WESTBROOK – Pat Gallant-Charette returned home Tuesday to a hero’s welcome, complete with police escort, after successfully swimming the English Channel on her third attempt to accomplish the feat.

Gallant-Charette, 60, estimated that she swam 28-29 miles, arriving at Cap Gris-Nez, France in just under 16 hours. She arrived at a location where there was no beach to walk up onto, but after touching a sheer rock face at the coast, a judge at the scene declared the channel crossed.

“I was just overwhelmed that I finally reached the goal,” she said.

After flying in to Boston Tuesday afternoon, Gallant-Charette took a bus to Portland, where she was picked up by family members, and a police escort from Portland Police Department. Officers escorted her to the Westbrook line, where Westbrook police escorted her, with full lights and siren, to her home on Methodist Road.

“It’s an awesome day. She’s earned every bit of the credit,” said her husband, Jim Charette.

Pat Gallant-Charette, left, chats with her family after coming
home today from her trip to swim across the English Channel. With
her are, from left, her nephew Kyle Gallant, her brother, David
Gallant, and her nephew, Christopher Gallant. Christopher Gallant’s
father, Robbie, died over 10 years ago, and was part of the
inspiration for Gallant-Charette’s swim. Christopher Gallant stood
on a fishing trawler, watching and encouraging his aunt as she swam
for nearly 16 hours straight.