USAUnited States

Pat Gallant-Charette

Two Channel solos · women’s age record in 2017 at 66

Nationality: United States — CSA individual record
Born: 2 February 1951 — Guinness World Records
Home swimming community: Westbrook, Maine
Occupation: Retired nurse, as described on her athlete site
Channel solos in this profile: 2011 and 2017
2017 age record: 66 years 135 days; a record at the time
Hall of Fame: IMSHOF Honor Swimmer, 2019

Biography

Pat Gallant-Charette is an American marathon swimmer from Maine whose Channel career grew from a family tribute. A nurse and mother, she began building her swimming endurance after her son encouraged her to enter the Peaks to Portland swim in memory of her brother Robbie. Her own account describes a gradual progression from local training to increasingly ambitious open-water challenges.

The English Channel proved a difficult goal. Strong currents ended her 2008 attempt near France, and weather prevented another start in 2009. On 22 August 2011 she finally completed the England-to-France crossing in 15 hours and 57 minutes. She started from Shakespeare Beach and finished at Cap Gris-Nez, supported from Viking Princess by members of her family. Her account recalls difficult water near the French coast and the importance of her nephew Christopher’s encouragement.

She returned in 2017. The Channel Swimming Association records her completion on 17 June at 10:50pm, after 17 hours and 55 minutes, and recognises her as the oldest woman to cross at that time, aged 66 years and 135 days.

Gallant-Charette also promoted Swim for Your Heart, encouraging swimmers to support heart-health awareness. Her wider marathon-swimming career brought induction into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2019. Both Channel successes came after earlier setbacks had tested her determination to reach France.

Selected Channel swim records

First successful English Channel crossing

Ratification reported by source

The swimmer describes strong currents near France and rough water delaying the final approach.

Recorded swim date · Monday, 22 August 2011 · Start or finish date not specified by the source

Elapsed swim time · 15h 57m 0s

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 · CS&PF supplies a generic swim date and elapsed 15:57:00; the athlete reports 15 hours 57 minutes. No exact departure clock or phase date is inferred.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Departure · Shakespeare Beach, England

Arrival · Cap Gris-Nez, France

Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell Jr

Escort vessel · Viking Princess

Ratification / historical recognition · CSA (reported in CS&PF historical record)

How this record was checked

CS&PF individual historical record 444506 was inspected and matched to the athlete’s first-person account and Guinness biography. It reports CSA ratification, but the original CSA decision and observer log were not inspected.

CS&PF historical record: Pat Gallant-Charette, 2011

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · 22 August 2011, England to France, 15:57:00; USA/Maine; Reg Brickell Jr and Viking Princess; CSA named as ratifying organisation.

Limitations · Historical federation-hosted attribution to another ratifier; original CSA decision/log not inspected.

Pat Gallant-Charette: What a day!

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Athlete’s 23 August 2011 account: 15:57 crossing, Shakespeare Beach to Cap Gris-Nez, family support and dedication; biographical sidebar describes her Maine background and nursing career.

Limitations · Post timestamp is publication time, not a swim clock. The sidebar’s age for the 2008 attempt is inconsistent with the independently supplied birth date and is not adopted.

Guinness World Records: Pat Gallant-Charette’s Original Triple Crown

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · USA, birth 2 February 1951, English Channel swims on 22 August 2011 and 17 June 2017, and broader career context.

Limitations · Current world-record coverage is subject to the publisher’s own update disclaimer; profile uses dated achievements.

Second Channel crossing — women’s age record at the time

Ratifying body's record checked

Elapsed swim time · 17h 55m

Duration of the complete swim

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

Finished · Saturday, 17 June 2017 · 22:50 · CSA Completed field says 17 June 2017, 10:50pm; clock standard not stated

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Pilot / piloting team · Reg Brickell

Escort vessel · Viking Princess

Official observers · R. Brickell

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association

How this record was checked

CSA successful individual entry 4627 explicitly records completion, elapsed time, route, support and the then-oldest-lady record. This is inspection of the published result, not the original observer log.

CSA: Pat Gallant-Charette, 2017

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · United States; 17 June 2017 completion at 10:50pm; England to France; 17:55; Reg Brickell, Viking Princess and observer R. Brickell; oldest-lady record aged 66 years 135 days.

Limitations · Published successful individual entry inspected; original observer log and embedded video playback not inspected. Clock standard not stated.

Guinness World Records: Pat Gallant-Charette’s Original Triple Crown

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · USA, birth 2 February 1951, English Channel swims on 22 August 2011 and 17 June 2017, and broader career context.

Limitations · Current world-record coverage is subject to the publisher’s own update disclaimer; profile uses dated achievements.

Career milestones

Born

Friday, 2 February 1951

Date explicitly supplied by Guinness World Records.

First Channel attempt

2008

Strong currents stopped the attempt near France; this is not a successful crossing.

Weather prevents a start

2009

Her athlete account records a return trip without a Channel start.

First Channel success

Monday, 22 August 2011

Completed England to France in 15:57.

Second Channel success and age record

Saturday, 17 June 2017

CSA records 17:55 and a 22:50 completion, aged 66 years 135 days.

International Hall of Fame

2019

Inducted as an IMSHOF Honor Swimmer.

Recordings & media

Pat’s first-person Channel account

Open media page

Athlete media

Her written 2011 swim account and athlete biography. The page also embeds a video labelled 2017 English Channel swim; playback and full-swim coverage were not independently verified.

Link checked 2026-10-31

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Pat Gallant-Charette?: This profile includes 2 selected solo performances for Pat Gallant-Charette. It is a selected history, not a complete career total. A continuous multi-way swim counts as one performance.
When was Pat Gallant-Charette’s featured English Channel swim?: The featured swim is recorded on Monday, 22 August 2011. The source does not establish whether that date means departure or arrival.
How long did Pat Gallant-Charette’s featured Channel swim take?: The featured solo crossing has a published elapsed time of 15 hours, 57 minutes and 0 seconds.

Limitations · PDF personally retrieved and its text inspected. An unrelated Original Triple Crown year conflicts with Guinness and is not used.

Latest source review 2026-10-31.