It is a bit cold for most of us to think about swimming. Although, I know several people who swim during the winter months at indoor pools. I used to be one of those people, but it isn’t for me anymore. I quit while I was ahead.
The reason for this is simple. I don’t like to be cold, and most indoor pools are pretty cool. I am happiest swimming in Caribbean waters, where things are warm and blue. And here in Ohio, it has to be a warm day for me to submerge.
But as I said, that isn’t true for everyone. Take Matthew Webb for example. Before I go further, Webb is a good name for a swimmer, don’t you think? Or a liar, with that tangled web we weave.
Anyway. Matthew Webb. It was on this date, January 19, 1848, when Matthew, an English long-distance swimmer, was born. Some years later, he would become the very first person to swim unassisted across the English Channel — without the use of artificial aids.
Webb was born in High Street, Dawley, in Shropshire. Okay. Big sidebar. I’ve never been to England. But anytime they list someone’s birthplace, and I do mean anytime, there are always four, five, six places listed. Here in the states, we say, “Oh, he was from Indiana.” Or maybe, at best, we narrow it down to a town. Say, Wabash, Indiana. But in England, it has to be like, “He was born in Daultryshire Street, Courtney, Fillbrook, in Hammershire of Waltry.” And I have no idea what I should even begin to Google to find this place on a map.
To further my point, the source gave me the following additional, information:
“Matthew Webb, and his wife Sarah Cartwright Webb, who moved with the family to Madeley High Street, Dawley, in Shropshire in 1849, and then by 1856 to Eastfield House, Coalbrookdale, Shropshire. He acquired his ability to swim in the River Severn at Coalbrookdale.”
Back to the story. Webb was one of fourteen children, the son of a surgeon. He became a sailor, and swimming seemed to be his natural thing. While serving as a second mate on the Cunard Line Ship, a man went overboard, and Webb dove right into the sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to save the guy. Unfortunately, the man was never found. It made the headlines — a hero in the British press. Earlier in life, he rescued his 12-year-old brother Thomas from drowning in the Severn River. So clearly, he wasn’t afraid of the water.
So on he went to swim the English Channel in 1875. He did it in less than 22 hours. You are allowed to grease yourself up for insulation – many use goose fat. Webb, who wore porpoise oil. A man with a porpoise.
Since Webb’s first time across the Channel, 1,831 people have done it 2,369 times. I think once would be enough, but apparently, there are those who come back for more. And then there are the relays. Some 7,694 have taken part in just over a thousand relay swims.
The record is six hours and 55 minutes. This was done by Australia’s Trent Grimsey, a former long-distance swimmer. The longest time has been 28 hours.
And once again, it is not a challenge for me. It’s cold. During the swim season of July to September, the temperature in the water ranges from 57.2F to 64F, but can plummet to 42F. The temperature of Olympic pools typically runs around 80F. My pool is around 85F.
And on to Matthew Webb. His final stunt came in the way of a dangerous swim through the Whirlpool Rapids on the Niagara River below Niagara Falls. It was a big to-do, with a lot of press and people watching. But the swim was extremely dangerous. So much so, some considered it suicidal.
So, on July 24, 1883, he jumped into the river from a small boat located near the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge and began his swim. Accounts from the people watching say Webb successfully survived the first part of the swim, but he died in the section of the river located near the entrance to the whirlpool. Down the old drain.
Matthew Webb was interred in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara Falls, New York.
A good lesson in quitting while we are ahead.
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“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.”
― Woodrow Wilson
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“Just keep swimming.”
— Dory
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“Our wings serve as flippers that carry us across the ocean; not in the sky!
Why, us penguins have so much fun time in the water, we don’t even want to fly!”
― Jasmine Martin
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The Webb of swimming lessons
