French couple plan 3-month relay swim throughout the Atlantic

MARSEILLE, France — A French couple is coaching within the Mediterranean to organize for what they hope will likely be a record-breaking three-month relay swim throughout the Atlantic.

Matthieu Witvoet and Chloe Leger Witvoet plan to set off from the island of Cape Verde, off the African coast, on Nov. 1 for a 2,360-mile swim to the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

The couple will take turns swimming for six hours every day and try to set data for the longest feminine ocean crossing in addition to for the longest swimming relay “with drifting”, which suggests the boat they are going to sleep on will drift at night time, which can account for a part of the gap coated.

“This is ultra-swimming, and that is what we like to do,” Leger stated.

In 2019, the couple swam throughout the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco; in 2021, they swam down the Seine River from Paris to Deauville; and in 2023, they swam from Marseille to Barcelona.

Crossing the Atlantic is a problem on a special stage, although. Water temperatures are anticipated to hover round 73 levels Fahrenheit.

The couple has been making ready for 2 years, perfecting their method to keep away from damage.

“This summer, we did a lot of time swimming. We swam almost three to four hours a day, so we really got our bodies used to swimming that much per day,” Leger stated.

Four folks, together with a nurse, will crew their catamaran sailboat.

The swim goals to lift consciousness for ocean safety, they usually have created an academic equipment, for which greater than 63,000 schoolchildren have signed up.

Kids and their academics will obtain weekly lesson plans on ocean-related subjects corresponding to biodiversity and air pollution as college students observe the swimmers’ progress.

“If we don’t complete the physical challenge, but succeed in the awareness campaign, we will have succeeded more than if we complete the swim but fail the awareness campaign,” Leger stated.