My family and I arrived in Maui yesterday afternoon and have been settling into our hotel, while awaiting news from our boat captain, Justine, that the conditions look promising to swim. We received a call this morning that tomorrow promises the best weather of the week. The lead up to this swim feels so much more relaxed than when I was in England and so different since the weather is less changeable. I am so excited to begin my swim!
In around 12 hours, I will begin my swim on the coast of Maui and head over to Lanai. Although I had originally planned to swim the other direction, Justine believes their are more benefits to starting on Maui and I am trusting her expertise. Besides, I think it is kind of exciting to swim from a place I know well (maui) to a place I have never been (Lanai). In the same way that my Catalina swim was special because I had spent my childhood staring out at the island, this swim is special because Maui is one of my favorite places in the world.
Just a little pre-swim hydration
The swim is about 9 miles and I hoping to finish within 5 hours, but the water is fairly warm (around 77 degrees) so I am not worried about getting cold. You can follow my progress here. This swim is important as I look ahead to the rest of my summer and will be both a milestone and a training opportunity. In July, I will be completing a 28-mile circumnavigation of Manhattan and this swim in addition to the rest of my training will help prepare for that swim. For now, I am off to bed to prepare to swim between two islands!
Open Water Abby 