José Manuel Raga will not stop. After making another dream come true: becoming the first person to ‘join’ by swimming Venezuela and Trinidad, he continued his physical and psychological preparation to achieve his next challenge: crossing the gruelling English Channel. And now he is ready to go for it.
This open water swimmer will have the opportunity to attempt to swim the Channel between July 29 and August 6, 2005, covering with his stroke the 21-mile distance from Shakespeare Cliff (between Folkstone and Dover, England) to Cap Gris Nez (between Boulogne and Calais, France).
However, it is not only the distance but also the really extreme conditions as the strong currents and the cold waters (between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius in summer) in the stretch, which make of this crossing a real feat that attracts hundreds of people of different nationalities each year with the ambition to reach successfully the other shore. “I know it won’t be easy. The statistics show that only 20 to 25 percent of the swimmers who try to cross this stretch achieve it in their first attempt, and that the average time to cross it is 12 to 14 hours. I have reached the top of only 12 hours swimming continuously in open waters”, the athlete points out.
As part of his previous training, Raga spent six months in Bournemouth, England, where he had the chance to swim in colder waters and give a closer look at the characteristics of the stretch to be crossed. He has also interchanged experience and received advice from Corinna Ott Weber, the only Venezuelan to date to have swum across the Channel, achieving it in her second attempt in 1999, in 16 hours and 17 minutes.
Supported by an excellent team, this long distance swimmer will surely conquer this triumph of endurance showing a great deal of perseverance, strength, strong faith, and deep trust in himself. He represents an example to by followed by all generations.
All the best luck to him!