It is downright nasty out in the Tsugaru Channel for Darren Miller.
Mother Nature is throwing everything at Miller – counter-currents, eddies, vicious turbulence since his second hour in the 20 degree C water. He has stopped like clockwork every 30-45 minutes for updates, many of which are less than optimstic.
But he is moving forward little by little with a whole lot of effort in a steady 64-66 spm pace. After 10 hours, Miller is still 5 miles away from the Hokkaido coast that looks so tantilizingly close. Over the last 20 minutes, Miller stepped up his effort and attempted to push his pace but only progressed 200 meters. With another 5 hours until sundown, his spirits remain high…although frustration builds as the surface chop keeps slapping him down.
Stephen Redmond is up next tomorrow morning at 3:30 am to give it his third try.
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