With six miles to go, marathon swimmer Penny Palfrey has land in sight
and is slowly but surely closing the gap between her and shore.
She’s tired and in pain after swimming for more than 34 hours but is determined to finish.
She is swimming at a pace of just over a mile an hour, about half the
speed at which she started in Little Cayman at dawn on Saturday.
Watching Ms Palfrey cut her way through high ocean swells around 4pm
Sunday, Steven Munatones who helped organise the record breaking attempt
and is a member of her support group, said she next faced some hard
challenges fighting the current in her last few miles.
“She’ll be facing westerly currents that would carry her down past the
island. They (her support team on the lead boat and in a kayak and
inflatible rubber speedboat called a Rib) are angling her so she’ll hit
Morritt’s straight on but it’ll be difficult because the currents are
south of Morritt’s,” he said.
News from shore was good though as she drew closer to the break in the
reef which usually would flow outward but because the wind had died down
reports say it looks calm entering the channel.
It’s likely the exhausted swimmer will be hospitalised after her swim
as, at the very least, she will require an intravenous drip to replace
lost fluids and salt.
Her spirits were lifted during the afternoon when Frank Flowers sent a
large tub of chocolate ice cream. With her tongue and lips severely
swollen from the salt water, she had trouble talking and eating and had
asked if there was any ice cream.
Mr. Flowers arranged for a Red Sail boat to bring a five gallon drum of
ice cream to her which she was served in a plastic cup by her husband
Chris who was in the Rib next to her.
As she began her last 10 kilometres – her team has been timing her swim
in increments of 10 kilometres – the crew on board cheered and clapped
her on.
“She has as strong a sense of resolve as anyone you’re likely to meet,”
said kayaker Richard Clifford, who had just finished his two hour shift on
the water
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