Sept. 4 (UPI) -- A 16-year-old New Hampshire girl said her 33-mile swim across the English Channel was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
Vera Rivard, 16, a Springfield resident and student at Kearsarge Regional High School, swam from Samphire Hoe beach in Dover, England, to Wissant, France.
The swim took Rivard a total time of 14 hours, 10 minutes. Her support team said tides and marine traffic caused her to take an S-shaped route that encompassed about 33 miles of swimming.
"That was a swim of a lifetime," Rivard told the Valley News. "I have dreamed of this for as long as I can remember. It was better than I could have ever hoped. I am so grateful for this adventure."
Rivard's goal is to complete the so-called "Triple Crown" of long-distance swimming. The English Channel was the second swim on her list, after previously taking on the "20 Bridges of Manhattan Island" swim, which involves a 28.5-mile circumnavigation of the New York City island, in July.
She now has her sights set on the final "Triple Crown" swim, a 20-mile distance from the mainland to California's Santa Catalina Island.
