Ned Denison, chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, announced Eddie Spelling of Great Britain (@eddiespelling) as an Honor Pilot in its Class of 2025.
For over two decades, Captain Spelling has been navigating his escort boat, the 42-foot Anastasia, and escorting solo English Channel swimmers between England and France with the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation.
Over that period, he has escorted 174 swimmers who completed a one-way crossings, one who completed a two-way crossing, and one (Sarah Thomas who very famously completed an unprecedented 54 hour 10 minute) four-way crossing of the English Channel.
Steven Munatones says, “The vast amount of knowledge, know-how, and experience that pilots like Eddie has makes channel swimming possible. His boat is his tool, but his mastery of navigation and profound concern for his swimmers is really what makes Eddie so well respected as he helps makes the English Channel dreams for many come true.”
Sarah Thomas (@sarahswims04) knows first hand how valuable Spelling is to swimmers under his watch, “Eddie is just wonderful; him and his whole team. When I booked my first English Channel in 2012, I had no idea what to expect from a boat pilot. I took a shot in the dark and fortunately, I got lucky and landed with Eddie.
When you book a big swim, you’re putting a lot of trust in the pilot – not only in their ability as a captain, but also in their humanity. They’re essentially holding your dream in their hands; you can be the best swimmer in the world, but without a good team behind you, it doesn’t mean anything.
You need a boat pilot who has the knowledge and skills to safely escort you through the challenging waters of the English Channel, but also someone who is just as invested in your dream as you are. The first time I met Eddie, in 2012, I was immediately struck by his kindness. I knew he had the experience to get me across, but he seemed to care about the success of the swim just as much. So when it came time to book the Four Way, Eddie was the only pilot I approached. He had impressed me so much in 2012 that I knew he’d work with me and support me for the duration of the swim, no matter how long it took.
We had some rough points in the swim, where we didn’t know how it would go, but I’ll never forget seeing Eddie on deck during my last hour, cheering for me, just like everyone else.
It’s been a privilege to swim alongside Anastasia with Eddie at the helm and I am so thrilled he has received the recognition he deserves for being a quiet, steady, fantastic boat captain. He’s absolutely one of the best to ever do it and I’m honored that my story gets to mingle with all of the other swimmers who have realized their dreams because Eddie was there to help them.“
Thomas writes about her four-way crossing under the helm of Spelling here. A film about her crossing with Spelling constantly at her side is below.
In addition to Thomas, Captain Spelling has escorted other International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honor Swimmers including Sally Anne Minty-Gravett, MBE of the UK, Elizabeth Fry of the USA, Chloë McCardel of Australia, Nick Adams of Great Britain, Anna-Carin Nordin of Sweden [shown below], and Courtney Moates Paulk of the USA.
Together with his son Michael Spelling and his son-in-law Robert Thompson, they jointly manage a small family company called One Charter that utilizes Anastasia to escort swimmers across the English Channel. One Charter offers a Live Channel Swimming Viewer that enables family, friends, and fans to watch in real-time as an individual channel swimmer or relay team attempts a crossing.
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