Westbrook swimmer goes for another world record

When Westbrook’s Pat Gallant-Charette, the now-famous long-distance swimmer, attempts the 21-mile North Channel to Scotland next month, she’s hoping the tides are on her side.

Last time she attempted the swim, officials called it off when Gallant-Charette was only a half-mile from the finish. If successful, Gallant-Charette, 64, will become the oldest person ever to complete the North Channel swim.

“They had to stop the swim because of the riptides,” she said Friday at Pine Point in Scarborough, just before starting her training routine. “It was a heartbreaker, but it was recognized by the swim community as an incredible achievement.”

On July 17, Gallant-Charette will fly to Ireland to attempt the swim again, and this time she plans on completing it. Two years ago, the 21 miles took her 16 hours, and on the way she was stung by hundreds of jellyfish in water hovering in the mid-50s. She expects the water to be even colder this time.

“It will be a challenging swim,” she said.

Gallant-Charette admits that the cold water could be a factor next month, but she’s optimistic.

“I’m up for the challenge,” she said.

Gallant-Charette began marathon swimming in her 50s, and has since attempted and completed some of the most challenging routes in the world. The marathon swims have taken her on trips to Europe, California, New Zealand and Japan.

Gallant-Charette is still a working nurse at the Barron Center in Portland, and she pays for the cost of her trips. Gallant-Charette said she was hoping the water at Pine Point would’ve been rougher. She prefers swimming through waves to get ready for the open ocean. At the beach, she swims in waist-deep water along the shoreline.

On her days off from work, Gallant-Charette’s conditioning routine leading up to the trip to Europe includes three hours of laps at the Freeport YMCA pool, followed by two to three additional hours at Pine Point.

However, Gallant-Charette never swims alone. On Friday, two swimming friends were meeting her at the beach, and on most other days, her daughter and grandchildren keep an eye out from the beach.

Gallant-Charette never intended to be a marathon swimmer. In fact, Gallant-Charette said, she used to fear the open ocean. Beginning as an ode to her brother, who died from a sudden heart attack at 34, she swam the Peaks to Portland race with her son.

“I just fell in love with the sport of open-water swimming,” she said, adding that after each event she did, she always felt she could go further.

Shortly after, she swam the length of Big Sebago, a 5-mile swim. A year later, she went back and forth, for a total of more than 10 miles. Soon after, in 2008, Gallant-Charette attempted the English Channel, a massive open ocean swim. It didn’t go as planned.

She said that in order to successfully swim the channel, the tides have to work in the swimmer’s favor, and Gallant-Charette “just missed that window of opportunity.”

Tides also affected her swim of the Cook Straight in New Zealand last year, where tides were pushing her away from the finish line, adding multiple miles, and hours, to her swim.

“Everything is timing,” she said. “If you don’t get to a certain spot by a certain time, your chance of reaching the finish line is very slim.”

Gallant-Charette’s second attempt of the English Channel was canceled almost immediately from winds.

On her third attempt, Gallant-Charette finally completed the swim that had eluded her, and at 60, she set the record for the oldest American woman to do so. The English Channel Swimming Association awarded her the Rosemary George Award for the Most Meritorious Swim of the Year for 2011. Not even a year later, she set another record for the oldest woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California mainland – a 21-mile swim.

In 2012, she went to Japan and completed the 33-mile Tsugaru Strait, which took her 19 hours. She holds the age record for that swim, as well.

Leading up to her next challenge, Gallant-Charette said, the North Channel is “one of the hardest swims in the world.” In order to qualify, swimmers need to have a successful English Channel swim under their belt. Some marathon swimmers have developed hypothermia during the cold swim.

Charette’s daughter, Sarah Gallant, stays in contact with the crew from home, and is in charge of posting updates on Charette’s blog and Facebook page.

“It is absolutely inspiring and amazing knowing that she works full time, watches her three grandkids full time, puts in her time with her training, and completes these swims,” she said this week.

Marathon swimming follows a certain set of guidelines and rules, with each regional association making sure the rules are strictly followed. During every swim, a boat with a crew made up of some of Gallant-Charette’s family, as well as an association official, follow the swim. No thermal swimsuits are allowed. Once the swim starts, Gallant-Charette is not allowed to touch the boat.

Charette’s brother, David Gallant, has been with her during four ocean crossings, including her successful English Channel crossing. Along with his wife, Jeannie, and his nephews Chris and Kyle, the crew works off a schedule that Gallant-Charette creates. The team provides her with food, drink and occasional nausea medication. (Gallant-Charette said the boat’s diesel fumes sometimes cause her nausea.)

“We also make hourly info boards to show Pat how far she’s gone and how many hours,” Gallant said.

Gallant is also there to sometimes make the tough decisions of calling off the swim.

“As part of my duty of hourly meeting with the pilot, crew and official, I have to balance the negative reports that I am receiving from them with Pat’s earnest desire to succeed,” he said.

Gallant-Charette said her biggest concern heading into the North Channel is the tide coming into Scotland. She said the crew can only try to plan the best they can. She expects the swim to take about 18 hours.

When asked about his sister’s age being a factor, Gallant said, “Sixty-four? Isn’t that the new 34? Her endurance and pace is absolutely incredible.”

Long-distance swimmer Pat Gallant-Charette of Westbrook trains at Pine Point in Scarborough last week in preparation for her swim of the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland next month. If successful, Charette will become the oldest person to complete it.Staff photo by Andrew RiceWestbrook resident Pat Gallant-Charette always carefully plans out her swim routes, as she did here for an English Channel swim. File photo