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.

Monday arrived and we met the boats early.  The last weather forecast looked ok-ish.  The posted weather was 10 knot winds picking up to 15 knots in later morning.  Thankfully one of our amazing crew called one of their friends to get the latest.  Yes the weather and winds were supposed to pick up.  However, it looked like the forecast was 6 hours off and it wouldn't show until afternoon.  That opened up a window for Willie and me.  We loaded up the boats and headed to the starting point of South Point Higgins on Revilligegado Island.  We safely launched the kayakers and the weather continued to hold unlike Saturday's attempt.  Willie and I were ready to go.

At 6:23am, we started our swim from the beach.  There were two things that I noticed immediately.  1.  There were a lot of jellyfish.  2.  The water felt colder than previous days.  I didn't think much of these starting out as we had light winds and the sun was shining.  The water was only covered by small waves.  It was all very manageable. 

We first had to swim through the Tongass Narrows.  This part of the swim seemed to buzz right by.  It probably took 2 hours to complete this part of the swim.  Again nothing much to report as our crews were doing an amazing job keeping us safe and fed.  Around 2 hours I noticed that I had lost feeling in most of my toes.  Nothing that I hadn't experienced before but it was much sooner than on other swims.  In addition, I had run though a few lion's mane jellyfish.  Stingy things.  We passed through the Narrows successfully and now were onto Clarence Strait.  All thus far was going according to plan and to schedule.

3.5 hours into the swim, the weather gods smiled on us.  The strait became flat calm.  It was like glass and we could see our kayaker and boat support reflections in the water.  You couldn't ask for better topside conditions.  On the flipside though, the water became colder.  Clarence Strait wasn't going to make this super easy.  It is only later that we think that the previous days weather and winds had churned up the water bringing colder water up from the deep.  I believe that most of the swim the water temp was in high 40s never reaching more than 52 degrees.  Not good.  There was some reprieve when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.  And of course we had ideal wind conditions.  Willie and I continued to swim.  (Note:  Willie and I each had our own escort boats.  At this time, I was out front and didn't know about Willie's progress other than that he was still swimming as my crew informed me). 

Besides jellyfish and cold, we did have some minor boat issues.  The stove on Willie's escort boat went out so my escort boat would heat up water and then go take it over to Willie's boat for his feedings.  We were trying to maintain core tempurature by taking in warmer feeds.  I found this to be a welcome respite every 30 minutes. 

At 5 hours we were both making progress, but the affects from the cold were taking their toll.  Unfortunately Willie was unable to continue his swim due to hypothermia.  He was unable to stop shivering in order to swim.  It was a safe and correct call to make to stop the swim.  It was also decided that this information was not to be shared with me as I was still in the water.  To my knowledge, Willie was still in the water experiencing the same thing I was.

Like Willie, I too was having trouble with the cold.  Besides losing sensation in my feet, my hands started to cramp up along with my forearms.  I was now practically swimming with fists.  In addition, I was having light shaking throughout my legs and bum.  The cold was starting to move it's way towards my core.  Thankfully my brain was still functioning and hadn't started to feel the affects of the cold, but I knew if the swim went on much longer that I would also be in a dangerous situation.  Thankfully I was told at this time that we were about 3 miles from the finish.  I figured about 1.5 hours of swimming as I was averaging in the high 2 miles per hour.  I wanted to see if I could push through the cold to the finish.  After 30 minutes, I had knocked the distance down to 2 miles.  Clarence Strait wasn't done throwing curve balls.  At the 2 mile mark from the finish, I got stuck in the tidal outflow from Kasaan Bay and forward progress all but stopped.  Adding insult to injury, the water got colder.  Now I was swimming with clenched hands, numb feet, quivers and I wasn't making forward progress.  I was pretty defeated.  I looked at my kayaker after a feeding with tears in my eyes and shaking voice said "I don't know if I can do this."  He replied strongly "We are with you the whole way.  You CAN do this."  I gave a faint "ok" and put my head back into the cold water.   He was right and I needed to give it my all no matter what the outcome.   We swam on.

