Endurance swimmer Palfrey beyond halfway point in Cuba-Fla. trek

By the Associated Press (1373)

As of Saturday, June 30, 2012
© Copyright 2013 Gwinnett Daily Post

KEY WEST, Fla. -- Endurance swimmer Penny Palfrey muscled past the halfway mark Saturday as she pushed through the Florida Straits, enduring jellyfish stings but otherwise encountering perfect conditions in her attempt to become the first woman to swim unassisted more than 100 miles from Cuba to the Florida Keys.

The British-born Australian was swimming steady and strong and reported no physical complaints, according to her support team. At about 4:30 p.m.roughly 34 hours into the swim, the 49-year-old grandmother was 69 miles from her starting point at a marina in the Cuban capital, according to her website's GPS tracking report. She was positioned about 38 miles southwest of Key West.

Previously, her personal best was 67 miles when she swam between Little Cayman and Grand Cayman islands last year, according to Andrea Woodburn, part of her support team in the Keys.

Palfrey reapplied sunscreen and grease to prevent chafing and said the water conditions had been excellent other than the extreme heat. She even spotted a few hammerhead sharks and dolphin pods. Crew members said she was barking orders at team members accompanying her on kayaks and a catamaran as she kept up a torrid pace in a battle that tested the limits of human endurance.

She is "physically and mentally strong," Woodburn said, adding that the bathwater-warm waters remained calm. "The conditions couldn't be better and she continues to progress to the Florida Keys."

The 20-year veteran of distance swimming is no stranger to jellyfish stings, which forced her to abort two past swims in Hawaii.

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