East Londoner believed to be the first person of Chinese origin to paddle across the busy shipping lane all the way from Rye to France
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Joseph (Shangjie) Lyu is quite possibly the first person of Chinese origin to kayak across the English Channel.
However, by his own admission, he’s not especially into kayaking.
“There are three main elements to my life,” said the Stratford resident.
“Work, raising my three-year-old English Cocker Spaniel, Truffle, and rowing. This was really a side quest.”
Joseph came to the UK in 2018 to study computer science at the University Of Manchester after completing a foundation year in his native China, after plans to study in his home country didn’t work out.
“I struggled a bit with the course in Manchester and didn’t really enjoy the software side of it,” he said.
“Then, in the middle, the pandemic arrived and I did a project on Covid in the UK, making predictions on when the turning point would be. It wound up being quite accurate.
“That’s when I realised I enjoyed data analysis and now I’ve taken that into my career in AI as a data scientist.”
Joseph, who currently works for Santander, also had his first taste of rowing at university, but was too engaged with his studies to pursue it again after the pandemic faded away.
It wasn’t until he moved to east London that he took up the sport seriously.
taking to the river from the Isle Of Dogs
“I was living in Canary Wharf at that time and found Poplar, Blackwall And District Rowing Club at the bottom of the Isle Of Dogs,” said Joseph.
“I did the Learn To Row course in 2022 and I’ve been involved with the club ever since.
“When you’re on a boat – whether crewed or single – if the weather’s nice, it’s one of the best feelings you can have.
“I really enjoy the sport. It’s literally one movement that you’re repeating, but it requires years of effort to refine and apply that consistently.
“I find it very enjoyable.
“It’s normal for us to be out rowing at sunrise and you have London all around you.
“You see seals too.
“In rowing, 10k is considered a relatively short distance, while 20k is quite long. Around 15k is standard.
“Rowing from Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier is the kind of thing we do at the club.
“Then, a couple of years ago, I realised that the English Channel is not really that wide – it’s about three times the distance between those two landmarks, not an unimaginable journey.
“I’d had the idea I might want to try something and thinking about it like that gave me a frame of reference – a distance on the water I was already comfortable with.
“This gave me confidence.”
an idea into reality
After mentioning to friends from the club on the way back from a trip to Henley Royal Regatta, plans began to ferment.
“Making up my mind was the hardest part and I did that around the start of this year,” said Joseph.
“I’d worked out what was doable, what was difficult and so I didn’t commit to it when I had the idea.
“Taking the leap was difficult but coming to this year, physically I was in good shape from years of rowing.
“I felt I was in a good place and I’m in my mid-20s so it needed to happen before any physical decline.
“I thought that if I couldn’t commit to doing it now, with all the time and having everything I needed, then I might never convince myself to try.
“I kept thinking about swimmers – about 2,000 have crossed – and if they could do it, I could too.”
Having little kayking experience, Joseph next went about equipping himself with the skills necessary to make the journey.
He spent time training on the sea off the south coast as well as hitting the water at nearby Docklands Sailing And Watersports Centre.
“I gained confidence after the instructor in Hastings said I was pretty good,” said Joseph.
“Many of the skills I’d developed rowing on the river were transferable and there was a lot of fitness training in the gym.
“I became more active. One of the things that’s changed for me is that I used to just go rowing in the morning, but now I might do that, then go swimming later and maybe go on a hike with Truffle.”
Joseph had a goal to work towards.
He’d managed to secure a booking with a pilot boat – an essential escort across the busiest shipping lane in the world, especially because the French insist those paddling across must be carried in a powered craft over the part of the route they administer.
Weather dependent, the pilot advised Friday, July 18, 2025, would be best, so Joseph and a friend travelled down to Rye the night before, ate some fish and chips and laid in plenty of bananas and energy bars for his solo trip in a hired kayak.
setting off for France
“The next day we got to the harbour at 6.30am and met the pilot boat captain,” said Joseph.
“It wasn’t cold, but it was very foggy. We could hardly see anything.
“But we decided to set off anyway. The captain was in constant contact with the Coastguard.
“Because of the lack of visibility we didn’t know whether we’d get clearance to cross the shipping lanes but the captain suggested we paddle out for about an hour and then decide.
“When we started, I felt like it was going to be a good day.
“All the months of preparation had led to this point and I felt like we would make it. I kept going and my energy was at a good level.
“The fog was still heavy but from time to time I could see the sun.
“Every now and then I’d see a big ship and they really are huge.
“Then everything happened so suddenly.
“In one minute it just changed – the fog lifted and the sun came out, and then I was rewarded with the most surreal water conditions.
“The sea was totally flat, the sky was blue and the visibility was really good. I really enjoyed that transition.
“I was busy paddling, but the crew spotted dolphins and jellyfish.
“When I paddled over to the boat for some water and I heard the Coastguard telling the big ships about my crossing, which was exciting.
“We got clearance and I paddled over this calm, serene water, with these massive vessels in the background – it was an interesting contrast.
“Then we reached the French side and I had to get in the boat for that before getting back in the kayak to finish the final six miles.
“That’s when it became challenging physically.
“We weren’t going straight, because the current was pushing our course into a curve.
“The whole journey was about 70 kilometres and the last bit was the most difficult.
“I could see France very clearly, but it felt like it wasn’t getting any closer.
“I’d actually preferred it in the middle with the fog, because I just kept going, even though I couldn’t see anything.
“In that last five miles I lost the sense of progress – my mind was playing tricks, so I really had to concentrate on the strokes.”
a sense of achievement
Joseph did make it to France, pulling into the harbour, tired but happy.
After a shower and a change of clothes, plus a couple of well-deserved pints, there was time to reflect on his achievement.
“The weather was really good, and that’s when I started to feel more excited,” he said.
“I realised that I’d done it and it was incredible.
“I believe I’m the first Chinese person to have done this.
“I’ve googled it and can’t find anyone else.
“Also, you have to have a pilot boat to make a crossing like this and there are only a handful operating.
“It’s also to the best of my pilot’s knowledge that I am the first one, although I didn’t think about any of this until I saw a news report on the first Chinese person to swim across.
“For me, it was just something I wanted to do.
“I put the effort in and I made it happen.
“I never really doubted whether I could do it.
“Having done it does give me a foundation for other things, more side quests.
“Rowing is my main thing and I don’t have any plans to do any more kayaking, but I am also getting into free diving and I’m going to Malta to do a spear fishing course.
“I’m also planning to return to France in October, cycling from London to Paris with a friend from rowing.”
key details: Poplar, Blackwall And District Rowing Club
Poplar, Blackwall And District Rowing Club is located close to Island Gardens on the Isle Of Dogs and offers a range of membership options as well as very popular introductory courses.
Find out more about the club here
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