English Channel latter part of the 19th century when Captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover, swimming from England to France on 24–25 August 1875 in 21 hours 45 minutes. In 1927, at a time when fewer than ten swimmers (including the first woman, Gertrude Ederle in 1926) had managed to emulate the feat and many dubious claims were being made, the Channel Swimming Association (CSA) was founded to authenticate and ratify swimmers' claims to have swum the Channel and to verify crossing times. The CSA was dissolved in 1999 and was succeeded by
English Channel known as (with no reference to the word "English"). Later, it has also been known as the "British Channel" or the "British Sea". It was called by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy. The same name is used on an Italian map of about 1450, which gives the alternative name of —possibly the first recorded use of the "Channel" designation. The Anglo-Saxon texts often call it "Sūð-sǣ" ("South Sea") as opposed to "Norð-sǣ" ("North Sea" = Bristol Channel). The common word "channel" was first recorded in Middle English in the 13th century and was borrowed from Old French "chanel", variant form of