Utah Attorney Swims English Channel
Richard Barnes, a Utah attorney, has accomplished something no other Utahn has done before. On August 6, 2005 he swam the English Channel. The swim from England to France was completed in sixteen hours and forty-three minutes.
Known as the 'Mount Everest' of swimming because of its difficulty, the English Channel is 21 miles straight across, but because of the very strong currents, tides, and weather conditions, swimmers must swim much further than that. Richard Barnes' swim was approximately 36 miles.
Richard entered an elite group of swimmers who have successfully made the crossing. Out of thousands of attempts, only approximately 680 people have completed the swim, less than half of the number of people who have climbed Mr. Everest.
The English Channel is known as the most difficult open water swim because of the extreme cold water, averaging only 60 degrees at its warmest season. Other obstacles are jellyfish stings, strong currents, and six-foot swells, not to mention the occasional passing freighter creating even larger waves. It is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with 600 tankers passing through and 200 ferries and other vessels going across daily.
In order to be officially recognized by the Channel Swimming Association, swimmers are not allowed to wear a wet suit or anything that will aid in buoyancy or thermal protection. The only exception is that swimmers are allowed to apply 'Channel Grease' (a mixture of Vaseline and lanolin) before the swim.
Mr. Barnes has been practicing law for five years and works as an insurance defense attorney for Paul H. Matthews & Associates, P.C.