It's the busiest waterway in the world.
Come on, skipper! Get a move on, that way.
A gateway to our nation.
Over 90% of the world's trade travels by sea.
It's not just TVs and refrigerators, it's everything around us.
Protected by a multi-agency task force,
it's a unique stretch of water.
This is Warship Tyne, Warship Tyne. General 1-2, over.
RADIO CRACKLES
Yeah, it's very difficult to police the Channel.
To board every vessel is an impossible task.
It's a place where swimmers
and Sunday sailors fight for space
with cruise liners...
..and cargo ships.
It's like trying to get across the M25 during rush hour.
For some, the English Channel is their place of work.
If my mum came out here and saw what I was doing up here,
she'd tell me to get off straightaway.
For others, it's a playground.
Whoo-hoo!
This is Rescue Helicopter...
But for those who venture onto its unpredictable waters...
We're just going to assist the moving of the casualty now.
Control, Dover Lifeboat...
..it can mean life...or death.
Just drag him onto the boat!
I hope my babies get to see this,
and see what Daddy does for a living.
Today, on Channel Patrol, the RNLI race to save a fisherman.
Ten miles... Ten miles from us.
Mark, help Alfa! Yeah!
A Channel swimmer battles tides and tankers.
But the swimmer will now know he's in the shipping lane, that's for sure.
And one of the Channel's other inhabitants
goes into rehab.
It looks like we're giving a baby sausages,
but actually, this is the only way to get weight on them.
The English Channel is a maritime motorway.
Crammed full of cruise liners, fishing trawlers, tug boats,
yachts and container ships from all corners of the globe.
The job of keeping these busy and treacherous waters safe
is a never-ending task.
Anything can happen, on a daily basis.
From yachts crashing into oil tankers...
..to Victorian piers on fire.
Whenever there is a Mayday, or 999 call in the Channel,
it will go to the UK Coastguard.
ALARM BLARES
Coastguard Rescue.
As soon as a distress call comes in, they have to decide whether to
call on nearby boats for assistance, dispatch a rescue helicopter...
We've got a kayaker in difficulties there.
..or scramble the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The RNLI can average over 80 callouts a month on the Channel.
And last year, they rescued over a thousand people from its waters.
We're definitely not heroes.
We go out, we do our best. No crew member would say they're a hero.
Well, you've probably...
You've got to have a screw loose, to be doing this job, to be honest.
On occasions, we're going out when everyone's
back in.
Paul Legendre joined the Newhaven RNLI in 1980.
My job is to maintain the boat
for 24/7 callout,
so she's ready to go to sea at any time.
I mean, it's 44-tonne of boat here.
With a decent crew on board, there's not an awful lot she can't achieve.
I'm extremely proud of this boat,
I try and look after it and maintain it as best I can.
She's just like another member of the family. And, uh, she behaves well.
Paul is the only full-time employee at this base
and he relies on a network of 15 local volunteers.
We never know when a shout's coming out, we can be at home,
you can be tucked up in bed, two o'clock,
three o'clock in the morning.
If you're having a meal out with the family...
Soon as that bleeps, they're off and they're down here,
as quick as they can.
As well as being a hub for ferries and freighters,
the seas around Newhaven are popular with surfers, kayakers and divers.
We never know what we're going to be tasked to until we get on the boat.
It could be a passenger ferry on fire, or sinking.
We do a lot of tow jobs, people cut off by the tide.
Rescuing people's dogs that have run off the cliff chasing a rabbit.
And people in the water that have got themselves in difficulties.
Today, the coastguard has paged Paul with an urgent callout.
We've now received a distress call from a fishing vessel,
that someone has had a cardiac arrest...on the fishing vessel.
And we're going to get a position so we can go straight to the
casualty and assist him whatever way we can.
Paul and his crew of volunteers are called out up to 60 times
a year, making them one of the busiest RNLI crews in the Channel.
Speed is of the essence in an emergency
and Paul's all-weather vessel can reach 25 knots.
It's going to take us about 30 minutes to get there.
He's 15 miles off.
The skipper said he's not in a good way,
so we're going to have to get crew members on board.
It's possible CPR.
We've got oxygen, First Aid kits getting ready now.
