Flowers Sea Swim Coordinator Lexie Kelly, a native Californian, broke the existing record from Cayman Brac to Little Cayman with a 1:53:35 crossing this morning.
The mini-channel swim was a 5-mile shot starting at West End Point on Cayman Brac and finishing at East Point at the Bluff on Little Cayman.
The previous record was held by Jeff Miller who had pioneered the Brac Channel way back in 1987. “Jeff set the bar 24 years ago, but with the sport growing so fast, there are going to be so many people trying these channels in the Cayman Islands,” predicted Lexie.
“The swim started off in such clear water, jumping off of the Cayman Brac coastline amid the coral reef with aqua-blue water. As we hit the deeper waters in the channel, the blue became a royal blue. Then in the middle of the channel, it was even more dramatic with a gorgeously deep blue and the shadows of sunlight piercing the sea. The mix of rays of sunlight with the unfathomably deep blue is something I will never forget. It is paradise down here. Then when we approached Little Cayman, we hit an incredibly fascinating patch of pillar collar. Time went by so fast because there was always something to keep me occupied – it was like a time warp while I was in a zone memorized by the beauty of the ocean.”
“The boat captains and the local volunteer staff were so incredibly helpful and know their ocean and this channel so well. I never felt scared or worried about anything.”
“The GPS tracking showed Lexie & Steve made a straight-shot across the channel, right into Little Cayman from the Brac,” said Richard Clifford who kayaked for Lexie. “Lexie kept her head down and just swam, but it was also a credit to the crew. The sea was never calm and she faced surface chop and waves throughout the entire swim. Then there were lateral currents that we had to consider and towards the end she hit some strong oncoming currents and eddies around Little Cayman.”
“This was excellent prepartion for Penny Palrey’s Bridging the Cayman Islands swim in June. We learned a lot about the equipment and the sea life, as well as the currents. Plus, being out there working as a team with the Department of Environment people will be a huge benefit. During the swim, they explained the marine life along the way and how the ocean generally behaves. There were a lot of flying fish which was great. Coming into Little Cayman was so cool, coming over the reef, lookin at the water. It was like, wow!”
Lexie‘s television interview is shown here on Cayman 27 TV.
Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source