I’m writing today with the thought in mind that every end brings a new beginning and new opportunities.

I commented myself to swimming from Cuba to Florida knowing very well it would be no easy task. Not just the swim, or the heat, the distance, the logistics, finding sponsors, official documentation and a huge rang of other things to challenge me along the way. For the past four months my team and I have been quietly working our way over the hurdles that have presented themselves.

Today Marcel and I reached an amicable agreement that unfortunately I will no longer be working in partnership with Marcel, Rotary and EPN campaign for my Cuba-Florida swim.

Whilst it is regrettable that I have invested so much time and effort into Rotary and the EPN campaign, I believe it is a worthy cause and will still be supporting the Global Swimarthon in February.

We are only six months out from the swim and there is much work to be done. Chris and I have every intention that the swim will proceed as planned, we will be actively seeking sponsorships to support the swim. And perhaps for another good cause.

This is a great opportunity to get involved in my swim and gain worldwide exposure through my Cuba – Florida swim this coming June 2012.

Thank you for your support and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!
Penny

Today in difficult conditions, under the guidance of pilot Matt Buckman and my fabulous crew headed by Jeff Kozlovich I swam the Kaiwi Channel, otherwise known by many as the Molokai Channel in Hawaii.

This morning Jeff scouted out a suitable starting place for me where I could navigate through surf and large jagged rocks to exit and re-enter the water from a small beach to commence my swim at a little after 7.30am, challenged by large and confused swells for the entire 26 mile / 42 kilometre distance I finished after dark at Sandy’s Beach through a large shore break in a time of 12 hours and 7 minutes.

More details to follow, but for now it’s time to rest!

Video thanks to Jeff Kozlovich

http://youtu.be/bh4mOZOOVbc

http://kozhawaii.blogspot.com/

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming (thanks Steven)

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2011/11/sixth-time-is-charm-for-penny-palfrey.html

Penny

http://youtu.be/KyCyG9Z59-o

WORLD OPEN WATER SWIMMING AWARDS

For the fourth year in a row, Penny Palfrey has been nominated for the title of “World Open Water Swimmer of the year” for 2011.

From the millions of people around the globe, who swim in rivers, lakes and oceans, Penny is one of the twelve finalists in the women’s division. Penny also received a second nomination for the “Performance of the Year” for her world record breaking “Bridging the Cayman Islands Swim”.

These awards recognise people who (1) best embody the spirit of open water swimming, (2) possess the sense of adventure, tenacity and perseverance that open water swimmers are known for, and (3) has most positively influenced the world of open water swimming in 2011.

The public can vote for their preferred swimmer and performance. And the winners are determined by the most number of votes received.

It would be great if the public could get behind her and encourage as many people as possible to take a minute to vote for her. I think you will agree that Penny deserves to win at least one of the awards based on her achievements this year. But that will only happen if sufficient numbers of people vote for her.

Voting can be done via the link below.
http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2011/11/2011-world-open-water-swimming.html

People should vote for Penny in the “Women’s” category AND Bridging the Cayman Island Swim in the “Performance” category.

THANK YOU!

Chris Palfrey

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2011/11/swimming-from-cuba-to-florida-is-quest.html

Having read Steven Munatones story (above) regarding my upcoming swim of the Florida Straits I feel I would like to add a little information from my perspective.

Contrary to this report which says I’ve recently returned to marathon swimming after raising my three children, most who have followed my career would know that I’m an accomplished marathon swimmer and have been swimming marathons for the past 18 years.

I took part in my first marathon swim in January 1993 just 15 months after my third child was born. Two months later I competed in the Australian 25k championships and was selected to represent Australia in a 25k kilometre international competition later that year. I swam the Australian titles again in 1994 and came third behind Shelley Taylor Smith and was Australia’s reserve for the World Championships later that year where the Australian women placed 1st and 3rd.

At this point in time with a three year old, a six year old, and a nine year old I found it difficult to compete at such a high level and eased things back with my swimming for a few years. In 2000 I was back and swam the Rottenest Channel for the first of my nine crossings, which I’ve won on two occasions. As my children grew up and left home it’s allowed me to further peruse my love and passion for open water swims.

However in my time away from competitive marathon swimming I didn’t turned my back on the sport I love. I watched from a distance when fellow Australian Suzie Maroney swam from Cuba to Florida in a shark cage in 1997. I’d competed against Suzie in the early 1990’s therefore I followed her Cuba – Key West swim with a great deal of interest. I was busy raising my three children then, now they’re ages 25, 22 and 20, I also have a three year old grandson. Needless to say I also followed Diana Nyads journey with interest and naturally understood when she blogged on several occasions before and after her attempts this year that she would not be trying again. But this also got me thinking, in view of my recent successful world record for the longest unassisted ocean swim in the Cayman Islands, along with the many marathon swims I’ve completed regularly over the past 18 years the Cuba – Florida swim is a very attractive challenge to me. I think I’m capable of completing the swim.

Recently I was invited to attend a charity dinner by Marcel McLeod from Townsville’s Daybreak Rotary Club as their guest speaker which I was happy to assist with. It was during this time that I mentioned to Marcel that I’d like to do the Cuba– Florida swim and he told me about Rotaries Global Cause to “End Polio Now’ and to rid the world of polio.

This sounded wonderful to me, to be able to swim and help people, especially children at the same time and join the global push to eradicate polio. Since then we learned about the Swimathlon which started in Grantham in England 22 years ago, which is the country that I was born in and I have become the global ambassador for this event which is now gaining a great deal of support and momentum from swimmers worldwide. My swim from Cuba to Florida will also benefit this great cause. However it’s expensive to organise and hold such a swim and I’m in search of sponsors. Before and during my swim we’ll be raising money via donations for Rotaries ‘End Polio Now’ campaign.

The official announcement of my intentions to attempt the Florida Straits, to swim from Cuba – Florida was timed for Wold Polio Day on October 24th, although it was published two days early on the Daily News of Open Water Swimming on October 22nd. I was surprised when a contact forwarded me the link to Diana’s blog just one day after my official announcement saying that she had decided to make another attempt next year.

Already, I’ve put a lot of work into this project and I am committed to the swim and to Rotaries great cause to rid the world of Polio.

Steven rightly points out there will be many challenges ahead of us, both in and out of the water.

I hope this fills you in a little about me and how this all came about; I thank you for your interest and support.

As always I wish all my fellow swimmers the very best for their upcoming challenges in the year ahead.

Here are a few links you may be interested in viewing;

Penny Palfrey Project; http://www.pennypalfreyproject.org/

Promotional video; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s387zfH2VIQ

The Global Swimarathon. http://www.rotaryglobalswimarathon.org /

Related links;
http://www.palfreymarathonswims.com/about-us/
http://loneswimmer.com/2011/11/03/the-penny-palfrey-project/
http://www.swimmersdaily.com/2011/11/03/penny-palfrey-takes-on-the-cuba-to-florida-challenge/

I have also created a Penny Palfrey Athlete page on facebook for my supporters to follow my progress.

World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and the World Open Water Swimming performance of the year.

http://dailynews.openwaterswimming.com/2011/11/2011-world-open-water-swimming.html

It’s with great pride and excitement that I bring to you the news that for the third consecutive year I’ve been nominated for the World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year and the World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year award.

It truly has been a year of hard work and dedication from me as I’ve push myself to the limits as I’ve swum across large stretches of open water. In the case of Bridging the Cayman Islands between Little and Grand Cayman Islands in June this year where I swam a distance of 67.25 miles or 108 kilometres, setting the world record for the longest unassisted open water ocean swim it was a push beyond any limits I could have ever imagined.

Follow the link to the World Open Water Man, Woman and Performance of the year to read about the incredible swims that my friends and fellow swimmers have achieved around the world in the past twelve months, it’s truly amazing and little wonder that our sport of open water swimming is the fastest growing demographic in the world of sport today.

I wish my heartiest congratulations to all the nominees and everyone who pulled a pair of goggles over their eyes to enter the realms of open water over the past twelve months, and very importantly thank you to everyone who supported open water swimming and held events around the world.

Penny Palfrey

Thank you Steven, it’s an honour to be compared to Abou-Heif who was a true legend in our sport.
I have some big challenges ahead of me, but I have a wonderful team behind me.
I consider myself very lucky to have such a fabulous support team, and to have made so many great friends through Open Water Swimming.

