USAUnited States

Stella Taylor

Two England-to-France solos and a women's age record in 1975

Country in the federation records: USA
Home swimming base: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Occupation in 1973: Pool manager at Coral Ridge Country Club
Professional racing: Recognised as the outstanding newcomer on the professional marathon circuit in 1969
Channel age record: CS&PF and IMSHOF credit her 1975 solo at age 45 and date the end of the record to 1994.
Hall of Fame: International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame, Honor Swimmer, 1982
Died: 11 February 2003 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Biography

Stella Taylor worked as a pool manager in Fort Lauderdale and raced on the professional marathon swimming circuit. Born in England in 1929, she lived in Canada and Buffalo before settling in Florida. The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame credits her with the outstanding newcomer award in her first professional season, 1969.

In August 1973 she set out from Shakespeare Cliff and reached Cap Blanc Nez in 15 hours 45 minutes. She told an interviewer that the current swept her past the landing she had expected. On returning to Florida, she was already talking about swimming to France and back. She went to Dover again in 1974, but spent eleven weeks waiting for a break in the weather and never entered the water.

In August 1975 Taylor waited another 45 days before starting. In waves that she estimated at four feet, she reached France in 18 hours 15 minutes. The round trip ended there. The federation and the Hall of Fame credit the 45-year-old with the women's age record, which stood until 1994.

Taylor went on to swim the length of Lake George in 1977 and to cross Loch Ness and Lake Okeechobee in 1981. In April 1982 she spent 65 consecutive hours swimming in the Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale. The Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inducted her that year.

Selected Channel swim records

First England-to-France solo

Sources disagree

Qualification · CSA, CS&PF and Taylor's contemporary interview give 15:45. A later Wikipedia entry gives 15:25. CS&PF lists age 43 and the interview gives 38.

Recorded swim date · Friday, 10 August 1973 · Start or finish date not specified by this field

Elapsed swim time · 15h 45m

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 gives 10 August as the swim date. Taylor's contemporary interview gives a 10 p.m. departure and an early-afternoon arrival the following day without calendar dates or a clock standard.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Departure · Shakespeare Cliff, England

Arrival · Cap Blanc Nez, France

Pilot / piloting team · J. Heyes

Escort vessel · Dark Moon

Official observers · D. Khatau

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association

Conditions · Taylor recalled that the current carried her beyond her intended landing point.

How this record was checked

CSA individual record 2527 prints the surname as Tayor and lists United States, one-way solo, England to France, 1973 and 15:45. CS&PF individual record 443052 matches those fields under Stella Taylor and supplies 10 August, the crew and 15:45:00. The named IMSHOF citation and 1973 interview agree on 15:45. The later 15:25 and differing reported ages are retained in the qualification.

Channel Swimming Association — Stella Tayor, 1973

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Individual record 2527 lists United States, a one-way solo from England to France and 15:45 in 1973.

Limitations · The displayed name is Stella Tayor and the page gives the year only.

CS&PF historical record — Stella Taylor, 10 August 1973

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Record 443052 gives USA, age 43, 10 August 1973, one way from England to France in 15:45:00, pilot J. Heyes, Dark Moon and observer D. Khatau.

Limitations · CS&PF attributes ratification to CSA. Its date has no departure or arrival label and both clock fields are empty.

U.S. Masters Swimming archive — Taylor's 1973 post-swim interview

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · The interview reproduces Taylor's account of the current and her return-trip ambition. It gives her work at Coral Ridge, both named shores, a 10 p.m. departure and an early-afternoon landing the following day.

Limitations · It calls Taylor 38. CS&PF records 43. The interview provides no calendar date for either clock.

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame — Stella Taylor

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Her individual 1982 Honor Swimmer citation names the United States, her first professional season, both Channel times, the 1975 age record and swims in Lake George, Loch Ness and Lake Okeechobee.

Wikipedia — discrepancy in Stella Taylor's 1973 elapsed time

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · The lead and selected-swims paragraphs print 15:25 for 1973.

Limitations · Both federations, the Hall of Fame citation and the contemporary interview give 15:45. This entry is cited only to identify the differing figure.

England-to-France solo during a round-trip attempt

Ratification reported by source

Qualification · Taylor completed the outward leg of a planned round trip. CS&PF and IMSHOF give age 45 and date the age record to 1975–1994. A contemporary article gives age 40.

Recorded swim date · Tuesday, 26 August 1975 · Start or finish date not specified by this field

Elapsed swim time · 18h 15m 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 · The federation supplies 26 August as a general swim date and leaves the departure and arrival clocks blank.

Format · Solo · 1-way

Direction · England → France

Pilot / piloting team · B. Charnick

Escort vessel · St. Claire

Official observers · M. Gill

Ratification / historical recognition · Channel Swimming Association, as reported by CS&PF

Conditions · Taylor described waves of about four feet after a 45-day wait in Dover.

How this record was checked

CS&PF individual record 443090 identifies Stella Taylor, USA, one way from England to France, 18:15:00 on 26 August 1975, with CSA as ratifier. Al Levine's interview and the named IMSHOF citation both give 18:15. The interview documents the unsuccessful round-trip plan. The federation and Hall of Fame support the age-record description.

CS&PF historical record — Stella Taylor, 26 August 1975

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Record 443090 lists USA, age 45, 26 August 1975, one way from England to France in 18:15:00 and CSA ratification. Crew fields name B. Charnick, St. Claire and M. Gill.

