A TEAM of Colchester soldiers have swum the English Channel, battling high winds and the strongest tides of the year.

Exercise Serpents Swim saw the mixed team of eight medics from 16 Medical Regiment swim from Dover to Calais as a relay.

They crossed the stretch of water in 17 hours 20 minutes with each medic swimming at least two hourlong sessions.

With the tide dragging them off route, the medics swam an estimated 40 miles on the 22 miles crossing from Dover to Calais.

They also had to battle winds of up to 23 knots, which whipped up heavy waves.

Lieutenant Colonel Philip McNee, Commanding Officer of 16 Medical Regiment, started the swim from Dover’s Shakespeare Beach at 6.30am on Friday and the swimmers arrived in France just before midnight.

He said: “The team was superb.

Everyone was up for it and no-one wanted to let their colleagues down.

“We had all trained hard, but it was a tougher challenge than we expected with the tides and wind taking us on a long zigzag across the Channel.

“It was a fantastic feeling to finish, but we were all asleep on the way back, there was no cigars and champagne.”

Sergeant Craig McDougall, a 37- year-old radiographer, is a qualified swimming coach and oversaw the team’s training.

He said: "Open water swimming is very different to swimming lengths in a pool.

“We had trained on spotting drills – to focus on how to keep an eye on the boat in the waves – and bilateral breathing, to break the habit of always breathing form one side and make it easier to swim in waves.

Both skills really paid off.

“Swimming at night in heavy waves is an interesting experience and you find out a lot about yourself when you’re cold, wet and alone in sea.

“It was a challenge, but one that we all massively enjoyed and I’m so proud to have finished.”

Sergeant Mike Brewer, a 30-yearold biomedical scientist, was one of the last swimmers to get in the water.

He said: “I had seen people swimming for six hours and it was daunting to know how demanding it was before I got started.

“The second I jumped into the water and the cold hit I wanted to get out, but I didn’t want to let the team or myself down. Once I began swimming, I quickly settled into a rhythm.

“It was good to be with friends when you’re freezing cold and exhausted and we were all elated to finish.”