Chloё McCardel to attempt the Longest Solo, Unassisted Open Water Swim - MSF Rules

paulmpaulm Senior Member
edited June 2016 in General Discussion
Paul here on Chloe’s behalf- After 12 months of research & 6 months of planning Chloё has this morning announced that she will in late October (21-30 October ) this year attempt the Longest Solo, Continuous, Unassisted Marathon Swim in Open Water under MSF Rules – 128 K/80 Miles from the southern tip of the island of Eleuthera to the island of Nassau. Thankfully, she again has an amazing support crew to guide her on this journey, including highly skilled specialists from across the world. In addition, she is being supported by a local Bahamian team from The Island School. The school is based in Eleuthera and their team is an integral part of the logistics of the event.

As many people in the open water swim community are aware transparency, accountability & credibility are very important to both Chloё & I. Chloë will therefore be completing the swim swimming under official MSF marathon swimming rules meaning she cannot touch her support boat, and can wear only bathers, goggles and a swim cap. We have locked in the well respected open water race director & MSF supporter David Barra as the swim’s Chief observer ( http://www.openwaterpedia.com/~openh2o/index.php?title=Dave_Barra ) . We are currently in discussions with a representative of the Bahamas’s swim Federation to hopefully secure the services of an additional swim official. We will announce details of this closer to the swim date. The role of the swim observers will be to document the facts of a swim and verify the swim’s adherence to the declared rules. Documentation produced by these qualified observers will be the single most important source material for authenticating this swim.
More details to come closer to time but we both appreciate everyone’s ongoing support.
jendutFrancoevmoBirminghamTheoZoeSadlerJBirrrdSydneDjkormanikdavid_barraOnceaRunnersmithDanSimonelliWaandersAnthonyMcCarleyttrivenslknightJez
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Comments

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    Very cool! Here's Chloё's appearance on Sunrise, a morning show in Australia:

    https://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/watch/25207337/swimming-across-the-bahamas/
    heart
  • paulmpaulm Senior Member
    Thanks Evan. A link below to the swim tab on Chloe's web site with a copy of the press release & more details on the swim. Together with links back to the MSF site . Paul
    http://www.chloemccardel.com/bahamas-wr/
  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    Brilliant. Best of luck to Chloe and the crew!
  • tortugatortuga Senior Member
    Watch out for the fast ferry
  • DanSimonelliDanSimonelli San Diego CASenior Member
    edited October 2014
    Go Chloe! :-) =D>
  • Go Chloe, we'll be with you in spirit. Arthur, Fort Lauderdale
  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    It sometimes goes without saying when it should actually be said, that we all wish @ChloeMacCardeldotcom and @Paulm and team (inc @David_Barra) the best of wishes, calm water and fair winds.
    jkormanikKellie

    loneswimmer.com

  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    Awesome attempt, best of luck Chloe and team!
  • Thanks for everyone's kind words and support :) Here is the Biography of Brianne Yeates, who will be our second Observer under direction of David Barra (I will swim under MSF Rules):
    "Brianne Yeates officially joined the Swift coaching staff in September 2014. Brianne has a degree in Exercise Science from the University of Tampa where she was a member of the Women’s Varsity Volleyball Team. She is presently working towards her ASCA Level 2 Swim Coach certification. Brianne runs the Fitness Group at St. Andrew’s school and assists with the Competitive I Group. She recently attended the FINA/BSF Open Water Swim Clinc where she received her Open Water Officials Certificate."
    We will let you know the start Day, Time and Proposed Route when it is finalised :) Regards, Chloe
    loneswimmerDanSimonelli
  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    edited October 2014
    @chloemccardeldotcom, Paul & team: I've added bold for start time. GPS at bottom.

    AUSTRALIAN'S WORLD RECORD SWIM ATTEMPT TO START WITHIN HOURS IN BAHAMAS.

    AUSTRALIAN ultra-marathon swimmer 29 year old CHLOË McCARDEL is expected to commence her world record breaking 127km open water swim in the Bahamas within the next few hours. Taking more than 40 hours to complete, the swim will start from the southern tip of the island of Eleuthera and finish at Nassau. If successful, Chloë will have completed the longest open-water solo, continuous, unassisted marathon swim in history.

    “The conditions are just about perfect,“ Chloë McCardel said, “but the weather could become unsettled in the coming week, so it’s a great time to make a start. This is not a race, so the good conditions over the next few days means that I can pace myself, maintain a good rhythm and know that there is clear water ahead of me for the next 127 kilometres or so.”

