Kate Middleton's channel hopes fading

Aug 3, 2007, 12:40 GMT

01/09/2007 - Kate Middleton - Kate Middleton on her 25th Birthday in London - London, England - London, England © Photorazzi

Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of Britain's Prince William, has been warned that she and her all-girl rowing team may have to call off their attempt to cross the English Channel.

The 21-member crew, known as The Sisterhood, only contacted the British coastguards yesterday (02.08.07) about getting permission to row to France in a Chinese dragon boat on August 25.

The process to get advance clearance for their 21-mile journey - officially termed an "unorthodox crossing" - could take up to month and without it the team could face arrest by French authorities.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Mike Toogood, said: "This is the most dangerous shipping lane in the world.

"We have 500 vessels making this crossing every single day. You can't just turn up and set off - you need permission.

"Not getting this will put lives in real danger - not just theirs, but everyone in the Channel that day."

But getting permission to cross the channel is not the team's only problem.

Toogood has also warned that using a glass-fibre boat designed for use on lakes and rivers is "highly irresponsible".

He added to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper: "Also, a dragon boat has a flat bottom so it tends to go through the waves rather than over them, meaning their craft could quickly become swamped with water."

The Sisterhood hope to race the all-male Brotherhood from Dover to Cap Gris Nez, near Calais, to raise money for charity.

Former Transatlantic rower Richard Pullen, who is helping The Sisterhood, insisted the appropriate paperwork had been submitted.

He said: "We've submitted all our applications and gone through all the proper approval processes."

(C) BANG Media International