News

Folkestones' American summer visitor Peter Jurzynski has this year claimed an American record.

The 56-year-old Naugatuck, Connecticut resident has now swum the English Channel more times than any other American.

Peter, who regularly spends every summer in Folkestone set off on Tuesday (7 August) to make his 14th successful record breaking swim from Dover to France, in a time of 16 hours, 21 minutes.

"I was very pleased," he told the American Voices website last week by phone from Folkstone. "I actually did a better time than last year, by 20-some minutes.

"We've had a windy summer, but the day was pretty good," he said. "I was still fighting the tides and wind, plus I'm a little bit older."

He started before dawn off Dover's Shakespeare Beach and completed his swim at 10:30 p.m. French time on a beach just outside Calais.

"As always, the most difficult aspect of the swim is getting into France," he said. "Often times, the tide brings the swimmer back out to sea - so close, yet so far."