In that thirty minutes, I had swum 1/3 mile in 30 minutes.  We were still in the tidal flow.  It wasn't great progress but it was still in the right direction.  Eventually sometime in the next 30 minutes, I broke through the tidal flow and I heard my kayaker yell "1.5 miles left"    Forward swimming progress picked up and the shore started to finally look closer.  (Note: I know I know I shouldn't have looked, but it was 2 miles! No one anticipated the tidal flow or at least I didn't know about it)    Then finally the shore was so close that I knew soon the swim would be over and I could get out of the water.  My kayaker had one final comment as we pushed towards shore "The current is going opposite the way from the rock beach,  I'm not sure you can punch through."  We were maybe 100 yards or so from shore.  My reply "We are landing this somewhere."   

I did manage to land on the barnacled rocky shore and wobbled to dry land.  It took 3 agonizing minutes for me to wobble, stumble, fall, etc. to get to the rocky beach so that there was no water behind me.  I turned and quickly raised my hand to signal the end.  It was over.  Clarence Strait had been swum.

It was then I noticed Willie's boat right next to mine.  "What happened to Willie?"  I was then informed that the cold had been too much and he had stopped early.  I was also informed he was safe and ok which were my next concerns.   Once this was cleared up, I looked back at the water.  I had to get back in to get back to the boat.  This was awful.  The air temp was around 60 maybe and it felt like a sauna.  I knew getting back in would feel even colder than any of the previous sensations.  My kayaker was wonderful offering to tow me back to the boat, but it wasn't going to keep me out of the water.  I stumbled back over the rocks and slid back into the water.  I swam as fast as possible back to the boat.  My boat crew helped me get warm as I was shaking and had no fine motor skills in my hands to help. 

6 hours and 46 minutes.  They were long and cold, but we made it.    (Note: As soon as the kayakers and all were back on the escort boats, the sky became overcast and the winds picked up.  We had made it just in time.)

I couldn't accomplish these swims without all the great support here in Alaska and all others around the world. 

Thank you Alaska crew members:

Michelle's crew: Vern and Joy Craig, Elizabeth Einset, Michael Schuler.  Thanks for the comments, cheers, flowers on my feeds, etc.  You helped me get through.

Willie's crew:  Tom and Mary Schulz, Sue Doherty, James Klineschmidt. 

General Support: Mike Rath, Jay Diorec

Have a wonderful 4th of July celebration.  Be safe.

Here is what I've learned from this swim look see.  I cannot control the weather no matter how hard I try.  The boat pilot, crew and kayakers we have supporting the swim are very professional and know what they are doing even if this is the first swim that they are supporting.  They know their stuff and will keep us safe.  After aborting the swim we overheard a radio report from the ferry coming in from Prince of Wales island.  The seas in Clarence Strait were standing at 5-6 feet tall.  Much too dangerous for a swimmer. 

Straits and Channels have "reaches."  This is the distance that the wind has to travel to pick up speed.  Our swim will be starting in Tongass Narrows where the reach is 16 miles.  Not a very long reach and the wind was doing some good work of the water at the end of the narrows.  Once getting across the Narrows we would be in Clarence Strait where the reach is 120 miles.  Lots more power would come from the wind in this strait.  Not good.  It was a good call to postpone the swim for a later date.

I'm not upset.  As I've said I can't control the weather.  I can only be prepared to swim when the moment comes.  Today was not that moment and we all arrived safely back into harbor which is the main goal of a swim.  First and always first is safety.  After returning to harbor we all gathered at Pioneer Cafe for a well deserved breakfast.  Goodness the blueberry pancakes were good.  The stories shared around the table were even more filling.

The next swim date looks to be Monday as this front is supposed to stick around today and tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

There will be no updates during the swim.  I'll post as soon as I can with updates.

I find myself off on another adventure.  This time I'm in Ketchikan, Alaska to attempt Clarence Strait.  Over the years of coming up to swim Pennock Island challenge, I've gotten to know Willie Schulz and his wonderful family.  Over the past few years, Willie commented that he always wanted to swim Clarence Strait from Revilligegado Island to Prince of Wales Island.  (FYI - Ketchikan is on Revilligegado.)  Last year, I talked with Willie and we decided to give the swim a go.  The tide is lined up for July 3rd – July 7th.  The point to point distance is around 15 miles.  Willie and I will both be making the attempt.  We have two escort boats lined up with support kayakers.  One boat for each of us.  There was concern around trying to have us both swim off of one escort boat.  I believe that Willie made the right choice.  Since the swim has never been done before Willie and I are in a little bit of uncharted swimming territory.  It makes this adventure exciting and scary all at the same time.  There is no one to lean on to learn from their experiences.  I guess in this situation Willie and I are the pioneers. 

I landed last evening in Ketchikan and on the way to the Schulz residence we saw the orcas.  There were 6 of them playing around in the water.  I've always wanted to see the orcas in the wild.  However, I of course wanted to see them in very specific conditions.  1.  I wanted to not be in the water with them.  2. I would prefer to see them after my swim ended.  3.  I wanted them to be very full!  I have to say that I believe that 1 &3 were satisfied.  These whales are amazing!  Gorgeous, majestic, graceful.  They took my breath away.  I'm taking their appearace as a good omen for the swim.  Shortly after the orcas a bald eagle flew over.  WOW!  The wildlife was putting on a display.

This morning found Willie and I headed off to Bugge's Beach for a quick paddle.  Willie woke up and said "do you want the good news or the bad news?'  I wanted to start with the bad news.  "The water temperature is reading around 52.7"  Ok what is the  good news.  "That was the good news"  Wait I thought I asked for the bad news first!  Bad news – it was supposed to be blowing today and the weather is flat calm.  Saturday the weather was supposed to be calm and this was going to be the day we looked to swim.  I think we will have to play the wait and see game and discuss at our 6pm safety meeting tonight.  If Saturday doesn't look good, we will be looking at Monday July 5th, as July 4th there are too many commitments by the volunteers.  The joys of channel swimming and praying for the right weather conditions.  Think calm weather and warm thoughts for Willie and I as we embark into the wild.

Oh and the toes are painted "Berry Fast".  Another swim and another color.  I hope this brings good luck.

The jewelry is beautiful. Check out the catalog on http://mysilpada.com/sites/public/content/jewelry/index.jsf.  If you find something you love, just call or email Laura Farmer at lafarm@gmail.com or (360)256-4567.  Orders must be made through Laura and just tell her you are supporting Michelle Macy's fundraising goals. 

Thank you for your continued support and happy shopping!

I'm now back at work and I'm a little bit confused as to what day it really is.  Thankfully I have a calendar to keep me on track. 

Here are some fun facts from the swim:

• Steve and I were the first successful swims this season.  #65 and 66 swimmers to cross for the 75th and 76th successful crossing.
• 37th woman to make crossing, but 19th woman from North to South island
• 5th American to make the crossing.
• I swam 35 years after the first successful crossing by an American woman, Lynne Cox (Thanks Forrest for that fun fact!)
• I negative split the swim, which will make my coach happy. 

1. It doesn't give me time to get my undies all in a bunch and for me to get to the point where I'm so nervous I should be committed.
2. It doesn't allow all my cheerleaders to get nervous either
3. My family knows right away if I'm alive or not.  Not that I've ever been in a serious situation, but these swims aren't exactly a small paddle in the pool and the swims can be dangerous.
4. I know how it has all turned out in the end, as this always bothers me that I can't read the future. 
5. I get to PLAY!!  This is especially great if I have fun people to hang out with, which I usually do.

I know most people think that these swimming "holidays" are always fun and relaxing.  On the contrary, they are hard work.  They are very stressful.  And often it rarely allows time for me to decompress from all the work and training that I have done.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it.  It is my choice to use all my holiday time going on these swimming adventures, but I'm not lying that sometimes just laying by the beach with a mai tai looking at the water rather than swimming in it has its allure.   However, if I swim early and I don't change my flight back home, there is some playtime.

These last few days have been some amazing playtime.  Tuesday after the swim, Steve and I pretty much were slugs.  It was AWESOME!!!  We got up late, walked around town.  Steve had some work commitments in the afternoon, so I went to the Te Papa museum for a little while and then there was a lovely and short afternoon paddle.  Steve declined the paddle for soaking up the sun on the Oriental Bay beach.  Then we cooked a lovely fish and risotto dinner.  Yum!

Wednesday found us on the ferry to Picton and the South Island.  The ferry here is not like the ferry in England.  It is really quite slow.  It takes 3.5hrs for the ferry to get from Wellington to Picton, but the trip was lovely and sunny.  They announced that there were dolphins and whales, but Steve and I didn't see them.  I think it may have been a game that the ferry crew play to see all the passengers run to one side of the boat and then the other.  After arriving in Picton, we went to the local bakery aptly named The Picton Village Bakery.  It was here that I finally broke down and tried my first pie.  I know for those Aussies, Kiwis and Brits this is a shocker, especially since I lived in England.  However, I could never bring myself to eat a pie (or toastie or whatever they are called).  We don't really have the equivalent thing in the US.  Steve went first and ordered a bacon and egg pie.  Assuming that he knew what he was doing, as he always assures me he does , I went ahead and ordered the same.  I don't know what I've been so afraid of the pie was as they say LOVELY!  Let me see if I can explain it.  It is about the size of a softball, but pie shaped.  The crust was flaky and buttery.  The filling was delicious with a sort of ham, egg, and veggie filling.  You eat it with your hands, but I have seen people eat it with a fork in a restaurant.  They can be purchased pretty much at every convenience store, bakery, and grocery store.  And they have various fillings, but most commonly I've seen egg and bacon and steak or mince filling.  I'm sure they aren't the healthiest things in the world, but it was wonderful.  We sat and ate them on the beach while the sea gulls squawked their protest at not receiving a bite.    Then it was off for our wine tour.  We were 2 of 16 on the wine tour and the bus was actually a pretty quiet affair.  We went to Nautilus, Forrest, Hunters and St. Clair.  There were a lot of wines to sample.  Most were Pinot Noirs or Sauv. Blanc (No I don't know how to spell it completely).  I believe that Steve and my favorite vineyard was Forrest.  They had some great wines and their customer service was amazing.  Our tour guide also made a quick stop at the Makuna chocolate factory and they make this crazy good Very Berry Toffee Crunch which is toffee, white chocolate, cranberries and macadamia nuts.  I thankfully didn't buy a box as it would have never made the ferry ride back to Wellington.

Thursday, I went to the beach for another short paddle while Steve went to go do some work things.  One of the clinics that he knows wanted to do a short press conference as well as take some photos for an article.  He of course obliged.  We met up at the beach and I gave him some flak as the photographer was taking his photo.  I got some lovely shots of Steve and the photographer.  Then Steve went for a short paddle while I soaked up the sun.  Steve says I have to try to get rid of the cap line on my forehead that I acquired in the swim.  I don't think it is going to happen, but I'm encouraging my freckles to darken so that it maybe is blended a little bit.  The afternoon I went exploring Wellington while Steve did some shopping.  Ok, so the botanical gardens in Wellington are beautiful and the plants are labeled very well.  However, the paths in the botanical gardens are not labeled well and I spent most of my time walking in circles trying to find the right path to get where I wanted to go.  After an hour and a half of wandering mostly with aim but not finding my place, it started to rain so I said goodbye to the gardens.  I went and checked out the Beehive parliament building as well as the new St. Paul's Cathedral (not great and can be avoided) and the old St. Paul's cathedral (beautiful).  Then back home to meet up with Steve and our swimming friend Heather who has come down to play from up north.  I don't know if I mentioned this but on the beach on Sunday we met some locals and they have quickly become friends.  Donna invited Heather, Steve and I to dinner on Thursday night and what a dinner it was!  While the food was fantastic, the company and conversation were just amazing!  It is moments like these that really make these trips a joy.  Donna is a treaty lawyer, so I got to understand more about the treaty and New Zealand history.  I got more of the story that I had started to understand from the Te Papa museum.

I think today we are going back to Te Papa museum to finish what we haven't been able to see and then who knows what we will do.  Perhaps a paddle, perhaps some wildlife hunting as I really want to see the seals and Steve wants to see a blue penguin.  I think that would be cool too.  Tomorrow there is the National Triathlon in town, so maybe we will watch that or maybe we will get out of town to avoid the crowds.  Either way, I'm enjoying the downtime. 

Oh I don't know if I mentioned that my only major injury from the swim is some amazing sunburn.  It has concentrated itself mostly around my swimsuit straps, but I'm afraid to go to the zoo as I'm sure that I could attract the baboons.  The redness is slowly subsiding, but I'm sure I'll be into the next stage of sunburn soon…itching.  See I told you there weren't many secrets