Limitations · The printed age-record comment gives 45 years 249 days and an end year of 1994. Departure and arrival are blank.

U.S. Masters Swimming archive — Taylor's 1975 post-swim interview

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Al Levine's interview records a completed England-to-France leg in 18:15, an uncompleted round trip, the wait in Dover and Taylor's description of the waves.

Limitations · It gives her age as 40. The federation record and Hall of Fame citation give 45.

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame — Stella Taylor

Checked 2026-10-31

Other events & swims

Length of Lake George

Open water swimming · Solo

1977 · exact day not confirmed

Lake George, New York, United States

Completed the length of the lake.

Published distance · 32 miles

Published elapsed time · 26h 51m 0s

Published account checked

How this event was checked

Lake George Open Water Swim's 32-mile crossings table, 1977 Stella Taylor row, gives 26:51:00. Her individual Hall of Fame citation confirms the lake, year and 26:51. The selected table gives the year only.

Lake George Open Water Swim — historical crossings

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · The 1977 Stella Taylor row in the table of 32-mile length swims gives 26:51:00.

Limitations · A curated historical list. Its age of 45 differs from the chronology in the Channel records. The row supplies the year only.

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame — Stella Taylor

Checked 2026-10-31

Career milestones

First professional season

1969

Earned the marathon circuit's first-year swimming award.

First recorded Channel solo

1973-08-10

The federation dates her 15:45 England-to-France crossing to 10 August.

One leg of a planned round trip

1975-08-26

Reached France in 18:15 and set the women's age mark credited by the Hall of Fame.

Length of Lake George

1977

Swam the 32-mile length in 26 hours 51 minutes.

Loch Ness and Lake Okeechobee

1981

The Hall of Fame lists both swims, including 18 hours 58 minutes in Loch Ness.

Fort Lauderdale pool swim

1982-04-06

Began the effort she described in her own account as a 65-hour continuous swim.

Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame

1982

Inducted as an Honor Swimmer for the United States.

Recordings & media

Stella Taylor's Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame profile

Athlete media

Open media page

Her individual Honor Swimmer citation covers both Channel solos and selected lake swims.

Link checked 2026-10-31

Taylor recalls the 1975 Channel crossing

Interview

Open media page

Al Levine's written interview in the U.S. Masters Swimming archive covers the wait in Dover, the waves and the unfinished round trip.

Link checked 2026-10-31

English Channel questions

Which English Channel swims are included for Stella Taylor?: This profile includes 2 selected solo performances. A continuous multi-way crossing counts as one performance.
When was Stella Taylor’s first listed Channel swim?: The recorded swim date is Friday, 10 August 1973. Departure and arrival dates are unconfirmed.
How long did the first listed swim take?: The recorded 1-way solo lasted 15h 45m. The selected duration is 15h 45m. A later account gives 15h 25m. Reported ages also differ between 38 and 43.

Biography sources

Reviewed sources

CS&PF historical record — Stella Taylor, 10 August 1973

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Record 443052 gives USA, age 43, 10 August 1973, one way from England to France in 15:45:00, pilot J. Heyes, Dark Moon and observer D. Khatau.

Limitations · CS&PF attributes ratification to CSA. Its date has no departure or arrival label and both clock fields are empty.

Channel Swimming Association — Stella Tayor, 1973

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Individual record 2527 lists United States, a one-way solo from England to France and 15:45 in 1973.

Limitations · The displayed name is Stella Tayor and the page gives the year only.

CS&PF historical record — Stella Taylor, 26 August 1975

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Record 443090 lists USA, age 45, 26 August 1975, one way from England to France in 18:15:00 and CSA ratification. Crew fields name B. Charnick, St. Claire and M. Gill.

Limitations · The printed age-record comment gives 45 years 249 days and an end year of 1994. Departure and arrival are blank.

International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame — Stella Taylor

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

U.S. Masters Swimming archive — Taylor's 1973 post-swim interview

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Limitations · It calls Taylor 38. CS&PF records 43. The interview provides no calendar date for either clock.

U.S. Masters Swimming archive — Taylor's 1975 post-swim interview

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Al Levine's interview records a completed England-to-France leg in 18:15, an uncompleted round trip, the wait in Dover and Taylor's description of the waves.

Limitations · It gives her age as 40. The federation record and Hall of Fame citation give 45.

Lake George Open Water Swim — historical crossings

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · The 1977 Stella Taylor row in the table of 32-mile length swims gives 26:51:00.

Limitations · A curated historical list. Its age of 45 differs from the chronology in the Channel records. The row supplies the year only.

U.S. Masters Swimming archive — Stella Taylor's account of her 65-hour pool swim

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · Taylor's first-person account identifies the Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale, the start on 6 April and the duration. An adjacent contemporary feature reports the finish.

Dictionary of Women Worldwide — Stella Taylor

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · The biographical entry gives birth in England in 1929, her move through Canada and Buffalo to Florida, and her death in Fort Lauderdale on 11 February 2003.

Limitations · The distance estimate for the pool swim is excluded because contemporary accounts differ.

Wikipedia — discrepancy in Stella Taylor's 1973 elapsed time

Open source

Checked 2026-10-31

Supports · The lead and selected-swims paragraphs print 15:25 for 1973.

Limitations · Both federations, the Hall of Fame citation and the contemporary interview give 15:45. This entry is cited only to identify the differing figure.

Latest source review 2026-10-31.