It is important to honor traditions when heading out on any swim or adventure.  I know that I always offer up a little prayer before the start of a swim and at the end.  On this swim, we were blessed to have many people who knew how to honor the Hawaiian gods, spirits, ancestors and energies.   Continue Reading »

The Kaieiewaho Channel is 72 miles of some of the best the ocean has to throw at you.  It can have big water, big fish, big currents and tides.  Pretty much everything can be big and hairy.  It is not something that I ever looked at and thought "Hey, wouldn't that be FUN to swim!"  Nope that thought never crossed my mind.  I was content to watch the deepest truest blue beauty of the Pacific ocean through the tiny plane window as I flew from Honolulu to Lihue.  Then over 3 years ago, I was bit by the marathon swimming bug and my life changed completely.   This gift has provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences of my life and the Kaieiewaho Channel is another blessing.   Continue Reading »

Another article recently was written in the Kauai Garden Island newspaper and can be seen here:

http://thegardenisland.com/sports/swimming-and-diving/article_63050714-fc4e-11df-b857-001cc4c03286.html

Yes I know I'm due to write my own account and I promise it is coming!

When most people go on a family vacation, they take the time to relax.  I seem to find a way to turn it into a swim.  I’m guessing most of you aren’t surprised.  The first 3 days of the Macy Family Thanksgiving holiday, I spent it out in the 72 mile Kaieiewaho Channel with 5 other bad ass swimmers and 6 fabulous crew members.  Here is some news from the latest adventure.  I promise to write more about the encounter after I do come out of vacation mode.

The Daily News of Open Water Swimming article: http://www.dailynewsofopenwaterswimming.com/2010/11/courageously-swimming-together-to-kauai.html

KHNL – NBC News Interviews of one of our team members – Off to the right on both pages is the video. 

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13569782 
 
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13569987

And if you are wondering, I have been tattooed by the jellies and Portuguese Man-of-War from this swim from my neck and arms all the way down to my ankles.

I don't know if you've ever been to a rodeo or watched one on tv.  I find the bull riders fascinating.  Tough, compact cowboys in their jeans, chaps, hats, and belt buckles.  And then there are the bulls, sitting in a pen looking like they are just there for a Sunday afternoon chat.  The cowboys lean over the rail and discuss the animals, some of them have a reputation that far precedes them.  However, when the cowboys look at them from the distance perhaps they seem less large, less powerful, and maybe just maybe they can be tamed for the famed 8 seconds. 

Then comes the real test for both the cowboy and the animal.  They are penned together.  The bull has been made extremely uncomfortable, small pen and a rope strapped around their sensitive areas.  Then there is this human getting ready to strap themselves to their back.  Their backs get raised and the bulls prepare for battle.  I can imagine that all they want is to go back to Sunday chatting with their other bull friends.  The cowboys now get that up close and personal look at the animal that not so long ago looked a little bit docile.  Then the decision comes, do they get on the animal and ride or do they reconsider.  Perhaps cowboys can't have a second thought otherwise they would never strap themselves to massive angry animal with it's goods in a sling.  The cowboys get on the bull in that same little pen and they feel the power as they straddle the animal.  Quickly and with purpose they tie themselves in, put their hand to their hat and give the nod. 

8 seconds.  The cowboy and the bull connected in undulating power.  8 seconds. That is all it takes to become a champion.

I guess I felt a little like the cowboy at the rodeo as I've spent the last few days looking at the Molokai Channel in it's corral.  Continue Reading »

Not my night out there in the channel.  2hrs and uncontrollable vomiting. Not my day for swimming.  I'll post more after sleeping.

Noa, the pilot, did a wonderful job to get us back to home safely. 

Tomorrow starting at 8pm Hawaiian time, I'm going to give it my all and hopefully become lucky number 13 to cross the Molokai (Kaiwi).  We will be leaving from Molokai taking off from Kalua Koi and aiming for Makapuu point.  My goal is to continue to swim until I reach hopefully Sandy point on Oahu island.  There will be no posts during the swim as we are running on a very skeleton but talented crew.  Please keep my crew, pilot and me in your thoughts tomorrow evening and Thursday morning as we take on this challenge. 

As always these swims would not be possible without help from many coaches, trainers, friends, family, coworkers, crew and pilots.  Without them, I cannot participate in my passion.  Thank you to all that help me along my journey.

Thank you to my fellow marathon swimmer and friend, Chris Palfrey for writing a lovely detail of Molokai Channel.  It was so lovely in fact that I decided to reuse it.  Chris's write up below: Continue Reading »

I arrived to Oahu on September 11th and promptly started melting like the Wicked Witch after her bad encounter with Dorothy.   Continue Reading »

I'm going to shed some light on what happens on the boat ride back into harbor after a swim.  Usually the swimmer sits there shivering and listening to all the great things that the crew saw during the swim.  On this particular swim, it seems nature was putting on quite a show.  We started with a rainbow.  There were whales, porpouises (man that spelling looks strange), and birds.  I look forward to hopefully seeing all of these things in the pictures.  I'm a little jealous!  Not that the crews have an easy job at all, but whales and porpouises.  Come on! 

Here is what I saw:  floaty things in the water and lots and lots of jellyfish.  Some of them were kind enough to introduce themselves.  The barnacles also introduced themselves to my soft wrinkle water soaked flesh as well as I crawled, stumbled and fell on my water exit. 

Oh funny thing about the whales.  My kayaker was looking out over away from me and called out "Whales!"  I pulled up my arms and legs out of the water like this would make a difference and replied "Which kind?"  I think his reply was humpbacks or something.  I don't really recall other than it wasn't orcas aka killer whales.