisations (checked for transcription errors!). But
some information can only be obtained from the individual. Hence this email! Where
possible, I am checking each entry with the individual swimmer to fill in gaps
and verifying information. Unfortunately I won’t be able to check everyone’s
details – for instance, Matthew Webb is refusing to respond to my emails.
For reference, I intend to offer this database to all interested
parties – so as to build some consistency on facts & figures. It will
also be kept up-to-date as possible at my site www.channel-swims.info. I do not profess
any ownership over the content of the database but want to bring everyone together
around a single set of information.
It has many, many interesting facts to reveal (see below)…and
probably quite a few errors I am sure which will need to be corrected over the
coming months. Let me go through a few of both!
Sources
The sources for the information in the database are many. The
primary source is the work done by Mike & Angela Oram over many, many years
whilst at the CSA and more recently at the CS&PF. This is published at their
site www.channelswimming.com.
Additional sources are the listings kept by Bryan Finlay at www.soloswims.com and information
from Mark Frost at
I have sent around 270 emails to confirm the data in the database
and had over 60% of the datasheets returned – with many more promising information once they can retrieve the
observer reports from the bottom of their filing system! Each line confirmed by
a swimmer is highlighted in green.
For this year’s swims, I use the SmartGroups
reports and will update the list based on the final CS&PF and CSA lists once
ratified. The grapevine indicates that the CS&PF had 58 successful solo swims
and the CSA had 21 making a total of 79 – a superb year. I currently have
50/58 swims for the CS&PF and 21/21 for the CSA on the database. The final
lists should be ready in the next few days so I understand.
If you find any errors or inconsistencies in the database,
please do not hesitate to email me at julian@channel-swims.info providing
me as much detail as possible (especially on sources of information) and I will
investigate & correct the database as appropriate. This is definitely intended
to be a living database whose quality and accuracy will improve with time.
Structure
The database is structured as an Excel database to allow analysis
of the data. Where possible, I have tried to ensure consistency of spellings (e.g.
swimmers names, pilots, boats, countries etc). Each swim is flagged with its “Ratifying
Organisation” which is either the Channel Swimming Association (www.channelswimmingassociation.com), Sam Rockett’s
book “It’s Cold in the Channel”, newspaper reports on the Daily
Mail/Butlins races or the CS&PF (www.channelswimming.net). It is up
to the user to decide how comparable the standards used by the different organisations
are and therefore whether to include or exclude their swims.
The first set of columns represents the “data” on
each swim. The second set – from column Z on – are derived information
such as “was this the swimmers first crossing?” or the most important
questions – column AC & AD – “which # individual was I to
swim the channel?” and “which # crossing – either way –
was I?”
For those interested in the history of “ratifying”
channel swims, it is worth reading the story of Dr Dorothy Logan who claimed a
world record, only later to recant and admit that she had not swum the channel
(see http://www.qualitytyme.net/pages/rolex_articles/m_gleitze.html).
You will see in the database that during the 1950s Butlins
races some swimmers were ratified by CSA observers and others competing in the
same race were not. Personally, until informed otherwise, I am happy to accept
the observation of the many newspaper journalists and support crews that these
other swimmers – as logged in “It’s Cold in the Channel”
– did indeed swim the channel.
Whilst I have asked swimmers for their date-of-birth and email
addresses, for security reasons (i.e. “identity theft”), I have not
published this information in the database but have used it to calculate ages
etc. If anyone is concerned about other information in the database, then please
do contact me.
Known Problems!
There are a few known problems with the database. You do not
need to email me to point these out!!
First a number of early CSA swims would appear to be in the wrong
order. This could be because (a) they are in the wrong order; or (b) I have the
dates wrong. Clearly anyone with information on any of these swims, please email
me! In the meantime, I have ordered them roughly in the order that the dates would
suggest – unless the date that I have appears clearly wrong.
Second since 2001, it is hard to order the CSA and CS&PF
swims where they occur on the same day – until each swim has a start and
finish time. As more information is received, I will “enhance” the
ordering of the database!!
Third a number of sources just disagree. In general I have run
with the CSA or CS&PF data as organisations formally approved by the regulating
authorities to ratify channel swims. But even they make mistakes occasionally
(a source of errors peculiar to channel swimming is the logging of time –
French vs GMT. If logged unclearly by the observer, then you can inadvertently add
or subtract an hour from the swim - I am aware of a couple of examples of this!!)
Fourth the division within the
Interesting Facts on Solo Channel Swims
It is hard to know where to begin. But as a sample of the power
of the new database here are a few factoids!
Interesting fact #1: The median time for
an E/F swim is 12:55 but for a F/E swim the median is
14:14. The average time for all single crossings whatever the direction is 13:19.
Interesting fact #2: 811 individuals have
swum the channel, completing 1185 crossings. For reference, by 2004 Everest summit
had been climbed 2049 times according to http://www.everesthistory.com/everestsummits/summitsbyyear.htm
or nearly 2x as often. In 2005 – a cracking year
– there were 79 crossings of the channel whilst in 2004 there were ~330
climbs to the summit of Everest.
Interesting fact #3: The average times
for a single channel crossings have come down from 16:12 at
the start of the twentieth century to 12:13 in the 1980s rising back up to 12:44
in the first 5 years of this millenium
| 1875 | 21:45 |
| 1900-1939 | 16:12 |
| 1940-1959 | 14:33 |
| 1960-69 | 14:37 |
| 1970-79 | 12:30 |
| 1980-89 | 12:13 |
| 1990-1999 | 12:40 |
| 2000-2005 | 12:44 |
Interesting fact #4: The earliest swim
was 29th May (Kevin Murphy in 1990) and the latest swim 28th
October (Mike Read in 1979). Only 0.7% of swims are before July, 20% in July,
59% in August, 19% in September and 0.9% in October. The median day to swim is
16th August.
Interesting fact #5: Despite the fact
that Captain Matthew Webb was a Capricorn (as am I!), Capricorns only represent
6% of Channel Swimmers. Virgo, Aquarius and Gemini are by far the most frequent
star signs with 20%, 13% and 12% respectively. I haven’t checked but presumably
being a Gemini is good for a 2-way! For other star signs, see below:
| Aquarius | 13% |
| Aries | 4% |
| Cancer | 6% |
| Capricorn | 6% |
| Gemini | 12% |
| Leo | 6% |
| Libra | 4% |
| Pisces | 7% |
| Sagittarius | 9% |
| Scorpio | 7% |
| Taurus | 4% |
| Virgo | 21% |
Interesting fact #6: Swimmers chose to
cross the channel from 12 to 70 but the popular age to swim it is 30 with the
median age being 31. Two-thirds of swimmers cross the channel in their 20’s
and 30’s with the 30’s being the most popular decade. There are significant
peaks at 28, 30, 31 and 38 (mid-life crises or what?!)
| 10 | 9% |
| 20 | 32% |
| 30 | 35% |
| 40 | 18% |
| 50 | 5% |
| 60 | 1% |
| 70 | 0% |
I hope you enjoyed the facts. If you find out other “interesting
facts” from the database, please do not hesitate to email me and I will
add them to my collection!
Enjoy
Regards
Julian