Pat Gallant-Charette of Westbrook will undertake the Strait of Juan de Fuca 16 km open water swim between Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver, British Columbia in July.
Since 1955 only 10 swimmers have been recognized by the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association as successfully completing the 9.94-mile crossing, one of the Marathon Swimming Federation’s “Toughest Thirteen” solo open water experiences.
The strait’s strong currents, sea swells, forceful wind gusts, cold water, and marine vessel traffic offer a taxing challenge even for experienced and masterfully skilled marathon swimmers like Gallant-Charette, who is 73 years old.
“I love it. I am just as passionate about open water swimming as I was 20 years ago,” said the internationally acclaimed open water swimmer with numerous Guiness World Book swim records.
Following the 1997 unexpected death of her brother Robbie, a talented competitive swimmer and a 2-time winner of Peaks to Portland, her son Tom entered the event in honor of his uncle.
Stirred and challenged by her son’s tribute she embarked on a journey to complete Peaks with no inkling her decision would unlock a swimming career so rich in achievements that in 2019 she was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
More than a year after committing to swim Peaks, she qualified and completed the 2.4-mile swim.
“Halfway through the race something clicked as I saw Fort Gorges and the beauty of the bay. I just loved the experience. I was hooked,” said the retired nurse.
The exuberance of the experience powered her commitment to continue open water and marathon swimming.
With multiple Peaks to Portland swims buoying her confidence, she decided to test her endurance and successfully crossed Sebago Lake (3.5 miles). She further tested her limits with a round-trip crossing of Sebago and admitted to her husband after completing the crossing, “I felt like I could just keep going.”
In a foretelling of future achievements her husband asked, “Why don’t you try the English Channel?”
Her first attempt at swimming across the English Channel came in 2008. Completing all but 1.7 of the 21 miles, she was forced out of the water by treacherous currents.
Weather conditions prompted the cancellation of her 2009 Channel attempt.
Three years after her first attempt, she swam across the English Channel completing the swim in 15 hours and 57 minutes. The Channel Association awarded her the “Most Meritorious Swim of the Year.”
In 2017, she again conquered the English Channel at age 66, the oldest woman to successfully cross the Channel and her longest swim in water temperature below 60 degrees.
In August of 2017, two months after her English Channel swim, she crossed the 31.5 miles of Lake Ontario in 24 hours and 28 minutes, her first 24-hour swim. Water temperatures ranged between 53 and 66 degrees during the swim.
Sanctioned open water and marathon events prohibit the wearing of wet suits. To prepare for the cold temperatures often encountered in marathon swimming, the member of the Maine Sports Hall of Fame and the Maine Swimming and Diving HOF regularly sat in her bathtub filled with ice for an hour and read. Today her body is conditioned to adapt to the cold water.
A cup of water and two spoonfuls of maple syrup every couple of hours during her extended swims provide the necessary sustenance.
The recipient of numerous World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year nominations, she swims 2-3 hours six days a week, primarily in a community pool in Portland, training for open water and marathon events.
Her most satisfying open water swim came in 2022 when she became the oldest woman to complete the 12.9-mile crossing of the Sea of Galilee.
“I am a Christian. As part of my preparation for a swim, I do research.
I read all the Bible stories about the Sea of Galilee. During my swim I was impressed by the clarity of the water,” she said.
Last year, contending with warm water, ferry boat traffic, and a large population of fish species, Charette completed the 14.6-mile swim in Africa’s Lake Malawi, her favorite swim in 25 years of marathon and open water swimming. Her adventure began by camping the night before her swim on a deserted island beach.
Included among her swims are the Strait of Gibraltar, Japan’s Tsugana Channel, Scotland’s Loch Ness, Switzerland’s Lake Zurich, Molokai Channel in Hawaii and the Catalina Channel, California.
The founder of the annual global swim event, “Swim For Your Heart,”
reflected, “I never imagined I would go down this path. I never knew I had this gift of incredible endurance.”