Place of Birth: London
Current City: Newry
Swimming Biography
Peter started swimming at the age of seven and swam for his local club in Bromley, Kent.
He returned to swimming in 1976 as therapy for a serious knee injury which he suffered whilst playing rugby for Newry. He was soon bitten by the long distance swimming bug. He became a member of the ILDSA and was chairman of the organisation for several years.
Peter has many long distance swims to his credit including Lake Windermere British Championship (10.5 miles) in 1985. The following year he represented Ireland in the first world long distance championship over 17.5 miles in Lake Windermere, finishing in tenth place. In 1993 he swam in the Irish Championships in Lough Erne (10.5 miles).
He was a member of the first successful relays across the length of Lough neagh and the Noth Channel.
Swimmer's Report – English Channel
Direction: England to France
On the 17th August 1987 Peter entered the water at Shakespeare Beach, Dover at 6am. Weather conditions were excellent for the first six hours. He swam strongly and made good progress during this time, feeding every hour and in good spirits.
Six miles from the French coast, weather conditions changed. It became cloudy and the water became choppy. Peter found the last two to three miles very difficult as the tide had turned against him. Struggling against the current, Peter's fitness and experience prevailed.
Peter landed on the beach at Le Petit Nez at 5.58pm. The time for the swim was 11 hours and 58 minutes. Peter's swim raised £3500 for St Leonard's Rehabilitation Centre in Warrenpoint, Co. Down.
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