Can you guess the fastest way to cross the English channel?
The English Channel might be one of the biggest novelty-crossings there is. Fortunately, it’s easy to find records for how long it took to cross a particular way. The fastest crossing happens to be a little unusual: it used a jetpack.
If you’re really looking for a quick ride across the channel, ask Yves Rossey for a ride. He crossed via jetpack in 2008, and it took less than ten minutes.
It’s not the only speedy way to cross, however. Water skiing took just one hour and 40 minutes, though not without costs—Christine Bleakley fell eight times during the crossing. A human powered aircraft took three hours of pedaling and helium balloons spent four hours in flight. The first swimmer took the longest. In 1875, Matthew Webb needed almost 22 hours to cross.
If you want to geek out on English Channel crossings, you can browse a full list at Wikipedia.
