Bright Gert-Jan swims from Dover to Calais: ’12 hours of suffering’

Relieved and somewhat nonchalant, Gert-Jan tells us on the phone from England that he has ‘really never been so devastated’. Last night around 11 p.m. he stepped into the water from a beach near Dover. Only to emerge again 12 hours and 40 minutes later on the coast of Calais.

Iconic swimming marathon

According to Wit, the crossing between Dover in England and Calais in France is one of the most iconic swimming marathons in the world. According to him, the chance that you will make it across while swimming is not great. Usually only 20 to 30 percent of the participants make it across, the rest have to give up in the meantime.

The 53 kilometer long swim was a very English affair. White: “You rent a boat, a captain and crew. They decide when you go into the water and how the routes go.” In addition, there are strict rules associated with the marathon. For example, you are not allowed to hang on the boat, and there are fixed feeding moments of 20 seconds. White: “My favorite was a banana cola, for enough carbohydrates and sugars.”

Pitch dark

Due to the changing tides, it is not fixed in advance what time you enter the water and the swimming crossing begins. And Wit knew that: “Due to an unfavorable tide, I had to go into the water at 11 p.m. As a result, I swam in the pitch dark for more than eight hours.” Although he knew in advance that swimming in the dark was not his strong suit, swimming in a dark open sea was very disappointing for him. “I thought it was a tragedy. You can’t see a hand in front of your eyes, because of the rough sea the water was constantly sloshing in my throat. I often thought about stopping, it was that heavy.”

White made it through the dark hours by swimming briskly, counting his strokes and paying close attention to his technique. Yet the Helderse also says he has thought a lot about his wife and children. “They’ve always wondered why on earth I’m doing this, but I kind of proved them right there on the open sea.”

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Charity

Yet White didn’t swim across the Channel for nothing, he says. During his crossing he raised money for the swimming club Het Marsdiep, the only sea swimming club in the Netherlands. He has been a loyal member for years and swims in the North Sea every day. His goal? “I want a permanent place on the Dijk with the association, rather than temporarily.”

According to him, the association is an example of a successful social experiment. “Many old ladies swim with us and swimming in the cold sea gives them rhythm. Their strength inspires me enormously.”

With his crossing, White seems to have brought the swimming club to the attention. Although many discussions have already been held with the municipality and the Water Board, there now seems to be something concrete on the table. Discussions about this will follow in the coming weeks.

Pride

White remains quite down-to-earth about his swimming performance and does not think in terms of pride. Yet the 60-year-old says that he has also experienced moments of happiness while swimming. “The moment a red sky glows on the horizon after eight hours of dark open sea, I felt one with nature and that was very special.”

As down-to-earth as he is, he immediately nuances this moment: “The most beautiful sunsets are and will remain in Den Helder.”