The 49-year-old mother of three and grandmother of two jumped into the sea shortly after sunrise at 7.03 am local time from the Hemingway International Yacht Club in western Havana, headed for Florida's Key West. The swim is expected to take between 40 and 50 hour.
Diving into the clear blue water off Havana Friday, Penny Palfrey began her quest to swim from Cuba to the United States.
The Australian-British dual citizen is swimming without a shark cage, snorkel, flippers or wet suit. Palfrey estimated the journey would cover 103 miles (166 kilometers), much of it through shark infested waters."I am excited, a little nervous," she told reporters Friday while slathering one last coat of thick sunblock on herself. "I got about six hours of sleep last night, which is pretty good for the night before.
The swimmer arrived at the dock under a clear sky wearing a blue bathing suit, gray cap and goggles, her face, legs and arms lathered with sunscreen. She waved an Australian flag.
Swimming strong. Great conditions. Some jellies, but not bad," Palfrey's support team tweeted after she covered 2.06 nautical miles (3.81 kilometres) in her first hour."Cuba fading on horizon. Looking good," her team said in another tweet.Palfrey is seeking to accomplish the feat in a "call for friendly relations between the peoples of the United States and Cuba," according to the Cuban foreign ministry.
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| Penny Palfrey |
Even though she has completed long-distance swims of the English channel and a round-trip crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, the waters between Cuba and the United States present unique hazards, she said."Each swim comes with its own challenges, this is a really big challenge; 103 miles is further than I have ever swum before," Palfrey said. "I expect it to be very challenging but I am very excited."
Her resume contains a long list of marathon swims, including twice across the English Channel, a round trip in the Strait of Gibraltar and three swims around Manhattan Island.She decided to take on the Florida Straits after flying over on her way back from the record-breaking Cayman swim.Palfrey had planned to make her attempt a few days ago, but had to wait for Tropical Storm Debby to stop churning in the Gulf of Mexico off northwestern Florida.
Palfrey, who was born in Britain and moved to Australia at age 19, is among the most accomplished open-water swimmers in the world and has successfully completed swims in the Caribbean and Pacific without a shark cage.
Two years ago, she crossed the Strait of Gibraltar between Spain and Morocco in three hours and three minutes, setting a new record for women.Her latest attempt was in September, when she quit her swim two thirds of the way into the crossing after suffering dangerous jellyfish stings. She plans to try again this summer.
If successful, Palfrey, 49, would surpass the record that she set in 2011 for the longest unassisted swim. Palfrey swam over 67 miles from Little Grand Cayman island to Big Grand Cayman island.
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