Interview by Colin W. Sargent

The fresh Wikipedia entry on famous English Channel swimmers lists Pat Gallant-Charette, 60, as the oldest woman in the world ever to successfully accomplish this feat. Most of us can only imagine this task.

“It was pitch dark outside,” at 4 a.m., August 22, in Dover. The water looked black, numinous—a sensory deprivation booth? Pat slipped in and started her 15-hour, 57-minute swim.

Read the full interview in the digital magazine above.