A day tripper with a difference: Swimmer to cross the Channel and stay in France for just TEN MINUTES before returning to Britain to avoid quarantine
- Chloe McCardel to swim across the Channel to France amid quarantine rules
- She plans to stay ‘in’ the country for less than ten minutes before she returns
- But the swimmer, aged 35, is still not sure if she must quarantine afterwards
The quarantine rules have left swimmer Chloe McCardel holding her breath – as the rising tide of Covid cases on the continent may force her into self-isolation.
The 35-year-old plans to swim to France tomorrow, but must reach land for her 21-mile journey to count as an official cross-Channel trip.
She plans to stay ‘in’ the country for less than ten minutes before she returns to Britain, but is still not sure if she must quarantine afterwards.
The 35-year-old plans to swim to France tomorrow, but must reach land for her 21-mile journey to count as an official cross-Channel trip
Miss McCardel, from Australia, holds multiple world records, including the longest ever unassisted ocean swim – 41.5 hours in the Bahamas, covering more than 77 miles.
She received special dispensation from the Australian government to travel to the UK amid the pandemic, and has already swum the Channel 34 times, including three crossings this month alone.
Miss McCardel is due to set off at around 10am and expects to reach France some ten hours later. She is pictured during her last swim
The record, held by British swimmer Alison Streeter, is 43.
Miss McCardel is due to set off at around 10am and expects to reach France some ten hours later.
‘I stand up on land for a couple of minutes, then it’s back in the water, swim to the support boat, and head back to England,’ she said.
‘We don’t go anywhere near the border officials or passport control, so I’m hoping technically the quarantine thing won’t apply.’
Miss McCardel said she wants her crossing to raise awareness of domestic abuse during lockdown, having escaped from an abusive relationship herself.