There are no trained medics on board the fishing vessel,
making it hard for comms operator, Mike,
to determine the severity of the situation.
We're still not with it, so we need to get there as soon as possible,
make some assessments, get him on some oxygen.
Because obviously he's got the potential there
to have another cardiac arrest.
So it's time critical. We need to get there within the golden hour,
so we can try and preserve life and prevent deterioration as well.
So it's...all systems go.
Because of the critical nature of the callout,
the crew devises a plan to reach the fishing boat as quickly as possible.
Ten miles.
Ten miles from us.
Ten miles...
Two vessels...
not actually head on, but actually going towards one another,
we've got to rendezvous at the right point to get people on there
to assist straightaway.
So we've got another updated position of the vessel,
and that's what they're feeding in now to the computer,
so we can rendezvous with them at the right point.
The Coastguard Rescue helicopter 104 has been scrambled.
Depending on who gets there first, and what is found, on scene, it
depends whether we leave him on the fishing vessel or maybe airlift it.
Shaving a few minutes off their arrival time could mean
the difference between life and death.
With major ports and numerous inlets along 350 miles of coastline,
and playing host to every kind of seafaring vessel imaginable,
the Channel is a vast area to keep safe.
All ships in the Dover Strait, this is
Dover Coastguard Information Service Broadcast 1243UTC.
To prevent serious collisions, all craft and individuals
crossing the narrowest point of the Channel,
the Dover Straits, are monitored by the UK Coastguard.
And do you have any dangerous cargo on board, sir?
Primarily, we're looking at vessels crossing the lane.
We have a vessel here that is crossing the lane,
and he should cross at right angles to the flow of traffic.
The reason for this is perspective to an oncoming vessel -
it's easier for them to calculate whether there is a risk of collision.
Obviously, if we've got restricted visibility, and at night-time,
then it can be a higher risk to all those involved.
If any boat steps out of line, they have the power to prosecute.
If they do anything wrong, we're there straightaway.
We have to be, we have to police it,
so my staff are on top of them straightaway.
They know they can't get away with anything.
So, if you like, Big Brother's watching them.
Fishing vessels may be encountered in the southwest lane, between
the Greenwich Lightvessel and the Varne Lightvessel.
"Guardians of the sea," yeah that's very appropriate, I think.
Of all the daily events they have to watch over,
one is particularly perilous.
The cross-channel swim.
As the ultimate open-water challenge,
it attracts swimmers from all over the world.
But it's not just the distance.
The cold,
the tide,
the waves
and the occasional jellyfish
all combine to make the Dover to France swim uniquely demanding.
But this doesn't stop hundreds of swimmers every year
giving it a shot.
Bit nervous.
But we're OK.
This is it.
The day has finally arrived.
Nick Young is hoping to add his name
to the list of Channel swimming alumni.
I think if you are a climber
and you speak to somebody and you say you're a climber,
the first question they'll ask you is,
"Have you climbed Everest?"
With long-distance swimming,
the first question anyone will ask you is, "Have you swum the Channel?"
It's amazing how much kit you need considering all I have
is a pair of goggles,
a pair of trunks and a swim cap.
We put on our Facebook page last night
that the swim was taking place this morning
and we've had some really big donations.
So generous.
There's one here from someone in Singapore
who we don't even know, for 100.
"You were inspiring,
"and the world is a better place having people like you in it."
Hasn't seen me swim yet!
SHE LAUGHS
Well, they've got faith in you, so that's encouraging.
Yeah, it's a start.
So many people have donated.
It's really amazing, actually.
Nick's swim is for a cause very close to its heart.
We're raising money for our niece Bel
who tragically had an accident four years ago.
She fell, aged eight years old, from a climbing frame.
A very small distance, but a very awkward fall,
that meant she broke her neck.
She's now paralysed from the neck down and breathes,
for a lot of the time,
with the help of a ventilator.
And what we're trying to raise money for
is a hydrotherapy pool
which will be vital in helping her recovery.
Being in water is more beneficial
than doing things on dry land to get, like,
movement back in my legs,
and my whole body, basically.
And then, hopefully, in the future, it will be, like,
one of the main reasons why, hopefully, I'll be walking again.
