A TROWBRIDGE air cadet battled icy cold waters, sea sickness and treacherous conditions to complete a cross-Channel relay swim on Sunday.

Caitlin Wynne, 17, of 2196 Trowbridge Squadron Air Training Corps did two one-hour shifts in the overall 21-mile swim to mark the 75th anniversary of the RAF Air Cadets.

After Cheltenham man Douglas Waymark, 44, died swimming the Channel just a week before as part of a gruelling triathlon, the St Augustine’s pupil was under no illusion about the difficulty of the task.

“I am so pleased that the team successfully completed the challenge in 12 hours and 38 minutes. We were roaring each other on and there was a huge amount of celebration and relief when we achieved our goal,” she said.

“I was tired, especially at the end of the second swim, the water was very cold at times and I suffered from sea sickness for most of it, but I am very proud that I did my bit for the team.

“We spoke about the man dying on the way down to Dover but we put it out of our minds. We knew we had a good support team who looked after us well and made us feel safe and secure.”

The team of six swimmers, two cadets and two staff, had its swim postponed last year due to unsuitable conditions so when the challenge finally came around, Caitlin, of Marden Walk, could not wait to get started.

“I have been looking forward to it for ages. I was training three times a week at Trowbridge Swimming Club and also at Vobster Quay Lake in Radstock. The preparation was good, I just wanted to get out there,” she said.

“I had an extra incentive to do it as my sister was in the team which was successful. At the end we all jumped off the boat and swam to the shore in France and then again on the way back to Dover, it was so much fun and a great way to finish it off.

“I definitely want to do more open water challenges in the future.”