To celebrate turning 50, Del Ray resident Kent Lassman decided to chase a childhood dream: swim the English Channel. Lassman set off in the dark from a beach beneath the white cliffs of Dover, England on June 11. Thirteen hours and 27 minutes later, he clambered up sharp rocks off Cap Gris Nez, France to become one of the 1,900 people who have completed the 21-mile solo swim across the busy shipping channel since 1875. He wore only a bathing suit, cap and goggles.
 
Years in the Making

A lifelong swimmer, Lassman first dreamed of the marathon crossing as a teenager at swim camp at Indiana University. There, Olympic and hall-of-fame coach “Doc” Counsilman told the young swimmers about his own Channel crossing. At the time, Counsilman set the record as the oldest swimmer to complete the storied swim.
 
Lassman has made the 20-mile swim from Catalina Island to the California coast, done the 12.5-mile loop swim around Key West, crossed Lake Tahoe diagonally, swam in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, as well as completed several 9-mile swims in Ocean City. But his marathon swimming career started locally 25 years ago with multiple finishes in the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim, the 4.4-mile swim under the bridge span from Sandy Point to Kent Island.
 
Lassman began preparing for his Channel crossing three years ago when he hired a boat captain to escort him and invited two friends to serve as his crew. The father of four started cold-water training in earnest then, swimming in Annapolis with friends throughout the winter — without wetsuits — in icy water as cold as 31 degrees. Last year, he completed a certified “Ice Mile” in 38-degree water.
 

Every summer, some 300 swimmers try to make a solo Channel crossing; one in five succeed. For a time, Lassman thought he might not.

He faced rough seas the first five and a half hours of his swim and fought a strong current the final two hours. He spotted a shark and was lashed repeatedly by large jellyfish. He threw up for hours as he swam; so did a member of his crew. The sea was so unsettled the crew had to dive across the floor of the boat to stop Lassman’s drinks and nutrition from sliding into the water. The official observer said it was like swimming in a “washing machine.”
Marathon swimming rules forbid a swimmer from touching anything for support once they enter the water. Crew cannot offer hands-on assistance, but they do throw food and drinks. Lassman stopped swimming every 40 minutes to eat, drink and pee while he treaded water.
 
A Look Downstream

Once home, the most frequent question posed to Lassman: What’s next?
 
“There will be more adventure, but I don’t know what is next,” he said. “The English Channel is so iconic and holds so much power over the imagination, it will take a while to settle.”