My first reaction was that he is absolutely bonkers,
but I definitely love him for what he is doing.
And I just think it's amazing how he ever would do this for us.
It's just so amazing.
And I was very shocked when I heard that he was going to do it
because it is quite a scary thing,
just to know that you're going to be doing it.
Swimming the Channel, it's pretty serious stuff.
I make a note of everything you take. OK.
Everything that goes into your body from now on -
so, all your feeds, medication - I'll be taking notes.
The Channel Swimming Association has been observing cross-channel
swimming attempts since 1927.
As an official observer,
Keith Oiler authenticates swims and verifies crossing times.
The other thing I'm also looking at and monitoring all the time,
is your stroke rate.
A stroke rate kind of dropping down, and reducing considerably
is an indication you're starting to struggle a bit
and, in the worst situations,
an indication that hypothermia is starting to come on, as well.
I have to tell you, the pilot may make the decision, at any time,
to abort the swim.
It may be because something has happened on the boat,
it could be something that has happened...
It could be something to do with yourself.
Next stop France.
Right, if we've got everything... Yeah. Yes. ..shall we go then?
It's a short boat journey from the start point
on Shakespeare Beach near Dover.
With Channel swimming, timing is everything.
Calculated from his swimming pace and the tide times,
the 6am start gives Nick the best chance of success.
Joining his wife Jo on board the safety boat, is Bel's dad Simon.
Nick's friend Freddie, a Channel swimming veteran at just 18,
is here for moral and practical support.
He can swim alongside as pacemaker, if Nick starts to flag.
OK. We're in.
See you in France.
Good luck, and we'll see you over the other side, all right?
I was going to give you a kiss, then. No, don't do that!
Save it till later, Nick!
Best of luck, mate.
Enjoy!
You all right, Eric?
Off you go.
There are strict regulations for an official Channel swim.
To start his epic 21-mile journey,
Nick must touch land before setting off.
He'll be fine.
We just need to get going.
He needs to get into a bit of a rhythm.
I think the first hour could be the hard one,
but I think, then, he'll settle down and he will be OK.
FAINT SHOUT
Go on! Go on! Go on!
I found the first hour one of the hardest.
I knew that I was going to be in there for such a long time.
Hadn't found my rhythm yet.
But after that, it kind of evens out
and it blurs into one, quite quickly.
For Nick, it's not just about battling the elements.
It's a very lonely sport, swimming.
You're just on your own, head down...
They say it's 80% mental,
20% physical.
But I think I'm... Mentally, I'm quite tough.
Hopefully.
Thinking about why I'm doing it...
Since Bel's accident, she's just been an inspiration.
That's enough to keep me going through those darker moments.
The support crew needs to keep Nick's energy stores
topped up every hour.
JO: He's asked us for some tea.
So we think he might be feeling the cold a bit.
So we're not going to give him some tea,
we have warmed up some carbohydrate drink.
Because he needs to have that every other feed.
So we're going to just give him that hot,
and, hopefully, it'll have the same effect.
And some jelly babies.
The rules of Channel swimming
state that swimmers cannot touch the boat or the support crew,
so getting a Nick a snack is a hands-off affair.
But he can't slack off on his pace
for fear of the tide turning against him.
So he is at the mercy of the sea.
Whenever he stops swimming, we drift. So the idea is for him to eat
and drink as quickly as possible, then start swimming again.
Three and a half hours in,
the pilot makes an important call to the coastguard.
Dover Coastguard, Pathfinder.
'Pathfinder, Dover Coastguard.'
Morning, sir, just about to enter the Southwest line, over.
Nick is about to enter one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
You can see from the ships in front of us, 22 on every hour,
they will notify the ships that we're here.
On a typical day over 400 ships, including tankers and ferries,
pass through the Dover Straits.
The reason why you can't just jump in and swim to France.
The swimmer will now know that
he's in the shipping lane, that's for sure!
I love swimming past the cargo ships, it's really good fun
because it means it's finally happening,
everything has taken off, and your swim is a new experience.
But they do push up the cold water from below
and it is quite cold for a while when you swim past them.
And this extra blast of cold water
seems to be taking its toll on Nick.
