Meet Team Hotel who following a very restricted 6 months filled with uncertainties and a lack of training opportunities, swam the English Channel in a fantastic time of 12 hours and 37 minutes on 15th August. This team are Daniel Owen-Parr, James Lord, Andrew Mossford and Gemma Hodgson.
Team Member Andy wrote the following about their Adventure "Poetry in Ocean"

At Salford Quays many years ago
The seeds of a great adventure were sewn
As Uswim were able to offer the chance
For people to make, their own way to France

So Captain Dan, The ex Marine
Rekindled the seeds, of a childhood dream
He wanted to build a swimming panel
To help him swim across The Channel

His first recruit was the lovely Gemma
Our very own sparkling Cinderella
Who really only had one wish
To avoid the bloody jellyfish
(I'm afraid dear Gemma, you wish is declined
The buggers are out there all the time!)

Then at Together, he spread his dream
To see if anyone else was keen
And before they'd fully heard the plan
James and Andrew raised their hands

So Team Hotel was now 'a thing'
The training needed to begin
Came the Challenge the had taken on
Was clearly not a trivial one
It's one thing to swim up and down in a pool
But out at sea there are different rules
Mother nature rules the roost out there
And all you can do is be prepared

The training was going really well
As they slowly morphed into Michael Phelps
But epics like this are seldom straight forward
As so it transpired as their plans were aborted
Firstly Dan moved to Cyprus
Then the world was engulfed by the Covid virus

For 3 Months their swimming completely stopped
But not for a minute did they let their heads drop
As soon as the lockdown restrictions were gone
They turned the after burners on

Inspired by the exploits of Solo Jo
They hit it hard it was go go go
Following Karen's intense training plan
Up and down Salford Quays they swam
In the cold the rain and torrential hail
Their determination never failed

And to get them used to whats lying ahead
Dave took them off to Windermere instead
And to Colwyn Bay to get their skin
Accustomed to some jellyfish stings

So before they knew it the big day arrived
Dan had flown in to be by their side
But just as they thought it was full steam ahead
Another problem reared its head

The government did what the government can
And enforced an impromptu quarantine ban
But the powers that be they battled hard
And made a pact with the French coastguard
The swim was back on the end of this torture
They had agreed that they wouldn't get out of the water

On the 15th August just before dawn
A haunting misty English morn
Dan set off from the shore in Dover
The imposing white cliffs towering over

And fortune now seemed to favour the team
The calm conditions an absolute dream
The wind let out not a single gasp
The sea like a swell of molten glass

And so it continued as James went in
Andrew as well to do his stint
And Gemma did well to do her first hour
Having puked all over the Connemara