Sally Minty-Gravett, MBE (68, MSF bio here, @swim_with_sal), Julia Morris, Alice Harvey (34, MSF bio here), Fay de Gruchy, Karen le Cornu, and Rachel Sayers from the Isle of Jersey completed a 6-person 70 km relay crossing of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) from Château de Chillon in Veytaux, France to Bains des Pâquis in Geneva, Switzerland in 28 hours 56 minutes.
While the swim started out calm enough, it got tougher…a lot tougher.
Minty-Gravett put the crossing in perspective, “It was a very tough swim – and I am very glad that I shared it with an amazing relay team. I felt that it was harder than my English Channel crossings. It was very challenging with cold winds and very weird currents – and getting in and out constantly. I am so, so proud of these girls who simply rose to the enormous challenge and just got the job done. I am so very happy we got this swim done. It was booked in 2019 and then delayed, delayed, and delayed. There were at least 4 team changes. The youngest was 33; the most mature was 67.
Alice Harvey was that 33-year-old. She talks about her young aquatic life on Jersey with International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame chairperson Ned Denison.
It was a 12-hour night so we each had 2 swims each during the night. We got very little sleep for the duration of 28 hours 56 minutes, but we all did it. We swam a lot. We ate. We laughed and still are. We smiled and still are. We cared for each other. We looked after each other and we cried with joy and relief at the end.
Harvey remembers, “After several years of postponements and team iterations, the Jersey Girls finally arrived in Geneva. After taking the train to the start in Villeneuve, I think we all began to realize the enormity of the challenge that lay ahead. We started the swim in calm conditions with a little rain, but the lake soon decided to throw almost every element at us.
The Jersey Girls are an incredibly strong team of women who supported and encouraged each other throughout the highs and lows of the swim. We created a bond that I don’t think can ever be broken. I am truly inspired by these ladies. As I’ve told them before, I want to be like them when I grow up.
Baz Luhrmann recommended to us, ‘Wear sunscreen’. Throughout the wind and the rain, I didn’t bother to put any suncream on, but ended up with a very bright red face after the sun decided to shine for the final few hours.”
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