I think he's starting to feel a bit cold, he's asking for hot drinks.
OK, we're feeding, please.
You're doing brilliantly, darling, really, really well, honestly.
Hang on in.
'Got a music playlist in my head
'that I'll be singing to myself throughout.'
'I'll be trying to name past rugby teams, thinking about family,
'work, I think everything,
'just to keep that boredom from setting in, really.'
We're halfway across in distance but that might not mean halfway in time.
We've been going about six and a half hours
so it'd be lovely if we thought we could do it in 13,
but the tide can move us further away
from where we're trying to get to.
He could start swimming slower,
he's going to get tired,
the conditions can change very quickly
so you can't assume anything,
I don't think, at this stage.
He's doing well, if he continues like he is in the present time,
he's going to make it.
You'll get about a 60% success rate,
that's across relay swims and solo swims.
There's a long way to go yet.
It might be another six to eight hours to go.
On record, swimmers have been traversing the Channel since 1875.
And dependent on tides and weather, there are on average
just 24 days a year when it's possible to attempt the crossing.
Nick will soon be leaving English waters
and the UK coastguard's jurisdiction.
Off the coast of New Haven,
the RNLI team is responding to a coastguard callout.
A day-tripper on a chartered fishing boat is unconscious
after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest.
The gentleman has had a suspected cardiac arrest
and now he's actually come to, so they've stopped chest compressions
at this moment in time,
he's still obviously not with it.
Although there's no paramedic on board the lifeboat,
three of the crew, including local businessman Al Novis,
are first aiders.
With constant radio contact from the fishing boat skipper,
the team is kept up-to-date on the man's condition.
He is conscious, and he keeps trying to get up.
So he might be confused as well. Yep. No problem.
But they're trying to get him laid back down again.
The crew needs to get on board quickly, but it's a precision job
to bring the two vessels side-by-side for a safe boarding.
First aider Al and his team board to make an initial assessment.
Mark, help Alpha.
They put the casualty into a sitting position to make breathing easier.
We don't want to move him on to here
cos we haven't done the assessment yet so we're leaving him on there,
continuing to Newhaven. It may be a case that the chopper
lifts him straight from there, if that is needed.
Right, OK.
The team administers oxygen and check his vital signs.
But when they monitor his breathing rate, the results are worrying.
"Big Sick" is where the casualty comes up under one of our measures
and is in an area where it could be
a serious illness or injury, so immediately,
when it's flagged under our first aid cards
'as "Big Sick", that's an immediate evacuation.
'What we established was he'd been unconscious for ten minutes,
'which is a very long time.'
Have you got any change in symptoms, in pain or anything?
All the crew can do is keep the man comfortable
while they await the coastguard's helicopter.
Coastguard and rescue, 104, this is Ocean Warrior, over.
Rescue 104, understood.
The helicopter crew wants to evacuate the patient
from the RNLI lifeboat
so he will have to be transferred from the fishing vessel.
What we could do is go two arms under, up and over.
Yeah, I think that's going to be tough
because of the height difference as well.
But with time ticking away fast, in the end the decision is made
to lift the casualty from the fishing boat instead.
OK, change of plan.
We're going to lift at full speed off the back of here,
if we can everybody forward under the canvas.
The winchman has now been put down from rescue helicopter 104,
he will also do a quick assessment, get information from our crew
from their assessment, what they've done to the guy.
He has got a "Big Sick" marker which means he does have to be
lifted immediately.
The helicopter has now flown off,
as you can see by the noise
and the spray, it doesn't help to have him hovering over all the time.
The coastguard winchman determines it's safe to move the patient.
'It does feel good when we've made a positive difference.'
'We've been out there, we've helped
'and we've resolved the situation that person was in at the time.
'Could have got worse and possibly loss of life.'
The man was airlifted to Brighton hospital.
He had suffered a heart attack
but thanks to the quick medical attention,
he made a rapid recovery and a few days later was back home.
Good job.
He was all right.
'That'll be the end of our morning, really, unless we get anything else.'
Get back to Newhaven, wash down, fuel up and have a cup of tea!
Rescue missions are under way everyday in the Channel,
and it's not just people who need to be saved.
The UK's waters are home to a diverse array of marine mammals,
including dolphins, sea lions and whales.
