SAL COMPLETED THIS CHANNEL SWIM ON 7 AUGUST 2022

SHE HAD THE PERFECT DAY - STARTED AT SHAKESPEARE BEACH IN DOVER AND FINISHED AT LA SIRENE RESTAURANT AT CAP GRIS NEZ - IN 16HRS 20 MINS

SHE WAS GREETED BY FRENCH SWIMMY FRIENDS - WHO, LIKE SAL, HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SWIM FOR 2 YEARS!

JOB DONE!

SAL SAYS - SHE HAD THE PERFECT WEATHER - A FULL DAYLIGHT SWIM - AND THEREFORE THE PERFECT SWIM FOR HER TO' BOW OUT GRACEFULLY' ON A HIGH

Sal thanks ALL her SPONSORS which enabled her to GET THIS DONE and concentrate on the swimming and fundraising.

ALSO HUGE THANKS to Cliff & Emma for looking after me and Eddie Spelling and his EpicTeam on Anastasia for guiding me across so expertly.

This Channel swim was supposed to 'happen' in 2020 - but, as we all know, due to Covid and the subsequent passing of my Hubby and Best Mate "Charlie" in the July - it was postponed to 2021…

2021 - with Sponsors firmly in place, and the swim all paid for in 2019 - I travelled with my Crew of Cliff Golding and Emma Kelly - TWICE to Dover; once in July and the last time in September - both 'wasted' journeys due to weather and other issues - so

2022 - IT'S BOOKED FOR EARLY AUGUST (4th-9th) - 3RD TIME LUCKY I SINCERELY HOPE!

Previous swim history for those who are not aware...
Sal swam the English channel for the first time at 18 in 1975, then again at 28 in 1985, then again in 1992 at 35, and then at 48 in 2005 and then at 56 in 2013 and for good measure - threw in a 2 Way EC swim in 2016 - becoming the oldest swimmer to complete this at 59. BEFORE Sal booked her 2 way - she put the deposit down on her 6th Solo decade swim,…in 2020.
During this time, she has also completed many other of the top worldwide recognised swims as well: Round Manhattan, Catalina Channel, Sark to Jersey, Gibraltar Straits Lake Tahoe plus many other small swims and Relays.

So - 5 decades of English Channel Swims so far; nobody else has done this, and is probably unlikely to - so to cement that unique record, Sal will be 65 in July, so this combines 6 decades of her life and in years VG sponsors Sally Minty-Gravett's 6th decade cross-channel swim 11 December 2019 - VG, one of Jersey's independent and largest fiduciary and administration solutions businesses, has partnered with cross-channel veteran
and Guinness World Record holder Sally Minty-Gravett as principal sponsor of her seventh cross-channel attempt in six decades.
This swim from Dover to Calais in early Aug 2022 aims to raise £20,000 in aid of Jersey Alzheimers Association's Splash Chat Programme and the Jersey Lifeboat Association. VG's Managing Director, Mark Hucker, commented on the sponsorship "We're delighted to be able to support Sally in her milestone swim. Sally's challenge epitomises the values of VG: Excellence - always striving to be better and push boundaries; Caring - taking into account the needs of others; Partnership - working with her support team and VG to achieve more than she could alone; and, Positivity - always tackling challenges with conviction and a smile.
Sally Minty-Gravett adds "Finding financial sponsorship to fund these challenges has often been a big challenge. I am humbled, delighted and so grateful for the sponsorship from VG; successfully securing the sponsorship will now enable me to focus on training hard and reaching, hopefully exceeding, my fundraising targets. I am looking forward tremendously to partnering with VG to get this 6th decade English Channel swim done - FINALLY! They are my Main sponsor and are paying for my Pilot Boat in full - which is fantastic! I am so grateful I am also being helped financially by Hydropool CI, Columbia Estates who are contributing to my Travel / Accommodation costs. I have received another £500 towards expenses too. I am also being 'Looked after/Sponsored' by Laura Cattell at Freedom Physiotherapy and Osteopath Bill Aston will be ensuring my shoulders are in good shape too! I will be raising money for 2 Local Jersey Charities: The JLA - Jersey Lifeboat Association, the new independent Jersey Lifeboats set up 2 years ago, and Jersey Alzheimers Association - I have been an active volunteer for them for 8+ years now in the "SplashChat" Initiative, where we encourage them to come swimming and then have a social coffee hour afterwards. I am aiming to raise at LEAST £20,000 - we are over half way there already!