Here is a cast of extraordinary characters – geniuses, cheats, dreamers, charlatans, visionaries, eccentrics and at least one pair of naked, cuddling balloonists – whose stories are all united by the English Channel to ensure the sea that makes Britain an island will never be the same again.

“I’m not swimming to go anywhere, I’m not trying to meet any physical goal and I’m certainly not competing with anyone. I love the Channel, love living by the Channel and love being in the Channel, and that’s it.”

Charlie Connelly “The Channel: The Remarkable Men and Women Who Made it the Most Fascinating Waterway in the World”. Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 2020. Donated to the library by Charlie Connelly ❤️

Photos by Anna Iltnere / Sea Library