A team of six women from Iceland have got the Channel swimming season off to a good start with a successful relay swim from Dover.

The team, called The Manatees, set off from Dover yesterday and landed on the French coast near Sandgatte after 19 hours 32 minutes.

It was the first swim of the season, and there are more than 100 swimmers preparing to follow in their wake, either for solo or relay swims.

Around 60 swimmers have been gathering on the beach at Dover every weekend since the

beginning of May to train for their attempts on the Channel. Some are doing it to fulfil personal challenges, others are raising money for various charities.

Another team, due to set off in the early hours of tomorrow, had hoped to swim the Channel last year, but were not able to make their attempt because of the weather.

Keeping an eye on all those training is Freda Streeter - known affectionately by the swimmers as The General. She makes sure they all put in enough training to have the best chance of success.

And it doesn't matter what the whether is like. On Saturday they braved the cold wind and rain to swim backwards and forwards across the harbour, building up their stamina and increasing the time they spend in the water.

For the full story on this year's Channel swim hopefuls, and a spread of photos, see this week's Dover Mercury, out tomorrow.