One of the organisations offering a lifeline for stranded
and injured animals is the British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
This is obviously the Channel, all of these red dots are our current
volunteers, so we've got about 3,000 of them around the UK.
When we get a call in, the first thing we would do is find out who
the nearest medic is
and we can call to actually come out and do a rescue for us.
At Peacehaven beach,
a baby seal has fallen victim to the Channel's rough seas.
Stephen has responded to the scene.
Well, this little pup has been around for the last two or three days
and he's very underweight, he's looking really thin
so we were asked today to come down and collect him.
Seal pups are vulnerable to infections that
if left untreated, could be fatal.
This is a common seal, so they are little bit more docile
than the grey seals,
but you've still got to be quite careful about their teeth.
There we go.
Up we come.
That's better.
Depending on the weather conditions, Stephen's organisation
can come to the aid of up to 250 seals a year in the Channel.
The great majority of our rescues are seal pups,
we also do dolphins and porpoises.
We do get some larger animals like a fin whale or a bottlenose whales
and occasionally we'll get turtles and then if there's any major rescue
like an oil spill or something like that,
we'll very often get involved with bird rescue as well.
That is one of the things about the Channel,
we're never quite sure what is going to come in.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue volunteers are all
trained medics who know how to handle
these marine mammals in distress.
You cover its eyes, pretty much,
because a lot of terrestrial animals calm down when you cover their eyes.
Although those aren't totally covered.
You know, if they're just covered up a little bit,
then it makes them a bit quieter.
They carry a really nasty disease,
called seal finger, so if you get bitten, you have to go to hospital
and get very specific antibiotics
and if you don't, you can get a nasty swelling of the joints,
and that has led to amputation.
It's important that through the journey, it's well ventilated,
so I have all the windows open, not just to keep it cool,
but it has had a poo in the back so it is rather smelly.
Stephen must now get the seal to specialist care
as quickly as possible.
The pup's home for the next few months
will be the Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre near Hastings.
This is the only place in the Southeast equipped to help
poorly pups get fit and fat enough to go back into the Channel.
We've been here for nearly 50 years now,
over 50 years and we take about 3,000 casualties a year into the centre.
Mostly sea birds and sea mammals as well.
He was very quiet on the way over,
I stopped a couple of times just to check, but no problem at all.
So we'll get him in with the RSPCA and let them take it over.
There we go!
The rescued pup will join five other seal residents.
You've got inattentive mother, first time mother,
you've got storms at that time of year causing them to then separate.
Once the animals have washed ashore then they're very vulnerable.
They begin to lose weight so they're reluctant to go back into the water.
And then that's when they become vulnerable to dogs and death really.
One has been here a fortnight and is especially fragile.
She must've been about two weeks premature
because she still had the umbilical cord.
And we're just going to put a little towel round her.
It's not because she's nasty or aggressive,
it's just because otherwise you get faecal matter all over yourself.
SEAL GROWLS
Quite heavy. Yeah.
You don't like that, do you? No.
So when she came in, she came in at 8.9 kilos.
10.92.
OK, so she's put on two kilos now... Yeah. ..since admission
so that's really good.
And we can feed her now. I'm going to feed her.
Male common seals like this one can be released back
into the Channel once they reach a minimum of 28 kilos.
It looks like we're giving a baby sausages
but actually this is the only way to get weight on them.
But the team must monitor the pup's health carefully.
They're not getting the antibodies
and everything that they would have normally have got
from their mother's milk so they are still susceptible to infections
and things like that.
You can't save them all.
Sometimes when they've died naturally and we do a postmortem,
then you'll find that there's all sorts of things
that are going on inside that we were never going to be able
to deal with and that's just a fact of life
and perhaps that's why that pup was left by its mother.
With regular feeds,
this pup has about a month to go before returning to the Channel.
This iconic stretch of water has played an important role
in shaping the UK we know today.
From a key natural defence to a gateway for global trade routes.
The Channel is so busy in the narrow Dover Straits
that the traffic has been split into two distinct lanes.
Boats going south on the English side
and boats going north on the French side.
After nine hours of constant swimming,
Nick Young is just crossing into these French waters.
