Jersey to France
The first successful crossing from Jersey to France was accomplished in 1966 by renowned local swimmer Denize Le Pennec.
In the 40 years following, only a further 4 successful attempts were made of this little known channel crossing.
In more recent times, Lionheart Pilotage has successfully escorted over 70 soloists and relay teams onto the golden sands of the Normandy coastline, Including the records for fastest male, female and every category of relay team.
Jersey - France has now become a well established stepping stone in the training plans of many English Channel aspirants, whilst a real achievement in it's own right. This crossing shares many similarities with the English Channel - being a land mass to land mass swim, a snaking track as the tide pushes one way then the other and you may even find a souvenir pebble to take home!
Point to point, the distance is around 15 nautical miles (18 statute miles or 28km), with tidal assistance early on, while the latter part of the crossing is a case of cutting across the tide and hitting the beach wherever you can.
In the 40 years following, only a further 4 successful attempts were made of this little known channel crossing.
In more recent times, Lionheart Pilotage has successfully escorted over 70 soloists and relay teams onto the golden sands of the Normandy coastline, Including the records for fastest male, female and every category of relay team.
Jersey - France has now become a well established stepping stone in the training plans of many English Channel aspirants, whilst a real achievement in it's own right. This crossing shares many similarities with the English Channel - being a land mass to land mass swim, a snaking track as the tide pushes one way then the other and you may even find a souvenir pebble to take home!
Point to point, the distance is around 15 nautical miles (18 statute miles or 28km), with tidal assistance early on, while the latter part of the crossing is a case of cutting across the tide and hitting the beach wherever you can.
Logistics:
With the start location at La Coupe beach, on Jersey's north east corner, you and your crew will be picked up at the bottom of the slipway at the base of St. Catherine's breakwater. Although a relatively remote part of the island, there is a regular bus route during the day and free parking as well as a café, ice cream parlour and public toilets.
Once onboard, you will have 15-20 minutes to make your final preparations as we motor around the long breakwater to La Coupe. Once we arrive in the tiny shallow bay, a short swim to shore to clear the water and we can get underway.
As we approach the French coast, dependant on the state of tide, Lionheart may escort you all the way until the final 100 metres or you may have to be accompanied by our dinghy whilst Lionheart stays out in deeper water.
Once you are safely back onboard, the trip back to St. Catherine's normally takes between 1-1.5 hours.
With the start location at La Coupe beach, on Jersey's north east corner, you and your crew will be picked up at the bottom of the slipway at the base of St. Catherine's breakwater. Although a relatively remote part of the island, there is a regular bus route during the day and free parking as well as a café, ice cream parlour and public toilets.
Once onboard, you will have 15-20 minutes to make your final preparations as we motor around the long breakwater to La Coupe. Once we arrive in the tiny shallow bay, a short swim to shore to clear the water and we can get underway.
As we approach the French coast, dependant on the state of tide, Lionheart may escort you all the way until the final 100 metres or you may have to be accompanied by our dinghy whilst Lionheart stays out in deeper water.
Once you are safely back onboard, the trip back to St. Catherine's normally takes between 1-1.5 hours.