Day 74
Ben Lecomte alighted on the beach south of Port Maria, Quiberon, France, at 4:30 p.m. (-6.0 hours Eastern Standard Time) after having completed a swim of more than 3,736 statute miles across the North Atlantic Ocean. He was greeted by his brothers, Christophe and Fabien, and his dear friend, Jean Claude, several hundred yards from shore, as the brave men swam into Port Maria’s chilly waters.
It was an emotional moment for Ben, his family and friends, and especially Trinh Dang, his now “official” fiancee. Ben had proposed to her on the bottom of his flippers at the water’s edge in Hyannis, Massachusetts, upon his departure on July 16, more than 73 days ago. Ben was sporting the same flippers when he stepped out of the water yesterday, but Trinh would not give her answer until he proposed properly on bended knee. Moments later, after a kiss in the answer of yes, Ben and Trinh were doused with champagne and officially became engaged.
When asked if he would ever do a cross-Atlantic swim again Ben replied with an emphatic “no!” He continued, “It is still all quite unbelievable. I know it will take some time to process all the feelings I have, but I know I am just happy to be home with Trinh, my family and friends! Also, I can not express enough thanks to all the many friends who offered words of support on our website. Please know, I read all your messages and each one helped me to complete my goal…stroke by stroke.”
Ben spent his first night on dry land with family and friends at a small dinner celebration in Quiberon. After a good night’s sleep, he walked the beach, enjoyed plenty of fresh croissants and baguettes for breakfast and began the journey home to his family’s house just outside of Paris…no, he did not swim!