On August 6, 1926, Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Only five men had completed the Channel swim before Trudy, beginning with Captain Matthew Webb in August, 1875. In 1926, it was said that women were dainty and could not possibly achieve a feat so grueling as swimming the English Channel. Not only did Ederle complete the grueling Channel swim, but she beat all the men’s times by two hours.
As we count down to the Centennial anniversary of Trudy’s swim this week, we are going to share “All Things Trudy” with you, leading up to her swim.
As we start our series, we begin with the first photo, of Trudy with her father, and her sister Meg on the boat heading to England in 1926 for Trudy’s second attempt to cross the Channel. Trudy had tried the Summer before, but this time she would be more prepared, as she knew what to expect, and more importantly, she would have the moral support of her father and her sister, Meg.
They would land in England, spend almost two months getting ready on both sides of the Channel, Dover and Cape Gris Nez, preparing for the swim. This year she would be ready; she had a new trainer and lots of swimming friends surrounding her.