Gertrude Ederle 100th Anniversary Swim

Last year we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb’s historic English Channel Swim which he completed on 25th August 1875 in a time of 21hrs 45minutes. It took a further 51 years and over 80 attempts from various swimmers (including 4 successful male swimmers) before the first woman would achieve the same daring feat. But on 6 August 1926, Gertrude Ederle made history and became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel, and in doing so she broke the overall speed record in a time of 14hrs 39minutes. Gertrude returned to America a national heroine, where a crowd of 2million people attended one of the largest ticker-tape parades that New York City has ever seen.

So it gives me great pleasure, on behalf of Dover Life Guard Club and the Port of Dover Waterfront, to invite you to participate in the Gertrude Ederle 100th Anniversary Swim.

Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August 2026

from 10am to 5pm

Dover Harbour, Esplanade, Dover CT17 9FS

To BOOK your place, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/…/gertrude-ederle-100th…

All swimmers will receive a commemorative Gertrude Ederle Swim Hat, specially designed by Dave Chisholm.

This year we’ve increased capacity, allowing more swimmers to take part in the celebrations.

There are four waves to choose from:

For swimmers who typically swim 2 km/hr or a little longer.

For swimmers who average around 2.5 km/hr.

For swimmers averaging 3 km/hr or faster who would like to race.

Following the swim, there will be a carnival procession hosted by Future Foundry beginning at 3.45pm at the Swimmer Statues (opposite the slipway), passing Dover Sea Sports Centre and finishing at Marina Curve for the prize presentation and live music. Captain Webb’s giant puppet, which made its debut last year, will be joined by a brand-new giant puppet of Gertrude Ederle. If any strong swimmers would like the honor of carrying one of the puppets in the procession, please contact office@futurefoundry.org.uk.