Many of the links below come from channel-triathlon.com by Vasanti Niemz and Karteek Clarke's personal site http://www.karteekclarke.com (he is currently working on a new website)
Leading EC solo crossings (all non wetsuit)
- Karteek Clarke (Scotland) - 11 solos
- Vedika Bolliger (Switzerland) - 5 solos, including 1 EC triathlon Dover-Paris, plus 1 relay (6 p.)
- Vasanti Niemz (Germany) - 2 solos, including 1 EC triathlon Dover-Aachen, plus 2 relays (6 + 4 p.)
- Angikar Djordjevic (Serbia) - 2 solos, including 1 EC triathlon Dover-Heidelberg, plus 1 relay (5 p.)
- Abhejali Bernardova (Czeck Republic) - 2 solos, inluding 1 EC triathlon Dover-Prague , plus 2 relays (4 + 6 p.), Oceans Seven Finisher, Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming
Inspiring Stories
- Swimming from Europe to Africa II - Strait of Gibraltar, Abhejali Bernadova, Sept. 2013
- "Determination wins the day" - Channel veteran and dedicated helper Karteek Clarke writes about Adriano Passini's English Channel swim of July 27, 2013 on his blog; video-interview with Adriano
- Swimming from Europe to Africa I - Strait of Gibraltar, Vasanti on her blog, Oct. 2012
- Sri Chinmoy inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) at the Global Open Water Swimming Community (Vasanti's blog or on Channel swimming news) - Sept. 2012, Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
- June 2013, Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, N.Y., by Abhejali, video
- Abhejali Bernardova swims the English Channel in 2011 (video at Sri Chinmoy TV)
- On Sept. 21st, 2010, the first all boys English Channel relay from our team was successful: in 13 hours 41 min. their 5-member-team reached France, including Angikar from Serbia, who had just done a solo on August 8th/9th, 2010, in over 19 hours. More info on their blog...
- Channel-Triathlon Dover-Calais-Brussels-Aachen, Sept. 3-6, 2010: Almost to the day 25 years after her first EC solo swim Vasanti Niemz, at age 53, completed her first "Self-transcendence" Channel Triathlon, "short distance" to Aachen (EC solo non-wetsuit, 300 km bike, 85 km run). Her goal for the future is still Dover-Heidelberg. Vasanti was the first SCMT member to swim the English Channel in 1985. Vedika (5x EC solo) was the first Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team member to do a Channel Triathlon Dover-Paris back in 1996, when she swam her 2nd solo and then continued to bike and run to Paris. Read Vasanti's triathlon blog about her first EC-triathlon attempt in 2008 and her successful Dover-Aachen EC triathlon in 2010 with many useful links to other related websites.
- 2nd EC relay: On Sept 30th, 2009, an international relay team of 4 female SCMT members from Czech Republic, Iceland and Germany swam from Dover to France in 13 hours 21 min., dedicating their swim to international peace, friendship and harmony and lighting the torch of the World Harmony Run or Peace Run on French sands. Read the story ...
- Vasanti Niemz and Adiratha Keefe were the first two members of the SCMT to complete the English Channel solo crossing in 1985; Sri Chinmoy composed songs for both of them in his native Bengali in tribute to their achievements. Earlier on he had composed a song about Swimming the English Channel. Read the lyrics and music to Vasanti's and Adiratha's songs as well as the words tothe ENGLISH CHANNEL SONG on srichinmoysongs.com... (In 1985, Vasanti was thought to be the first German woman to swim the EC solo - but later it turned out that Bruna Wendel-Plarre swam the EC in August 1938 (not celebrated by Nazi-Germany). Gertrude Ederle, the first woman ever, had German ancesters but was born in the US with a US passport. Adhiratha was the first UN staff to swim the EC.)
- Short Interview with Adhirathafrom 2012 about the start of your team's English Channel aspirations and his first solo in 1985.