About Graeme

A dream revisited

As a teenager, I dreamed of swimming the English Channel. I put that ambition aside, and more than thirty years passed before I returned to swimming in my forties. A few lengths at the local pool led me back to open water and to challenges I had once thought were beyond reach.

From Jersey to the wider sea

Jersey is home and the starting point for many of my swims. Over time, I went on to complete solo swims around Jersey, from Jersey to France, across the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the North Channel, as well as an Ice Mile.

The people behind a swim

Long-distance swimming is never only about the swimmer. Pilots, crews, observers and fellow swimmers all help make a challenge possible. Supporting other swimmers has become an important part of my life in the sport.

Writing the story

I wrote A Life Well Swum: Finding Myself in Open Water to share the swims and the people around them, including the uncertainty, friendship and persistence that sit alongside the big moments.