At 6:45am on Saturday morning, sixteen year-old Emily Epp got in the water at Snug Cove to start on a journey that would bring her a deep understanding of the difference between swimming in the ocean, and swimming in a lake. Her coach, Brent Hobbs, has swum around Bowen several times himself and coached numerous other English Channel hopefuls to do the same, and says that the conditions Epp faced were the toughest he’s seen.
“Out of Snug Cove, Emily swam towards Finisterre Island and as she came around the Bowen’s west side a south-easterly came out of nowhere and brought huge waves,” says Hobbs. “We couldn’t have timed a more perfect swim to prepare her for what she’ll face crossing the English Channel.”
Epp is currently scheduled to swim the channel some time between July 14 - 21, when there will be the least difference in the tides highest and lowest points.
Hobbs says that the two preparation swims he recommends for people planning to swim around the English Channel are the Straight of Georgia and around Bowen.
“Conditions around Bowen are comparable especially when you get near Cape Roger Curtis and Cowan Point,” he says. “The difference is, swimming around Bowen is one of the most beautiful swims you can do, there’s something new to look at around every corner. When you swim the English Channel, all there is to look at is big ships, jellyfish that sting, and eventually, France.”
Epp says that she was nervous going in to the swim around Bowen, as she had never completed a swim of more than 6.5 hours, and those were in Lake Okanagan.
“It was just around the 6.5 hour mark that the waves started getting really big,” she says. “I learned that waves that big actually make me nauseous. Feeling sick did really bring down my energy level, so after that, I just took it really slow.”
She adds that highlights of her swim around Bowen include being trailed by a pack of five seals at the beginning, having two more swim alongside her later on, and also encountering a porpoise.
Epp completed her swim around Bowen at 5:45 pm.
Emily Epp’s swim across the English Channel is a fundraiser for Canuck House, a children’s hospice in Vancouver.
The Bowen Island Legion has already donated $150. If you would like to support her find her fundraising page on the Canuck's Place website.