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/10/hardest-turnaround-since-abou-heif.html

The past 22yrs have seen the Rotary Club of Grantham, England hold a highly successful “RotarySwimarathon” raising over £500,000 for local charities and deserving causes.
In 2012 (apart from the usual event 3/4/5 Feb) they are holding an extra event – this will be in the form of a Rotary Global Swimarathon – setting a new World Record (presently 2533) for the most number of people swimming at the same time anywhere in the world and raising funds towards Rotary Internationals worldwide project to eradicate Polio.
Until this week the biggest challenge for the committee was the communication around the world to gain support for what will be a historic event. This task was made much easier this week now that the event organisers have a personal endorsement from Townsville’s own super hero and World Record marathon swimmer, Penny Palfrey.
Penny who is now the first official Ambassador of the Rotary Global Swimarathon was already in discussion with Daybreak Rotary Club President Marcel McLeod about the prospects of doing a separate charity swim next year and when they heard about the Rotary Global Swimarathon which would be raising money and awareness for the exact same cause to “END POLIO NOW” the decision was made to offer Penny’s support.
The swim that Penny and Marcel McLeod have been discussing is to cross the Florida Straits from Havana in Cuba to Key West in Florida, a body of water that is 168km wide and still undefeated without the help of a shark cage and if anyone can defeat this mass of water, it is Penny Palfrey.
This project is in the initial stages of development of seeking out suitable corporate sponsors to raise capital and fund the swim. Once this has been achieved it is then planned to officially launch the project and announce that Penny will be attempting to break her own world record for the longest unassisted ocean swim without a shark cage.

The Cuba swim is not likely to happen until June 2012 and in the meantime, Penny is delighted to have the opportunity to make a difference now by supporting the Rotary Global Swimarathon as the first official Ambassador.
Globally, the event will take place on Saturday 25th February 2012 at midday – 1pm GMT – and the Rotary Club of Townsville Daybreak will stage a local swim to support the world record. To qualify for the World Record attempt swimmers will have to swim just 100 yds without stopping within the hour – there will be a nominal entrance fee which will all go to the Rotary Foundation – and help in the campaign to rid the world of Polio
After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to eradicate it once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.
Your contribution will help Rotary raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.
As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high.
Event Chairman Roger Graves said – it all started as a joke to hold a Global Swimarathon but now the reality is setting in and we hope to achieve the following across the world:-
1. Set a new World Record for the most number of people swimming at the same time
2. Raise funds towards the elimination of Polio
3. Increase the awareness of Rotary
4. Encourage more people to swim and stay fit

Anyone wanting to be involved locally in the Rotary Global Swimarathon or want to know how they can become sponsors of Penny Palfrey can contact Marcel McLeod – President of the Rotary Club of Townsville Daybreak.
Visit the official website: www.rotaryglobalswimarathon.org

Global Support
So far registrations for the event have been received from New Zealand, The Philippines, South Africa, Hong Kong, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Holland, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Phillipines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, Wales and the United States of America .

http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/10/it-can-be-done.html

Yesterday, Christie and I became the first people to swim between one of the Whitsunday group of islands and the Australian mainland. Leaving from Roma Point, the southern tip of South Molle, we swam in a North West direction up the Molle channel and then around Pioneer Point, and heading into the popular tourist destination of Airlie. We had a 15-20 knot south east breeze behind us for the first 10k and covered this in almost exactly 2 hours. FUN. But upon changing direction, we had a headwind and associated chop to punch into. Total distance around 15.2klm and elapsed time of 3 hours 58 minutes 44 seconds.
As this swim went so well, we are now hoping to do another swim on the weekend of November 4-5, from Hamilton Island to Shute harbour, distance of 19klm. This will also be first.
Reprot by Steven Munatones from The Daily News of Open Water Swimming. http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2011/10/whitsunday-first-by-christie-leet-and.html

The ocean’s Seven is the marathon swimming equivalent of the mountain climbing challenge, the “Seven Summits”. But unlike its land based equivalent, the ocean’s seven has never been completed.

 The seven swims referred to, are as follows (together with details of location, distance and particular difficulties/challenges) :

English Channel (England to France – 34k) – cold, strong currents, heavy shipping traffic

Cook Strait (between north and south islands of New Zealand – 26k) – cold, strong currents, marine life

Molokai Channel (between Molokai and Oahu, Hawaii – 42k) – big oceanic swells, strong currents, marine life

Catalina channel (California, Los Angeles – 33k) – swum at night, cold, marine life

Tsugaru Strait (Japan – 20k) – very strong currents, cold, often rough

Strait of Gibraltar (Spain to Morocco – 15k) – strong currents, windy, heavy shipping traffi

Irish Channel Channel (between Scotland and Ireland – 34k) – very cold, often rough and windy, nasty jellyfish

With Penny’s recent conquest of the Tsugaru Strait, between the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu, Penny‘s now completed all of the above, except for the Irish Channel.

For more information on the Ocean Seven see http://www.openwatersource.com/oceans-seven.html