After 11hr 25min, quartet are first Singaporean relay team to swim across English Channel

SINGAPORE – In the wee hours of Friday, Mark Tan took the plunge near Dover, England, battling choppy waters and 17 deg C weather while guided only by the light of a support boat.

Thoughts of giving up flashed through his mind, as the 45-year-old completed the first one-hour leg of his swim across the English Channel.

Little did he know that his teammates – Lim Chee Kiong, 54, Ng Chee Soon, 60, and Alvin Tam, 41 – also shared his sentiments. But the quartet kept their heads down and focused on their task, and they were duly rewarded 11hr 25min later as they arrived at Cap Gris-Nez in northern France to become the first Singaporean relay team to swim across the English Channel.

Lim, who had first broached the idea with the group, called the attempt “a culmination of a wonderful journey of discovery and brotherhood, and a dream come true”.

For the relay team’s attempt, the members took turns to swim for an hour while the others rested on the boat.

What stuck for the quartet was the cold after leaving the water and the memory was still fresh for Tan a day after. He told The Straits Times: “I had the support crew to help me get dressed and pile blankets and towels on me, then I just lay down there for two hours.

“In the third hour I forced myself to eat some energy bars and start to warm up for the next leg.”

Ng, who is now the oldest Singaporean to complete the swim, said with a grin: “I also had doubts. In fact, during the first leg, I asked myself why did I sign up for this?

Agreeing, Lim added: “Everyone in the team felt the same way, but no one said anything as we didn’t want to let our teammates down. It’s all psychological, mind over body.”

But the four men, who are members of the Masters Swim Training programme at the Singapore Swimming Club, used the experience from almost three years of training to push ahead.

Their

preparations had included swimming an average of 15km a week,

and spending time in a local onsen’s cold bath to acclimatise themselves to the chilly conditions.

The English Channel stretches from the south of England to the north of France, with a straight-line distance of about 34km.

The swim is popular with the adventurous and there are several rules to follow for it to be official – one is not allowed to have any kind of artificial aid and can use only goggles, a cap, nose clip, earplugs and wear a sleeveless and legless swimsuit.

The swimmer is also not allowed to touch another person and food is passed by a pole from the escort boat.

Historian Thum Ping Tjin was the first Singaporean to achieve the feat in 2005. In September 2022, Li Ling Yung-Hryniewiecki

became the first Singaporean woman to complete the swim

.

In addition to their feat, the group also surpassed their target of raising $50,000 for ART:DIS, a charitable organisation which creates learning and livelihood opportunities for people with disabilities.

Ng said: “It was really satisfying to reach our target and the swim was doubly meaningful because of that.”

They were too tired to celebrate after their swim but will reunite in early August at the Pesta Sukan 2023, where they compete in the 4x50m medley relay.

Looking back on their three-year journey to cross the English Channel, Tam was happy to prove the sceptics wrong. He said: “Despite our preparations, even some of our experienced swimming friends doubted that we could successfully complete the English Channel swim.

“It’s ultimately the team effort and our collective mental strength that carried us through.”