    Chloë is scheduled to begin her swim from Lighthouse Beach on the southern tip of Eleuthera on Monday at 7.30am local time (Monday 10.30pm Sydney time) and will finish on Montague Beach at Nassau. Her progress will be tracked by GPS which can be followed via her website: www.chloemccardel.com.

    It’s expected she will finish sometime between 11pm (local time) Tuesday night and 3am Wednesday morning (between Wednesday 2pm-6pm Sydney time).

    Local residents are invited to join Chloë at the finish line, but Chloë must not be touched or physically assisted by anyone until Chloë’s team verify the official distance and finish location. Chloë will swim under internationally respected MSF marathon swimming rules meaning she cannot touch her support boat, and can wear only bathers, goggles and a swim cap.

    Unlike the cold water swimming that Chloë experienced when undertaking any of her 7 crossings of the English Channel, the warmer waters of the Caribbean will diminish the risk of hypothermia, but Chloë will be exposed to heat stress, including dehydration, sharks, possible stinging jelly fish and sunburn.

    Her previous attempt to swim from Cuba to the US in 2013 almost ended in tragedy, with Chloë being stung by poisonous, potentially deadly, jelly fish 11 hours into the swim. Suffering severe envenomation from multiple stings to her body and throat, Chloë had no choice but to end that attempt prematurely.

    Previously, Chloë set a record, swimming 60 laps across Bondi Beach, a total distance of 48 kilometres, doing so in 11 hours 42 seconds without fins, wetsuit or shark cage on 24 April 2011. More recently, she set the record for the longest swim in a swim-spa, 16 hours, in Melbourne. She has also completed two non-stop double crossings of the English Channel. The public is welcome to join-in and follow her progress via updates on Chloë’s Twitter, Facebook and Blog pages.



    GPS tracker:
    http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0olk5pPCoSHAjGjI1KHJpWkKmmOZ22RSq
    SydneD

    loneswimmer.com

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited October 2014
    A little "SPOT analyzer" web app I cooked up:

    [app temporarily offline while I troubleshoot bandwidth issues]

    It should automatically update as new trackpoints are added to her SPOT feed (i.e., not more frequently than every 10 minutes).

    This is an alpha version so reliability may be spotty... if you get an error, try again a few minutes later. Please don't repeatedly refresh the page, for everyone else's benefit.

    I welcome any feedback, and if you prefer it to remain private, please feel free to send me a private message through the forum.
    ZoeSadlerrlmJBirrrd
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited October 2014
    OK so... clearly this thing is not quite ready for primetime. In the meantime, here's how things look as of 12:30am Eastern time:

    Elapsed time since swim start: 16 hours 25 minutes 20 seconds

    Straight-line distance between start and current location (km): 55.77

    Average kilometers per hour since swim start: 3.4

    Kilometers remaining to finish (straight-line): 70.79

    YJ8PJ8ACO0G6.png

    BG00JOC3PYK8.png
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited October 2014
    Looks like she's about halfway in ~19 hours.
    7ZFUQAAIASJL.png
    UKQNZUO57CUU.png
    JBirrrdKellie
  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    Now at ~28 hours and still going well. Seemed to get pushed slightly north after hitting the shallow water. Chloe was hit by jellyfish earlier but not too badly.

    @evmo, any idea about the positive outlier data points?

    loneswimmer.com

  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    Looks like she's about 40km from the finish. For some reason the first few hours of her SPOT feed are gone, so these charts are incomplete:
    VVWN4OAWVIUJ.png
    6NGMGVZ2ODJL.png

    @loneswimmer -- I'll take a closer look.
    loneswimmer
  • GruntorGruntor MelbourneMember
    I think Chloe has just under 20km left. Only!!
    Go, Chloe, Go!
    lakespray
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    5pm EDT update:

    Chloe is 15.3 miles (24.6km) from the planned finish at Montagu Beach.

    Her current location is 63.8 miles in a straight line from where she entered the water.

    She has been swimming for approximately 33.5 hours.

    QW4G3PY76MVV.png
    jkormanikloneswimmer
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited October 2014
    Gruntor wrote: »
    I think Chloe has just under 20km left. Only!!
    @Gruntor, a bit more than that, I think. Her planned finish is Montagu Beach, not the easternmost tip of the island.

    Here's the latest speed graph:
    MQIFIFGI3X2M.png

    Each point represents the distance (m) covered since the last trackpoint, divided by [minutes since last trackpoint / 60].

