Jabez Wolffe

Jacob Abraham "Jabez" "Jappy" Wolffe (19 November 1876 – 22 October 1943) was a Scottish long-distance swimmer and author of swimming books. He attempted but failed to swim the English Channel 22 times, between 1906 and 1921. He came closest to success in the September of 1919, with an attempt of 14 hours 55 minutes, from Shakespeare Cliff, Dover, England "to within a quarter of a mile of the French coast". He is also known for the differing historical accounts of his role as a trainer in the first, failed attempt of Gertrude Ederle to swim the channel. He occasionally published as "Jappy Wolffe".

English Channel cross attempts Among his attempts to cross the channel was one in August 1907, when he made his swim with Ted Heaton and their efforts gradually turned into "something of a race". While both men failed on that occasion, a primary source noted that it was a "fine struggle almost successful", and that Wolffe came "within three quarters of a mile" of the coast when wind drove him away from the shore. As stated in Wolffe's obituary in The New York Times in 1943,The nearest he came to attaining his goal was in September of 1919, when he swam from Shakespeare Cliff at Dover to within a quarter of a mile of the French coast in 14 hours 55 minutes. Regarding the failed first attempt, the New York Times, in its obituary for Wolffe, states that on returning to the United States, Ederleissued a statement denying that she had been forced by fatigue and cold to abandon the swim, saying that, instead, Mr. Wolffe had ordered her to quit. Mr. Wolffe denied this, insisting that the swimmer had collapsed after suffering a cramp.

Ederle successfully swam the Channel one year later, from Cape Gris-Nez in France to Kingsdown, Kent, in 14 hours and 34 minutes later, after training with coach Bill Burgess.

Publications Text-Book of Swimming (1907). Swimming Short & Long Distance (1926).