Yeah, I'm all right. Next feed.
You OK? Thanks. Good man.
He's attempting the cross-channel journey in aid of his niece Bel
who suffered a life-changing accident four years ago.
He's raising money for a hydrotherapy pool
to be put outside our house.
I think it's going to be really, really challenging.
Like, if tides start coming in and it takes longer than
what he expected, I think that's definitely more challenging
and not being able to touch the safety boat next to him.
I know he will be devastated if he has to get out of the water,
so from that point of view,
my heart is sort of out there with him swimming it.
He's been in the water for nine hours. He's getting tired.
He said his groin's starting to hurt a bit
so all of those things are flying around in my mind as well.
I know we're in French water, but we've still got a long way to go
and we're by no means sort of guaranteed anything at this stage.
To keep up his energy levels, Nick has to eat every hour.
But as he becomes increasingly fatigued and cold,
he is asking for his feeds more regularly.
Well done! Go on! Go on!
Don't let them beat us! Yes!
Well, we CAN see France but just about because it's quite misty
and we're not sure if Nick's seen it yet
but we hope he has because it's a good boost.
But then you realise it's still quite a long way away
and then it kind of wears off.
'You just have to keep going until you run out of water
'and it can be the psychological...'
demons, if you like,
start setting in the nearer you get to France
'because it looks very close but if you're battling a tide,
'you can still be three or four hours in the water
'and I think that's when the mental game really kicks in.'
It's getting dark and Nick needs a light on his goggles.
He's got tinted goggles on at the moment so we're going to swap them
for light ones and also put a headlight at the back
so we can spot him in the water a lot easier.
Goggle change. Goggles. Goggle change.
You have to have the light on the back. Goggle change. What?
You've got to put the light on the back.
Doing really well! Awesome! Look how near it is.
The pain's nearly over.
You're going to be a Channel swimmer! Nearly there.
Doing awesome. Last push now. Great pace.
Your mum and Harry are there waiting for you. Go on!
Go on, mate! Go on! Whoo!
France is now in Nick's sights
but his team is concerned about his progress.
We need to extend the time between the feeds
because every time we're feeding him, we're drifting off the course
and ultimately that's going to make the swim longer.
But I don't want him to get too tired. I know, I appreciate that.
As night falls, Nick is exhausted.
Follow the boat, stick with me. You're half a mile off the beach.
Are we moving back? No! Half a mile! We're going to the beach.
You've got the tide with you into the beach.
It's helping you, you're so near now. Take this. This is your last feed.
It's not getting any closer. No, it's there.
You're going, the tide's helping you in. OK.
Half a mile, that's all it is, mate. Not long now. Half a mile.
You're just brilliant. Keep going, keep going! Brilliant!
Here we go, Nick!
The final stretch has taken its toll.
But after a remarkable effort,
Nick has conquered the Channel in 13 hours and 51 minutes.
He's standing! Is he? Whoo!
CHEERING
CHEERING AND LAUGHTER
You've done it!
CHEERING AND LAUGHTER
To truly join the Channel swimming alumni,
Nick pays a visit to a Dover pub.
Wow!
Have you got a marker pen?
Nice one. Thanks, mate. Thank you.
I'm going to sign up here next to our friend Freddie Florin
who was on the boat yesterday crewing.
13.51. What was the date yesterday in the end? 5th?
Brilliant. Oh, well done.
Thanks very much. Brilliant. Cheers. Thank you, bye. Thanks. Bye.
There's one important person Nick needs to call.
'Uncle Nick!'
Bel, hi, darling. How are you?
'I'm so proud of you. I'm so happy that you've done it
'and that you were swimming strong the whole way.'
The weather was really overcast and the water was quite rough
so we had to get through some rough patches but...
He's got a few war wounds, Bel.
'What are they?'
Couple of the jellies got him in the end.
'Oh, my!
'You were already the best uncle
'but now it's definitely confirmed.'
HE LAUGHS
'I love you so much and I'm really looking forward to seeing you.'
Yeah, and you. All right, love you, Bel. Love you, bye! Bye.
'Love you, bye.'
With his epic swim, Nick raised £80,000
for Bel's hydrotherapy pool and the treatment she needs.