Evie Anema undertook her first solo Channel swim on 21 July, two weeks after swimming the Channel as part of the University’s relay swim team, during which the team were so far the quickest relay and Channel crossing of the year under the Channel Swimming Association rules. Newnham undergraduate Evie, the team’s Captain, and fellow Newnhamite Jasmine Eden Gray participated in the Channel relay Varsity against Oxford, finishing in 9 hours 47 minutes.
The gruelling solo charity swim took Evie 11 hours 14 minutes, making it the second fastest solo crossing of the year so far.
“This is much faster than I had been expecting, with my best estimate being 12-14 hours,” she says. “I started my swim in the pitch black at 1am from Dover and in total swam 30 miles to arrive in France. I was stung by a number of jellyfish and really seasick for the whole swim and return journey!
“I did all of this in aid of Pathways Care Farm, a place for vulnerable adults in Suffolk where my grandpa spent many happy days when suffering from Alzheimer’s.” Evie’s JustGiving page is still open and is available here.
You can find out more about Evie’s activities on her Instagram page here.