GERGermany

Christof Wandratsch

Former Channel speed record holder · European marathon swimming champion

Also recorded as Wandi Wandratsch.

Born: 20 December 1966, Nuremberg, Germany
Profession: Teacher
European titles: Champion in 1991 and 1995
Channel completions in this profile: Two one-way solo swims, 2003 and 2005
2003 departure: 05:30, Dover local time, 20 August
2005 federation-listed time: 7:03:52; conflicting 7:03:25 appears on his own website
Hall of Fame: International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, class of 2004
Film: Featured in Jörg Adolph’s Kanalschwimmer (2004)

Biography

Christof “Wandi” Wandratsch built his Channel career on years of international marathon racing. Born in Nuremberg on 20 December 1966, he began swimming as a child, progressed through club competition and later combined his sport with work as a teacher. His first open-sea distance race, a 10-kilometre event near Palermo in 1984, brought an immediate victory.

European championship success followed in 1991 and 1995. He also competed across the professional marathon circuit, winning races in Europe, South America and Asia. His versatility included the Lake Zurich marathon and the much longer Around Atlantic City race, which he won in 1997.

On 20 August 2003 he entered the Channel at Dover at 05:30 local time. His England-to-France swim took seven hours twenty minutes, putting him close to the existing world best. Filmmaker Jörg Adolph followed this period of his career for Kanalschwimmer, alongside two other swimmers attempting the crossing.

Wandratsch returned in 2005 and established a new Channel speed record, listed by the federation as 7:03:52. That record stood until 2007. His ambitions subsequently extended to Lake Constance and ice swimming. Inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004, he remains associated with a breadth of distance events spanning racing, channel crossings and cold water.

Selected Channel swim records

First Channel crossing and European best

Ratifying body's record checked

A near-record swim filmed during production of Kanalschwimmer.

Elapsed swim time · 7h 20m

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Wednesday, 20 August 2003 · 05:30 · ZDF contemporary report: local time in Dover; UTC offset not specified

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · ZDF’s dated report identifies the departure clock in Dover local time. No finish clock is supplied or calculated.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Departure · Dover

Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association

Conditions · ZDF reports average water temperature of 17.5°C and relatively heavy waves.

How this record was checked

CSA individual record 3141 confirms the year, country, direction and 7:20 elapsed time. ZDF supplies the dated departure and conditions; Dover.UK.com identifies pilot Reg Brickell. No original observer log or boat name was located.

Channel Swimming Association: Christof Wandratsch, 2003

Checked 2026-10-31

ZDF: contemporary report, 20 August 2003

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover.UK.com: Christof Wandratsch, 20 August 2003

Checked 2026-10-31

Filmportal: Kanalschwimmer credits

Checked 2026-10-31

Channel speed record, with a seconds discrepancy

Sources disagree

Set the overall Channel speed record, subsequently surpassed in 2007.

Recorded swim date · Monday, 1 August 2005 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 7h 3m 52s

Duration of the complete swim

Started · Exact start date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Finished · Exact finish date not confirmed · Clock time not confirmed

Timing note · The published swim date is not explicitly identified as departure or arrival. The athlete’s website prints 7:03:25; the federation and Dover.UK.com list 7:03:52. No start or finish clock was located.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Pilot / piloting team · Mike Oram

Escort vessel · Aegean Blue

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation

How this record was checked

CS&PF’s named record row supplies 1 August 2005 and 7:03:52; Dover.UK.com corroborates that duration and identifies Mike Oram and Aegean Blue. The athlete’s conflicting seconds are retained rather than silently corrected. No original observer report was inspected.

CS&PF: solo records and historical statistics

Checked 2026-10-31

Dover.UK.com: Christof Wandratsch, 1 August 2005

Checked 2026-10-31

Christof Wandratsch: official biography

Checked 2026-10-31

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame: Christof Wandratsch

Checked 2026-10-31

Other events & swims

Lake Constance full-length crossing

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

Monday, 22 July 2013 (event date)

Bodman, Germany → Bregenz, Austria

Completed Bodman–Bregenz; the organiser lists this as its first north-to-south full-length solo crossing.

Elapsed time · 20h 41m 15s

Published distance · 66.670 km (organiser-listed)

Published account checked

How this event was checked

Organiser’s first solo row gives date, route, 66.670 km and 20:41. The athlete’s corresponding 2013 milestone supplies 20:41:15 and links the organiser; seconds are athlete-reported.

Bodenseequerung: full-length crossing results

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · First chronological solo row, 22 July 2013, Bodman–Bregenz.

Christof Wandratsch: official sporting milestones

Checked 2026-10-31

Limitations · Athlete account; distinguishes additional seconds from the organiser’s minute-only Lake Constance table.

Strait of Gibraltar

Open-water swimming · Solo swim

2007 · exact day not confirmed

Strait of Gibraltar

Completed a Strait of Gibraltar crossing.

Elapsed time · 2h 51m

Published distance · Approximately 16 km

Published account checked

How this event was checked

Official athlete biography, 2007 milestone, gives approximately 16 km and 2:51. Same biography identifies his 2005 English Channel performance. Ratifier row and exact day not inspected.

Christof Wandratsch: official sporting milestones

Checked 2026-10-31

Limitations · Athlete account; distinguishes additional seconds from the organiser’s minute-only Lake Constance table.

Career milestones

First open-sea race victory

1984

Won a 10-kilometre race near Palermo.

European champion

1991

Won the European 25-kilometre championship at Terracina.

Around Atlantic City winner

1997

Added the American marathon event to his international racing victories.

First documented Channel crossing

20 August 2003

Completed England to France in 7:20 after a 05:30 local departure.

Hall of Fame recognition

2004

Joined the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame; Kanalschwimmer was released that year.

Channel speed record

1 August 2005

Completed England to France in the federation-listed 7:03:52.

Lake Constance endurance swim

2006

Completed a 63-kilometre Bodensee swim in 23:41.

Recordings & media

Kanalschwimmer (2004) — producer’s documentary page

Open media page

Documentary

Publisher or archive page inspected. This link is not an original continuous observer recording; video playback was not independently checked.

Link checked 2026-10-31

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Christof Wandratsch?: This profile includes 2 selected solo performances for Christof Wandratsch. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Christof Wandratsch’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim started on Wednesday, 20 August 2003. Its exact completion date is not confirmed here.
How long did Christof Wandratsch’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 7 hours and 20 minutes.

Biography sources