42 km swimming for the fight against childhood cancer

Joan Carles Adell swam in open water for 13 consecutive hours, covering the 42 km that connect the Fangar Lighthouse (in the Ebro Delta) with the Royal Stairs of the Port of Cambrils (Tarragona). This maritime crossing aimed to raise funds for the charitable campaign “For the Brave”, which helps make the Sant Joan de Déu Pediatric Cancer Center in Barcelona a reality.

A Local Police officer in Cambrils and a member of the Cambrils Swimming Club, Joan Carles Adell trained intensively to accomplish this challenge through focus, effort, and determination. A challenge within the reach of very few, like Adell, an expert swimmer and Spanish and Catalan open-water swimming champion.

Two Flyer Spacedeck boats to support Joan Carles throughout the challenge

During the crossing, Adell received the support and encouragement of local organizations and collaborators, who contributed to both the challenge and the overall charitable campaign—whether through financial donations, distributing special-edition charitable merchandise, or providing infrastructure and/or equipment to ensure the success of the feat. This was the case with Hermanos Guasch, which provided the organization with two support vessels to continuously monitor Adell’s physical and mental condition, as well as to supply him with food and hydration.

The Hermanos Guasch team chose the SpaceDeck configuration to allow maximum freedom of movement for the medical and provisioning teams along the vessel, enabling them to assist Joan Carles Adell quickly at any time.

Joan Carles Adell was welcomed at the Royal Stairs of the Port of Cambrils like a hero, applauded by all those who came to show their support and accompanied during the final kilometers by a group of swimmers from the Cambrils Swimming Club, as well as boats from the Cambrils Rowing Club, Vogadors Vent d’Estrop, and the Arjau Vela Llatina Association.

“For the Brave” charitable campaign

The “For the Brave” campaign aims to help make the largest pediatric oncology center in Europe a reality: the Sant Joan de Déu Pediatric Cancer Center in Barcelona. This facility is designed to treat up to 400 patients per year and will incorporate major advances in the fight against childhood cancer. The center will cover more than 8,000 square meters in a four-story building next to the existing hospital.

In Cambrils, police officer and swimmer Joan Carles Adell is this year’s representative of the “For the Brave” charitable initiative, a project that was originally launched locally on a voluntary basis by a group of officers who distributed charity patches in exchange for donations. Across Catalonia, around 160 local police forces joined the “For the Brave” campaign.