B.C. teen swims around Bowen Island to prep for English Channel crossing
BOWEN ISLAND, B.C. — It took nearly 11 hours, but a 17-year-old girl from Kelowna, B.C., has completed her gruelling goal of swimming around an island off the coast of Vancouver.
Instead of resting, Emily Epp is now reaching for another milestone — she plans to swim across the English Channel next month and she’s raising thousands of dollars for a children’s hospice in the process.
“Her dad and I are super proud,” said Cheryl Epp, Emily’s mom. “She blows us away with how determined she is and how hard she’s been working.”
Emily continuously swam about 30 kilometres around Bowen Island on Saturday, braving the frigid waters of Howe Sound in just a bathing suit, a swim cap and goggles.