The Univers News – The British-Australian Penny Palfrey today began looking for another record in the marathon water: swimming across the Strait unprotected and Florida.
Cubadebate Penny will follow the path through the site of the swimmer in Spot
Live Map , a site that tracks GPS pre-defined locations in real time. In a message released at noon through a facebook account , the team said he had swum athlete and “7.5 nautical miles in 4 hours. Cuba disappears from the horizon. It looks good. Excellent condition. ”
A nautical mile equals 1852 meters, so Penny Palfrey had swum until noon today, 13 890 meters.
The experienced swimmer jumped into the sea in one morning he described as beautiful, amid cheers from a small group of fans, journalists and support staff that will accompany it.
Also a member of the Hall of Fame this grueling test is intended to swim 103 miles from Havana to Key West, to be the first person to do it without anti-shark cage.
Together with two yachts sailed swimmer, a kayak and a boat with members of the support team, which includes her husband, Chris Palfrey. These vessels have an ultrasound machine to ward off sharks.
Smeared with sunscreen, bathing suit and cap blue gray, Palfrey gave his first stroke, followed by a catamaran with his entourage, and surrounded by two assistants in two kayaks.
A month after turning 50 years old Palfrey was confident in meeting its objective, it has trained well and the weather conditions seem favorable for the next three days.
Chris Palfrey, her husband and coach, estimates that the feat will take between 40 and 50 hours, to keep the good weather, although there are other challenges, such as currents and marine species.
However, Palfrey minimizes the threat of jellyfish and sharks, he has swum among the first in other tests of the Caribbean Sea, and the sharks will be driven away with ultrasound.
“There will be many challenges, the distance, the sun, dehydration, but I have experience, strength and hope to do it,” Palfrey said Eve, who thinks more of her swimming in sharks.
Last September, American Diana Nyad failed in his third attempt to cover the distance, both for its 62 years of age by the scourge of a jellyfish known as “aguasmalas”.
Palfrey last year won the world record for longest distance swim in open water without assistance -67.25 miles in the Cayman Islands, and between milestones include two separate crosses English Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar.