Mermaids from Wisconsin cross the English Channel

They did it.

Four middle-aged women from northern Wisconsin have become the first relay team from the Badger state to swim across the English Channel.

Their goal was just to finish. That’s not easy, but not only did they do that, the WisconSwim Mermaids beat the average time of about 13 hours by roughly 90 minutes.

Aug. 17 marked the culmination of three years of preparation for Pamela Toshner and Michelle DeYoung of Barnes, Lisa Weispfenning of Washburn, and Jennifer Titus of Hayward.

Starting at from Dover at 8 a.m., DeYoung swam for an hour, then the next team member jumped in and took over. The cycle repeated until the four women completed the 18.2 nautical mile journey.

Crossing the channel

When it was time to go, the Mermaids were “in the zone,” Toshner said.

“We brought music and cranked up ‘Iron Man.’ We were hard core in a good way,” she said. “We had come so far. We knew we were going to do this.”

DeYoung, the team’s captain, swam the first leg and got the Mermaids off to a strong start, Toshner said, “setting the tone for everybody.”

The water was choppy during everyone’s first leg, but it wasn’t anything their training didn’t prepare them for.

“Technique didn’t matter because the waves were coming from all directions. It was a just keep swimming vibe,” Toshner said. “We have done so much training. We needed it. If we hadn’t, it would have been a struggle. The conditions were gnarly.”

As each swimmer battled the rough water, those on the boat traveling alongside cheered them on.

“The observer said we were the best team she’s ever observed because we were so enthusiastic and cheering each other on,” Toshner said.

The Mermaids were not crossing the channel alone — there were several other groups trying to accomplish the same feat at roughly the same time. Backed by the support of each other, the Mermaids made them eat their wake.

“There were eight other boats that went out at the same time. Turns out we finished ahead of all the others,” Toshner said. “The pilot would kind of tease to go faster. He knew we could pass them. It definitely helped. We had the fastest swim that day.”

As the each swimmer’s one-hour leg drew closer, Toshner said time seemed to tick by slower.

“Time was the slowest the last 15 minutes,” she said, laughing.

Then the three-hour break went by in a flash.

In addition to fellow swimmers, the Mermaids also shared the waterway with vast cargo ships.

“There were a couple with containers stacked five containers high. It was remarkable. One turned and moved away because there were so many swimmers,” she said.

Threat down below

Because of the cold water temperatures, they didn’t encounter any sharks, but they did have to deal with another threat — jellyfish.

They didn’t really have an issue with jellyfish for most of the swim, but that changed during their third leg.

“They were here there during my third swim. I was the first one to get stung on my arm,” she said.

But when she got out of the water, that’s when lots more appeared.

“When Titus got in, she was swimming in a sea of them,” Toshner said. “She had to avoid them for a whole hour straight. She had the most challenging swim as far as avoiding jellyfish. It was the scariest swim she’s ever had in her life.”

Land ho!

Weispfenning had the honor of finishing the race for the Mermaids.

“She really cruised through the jellyfish fearlessly,” Toshner said.

The boat’s captain said American teams usually fall into one of two categories.

“Americans usually quit right away or are really determined swimmers all the way to the finish,” Toshner recalled their captain saying. “The ones that quit right away are often from Florida,” she said, adding that’s where training in the cold Lake Superior water really paid off.

The Mermaids had loved ones waiting for them on the shores of France to celebrate the accomplishment with them at the finish line.

Taking it all in

Talking with the Daily Press on Aug. 23 on a train to Paris, Toshner said, “It feels excellent … beyond satisfying.”

“We weren’t sure what to expect. It was very challenging and the conditions changed a lot — from heave big shipping lanes, to calm water, to an area with tons of jellyfish. It was a little frightening. Being from Wisconsin, that wasn’t something you could train for,” she said.