    Re: @loneswimmer's previous question, the SPOT trackpoints taken every 10 minutes will have some noise. Notice how each positive outlier is usually followed by a negative outlier.

    Better to watch the trend line, which is pretty steady but slightly trending lower.

    i.e.,... what real swims look like.
    loneswimmerIronMikemalinaka
  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    Epic effort - swim history in the making. Go Chloe!
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    8pm EDT.

    9.5 miles (15km) to finish. 36.5 hours of swimming. ETA just over 5 hours remaining.
    KUZ2PBI8DW77.png
    3PWHQ0CVWGS2.png
    smithslknightKelliegregoc
  • Wow, amazing!!
  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    Still at > 3 kms/hr, after >30 hours of swimming. Unbelievably strong swimming.
  • gregocgregoc Charter Member
    Chloe has been amazingly consistent throughout this swim. I hope all of Nassau is aware of what is about to happen. It is too bad she will finish in the dark of night. I hope for the OWS community that there is at least one camera on the beach, but at the same time I like that this swim is kind of flying under the radar and just the OWS community seems aware of it.
    pavlicovRuffWater
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    edited October 2014
    11:23pm EDT.

    4.13 miles (6.65 km) remaining. Nearly 40 hours of swimming.

    This will be my last update until we hear from Observer @david_barra. Reminder of the SPOT feed link:

    http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0olk5pPCoSHAjGjI1KHJpWkKmmOZ22RSq

    Here's the updated speed chart:

    IBCXWTW1N4D2.png

    She must be in a world of pain at this point, but I think she's going to do it! Awesome stuff.
    DanSimonelli
  • pavlicovpavlicov NYC USASenior Member
    This is amazing and I am so much rooting for Chloe! What an inspirational woman and a heroic swim.

    I am sure that I am not the only one who keeps checking on her spot tracker and every time there is a break in coverage, I don't breathe and frantically keep refreshing until a new spot appears!

    I really hope she gets to enjoy a spectacular welcome in Nassau!
    gregoc
  • gregocgregoc Charter Member
    Chloe has passed the Eastern tip of Nassau and is continuing to the planned landing site. This is going to happen and within an hour or so. Unbelievable! Good thing it is all being documented properly.
    evmoDanSimonelliGruntorJBirrrd
  • DanSimonelliDanSimonelli San Diego CASenior Member
    =D>
  • Go Chloe! So awesome!
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin
    It looks like she's done, albeit at a slightly different finish location. Straight-line distance of 77.3 miles (124.4 km) in 41 hours & change.

    77.3 miles is a new world record for nonstop, solo unassisted marathon swimming. Awaiting confirmation from Mr. Barra...

    Wow.
    DanSimonelliJBirrrdgregocjroyerRuffWatersmithrlmjkormanik
  • DanSimonelliDanSimonelli San Diego CASenior Member
    YES!
  • mpfmarkmpfmark Teesside England Charter Member
    Congratulations. Amazing engine and endurance.
  • KatieBunKatieBun CornwallSenior Member
    Upper echelons of awesomeness! Huge congratulations to Chloë.
  • MvGMvG MauritiusCharter Member
    Congratulations Chloe and team!
  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    For a few years now, the question has been asked just what was the longest solo ocean swim on record. Whenever it came up in discussion, due to previous "muddying of the waters", I shrugged my shoulders and said I didn't know.

    I can finally answer that question. The answer, pending @David_Barra's confirmation, will be Chloe McCardel.
    RuffWaterDanSimonellijkormanikdavid_barramalinakasmith

    loneswimmer.com

  • Holy sch-moly! What an incredible achievement!! Congrats.
  • I can't imagine staying awake for that long. REALLY looking forward to seeing the report and some pics. It must have been astounding at night. There's a whole lot of NOTHING out there btwn those islands... Congratulations. =D>
  • JenAJenA Charter Member
    edited October 2014
    Does anyone know why her SPOT tracker only shows the last 13 data points?

    Edit: They must have configured the points to roll off after 24 hours? My own latest SPOT feed is still there after four days...
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    edited October 2014
    Hi everyone, sorry for the radio silence... Third world Internet and data issues. I planned to finalize my report on the 9 hour boat ride back to Eleuthera, but things were too bumpy. It was the absolute right decision. The straight line route measures between 124k and 125k on this plot but the actual gps coordinates measure a bit more I think. I will post them tomorrow. As you can see, the straight line measurement crosses land at several points... So this doesn't accurately represent the swim. I need to get some sleep, but will post my report tomorrow in the afternoon. These screen catches show the start, finish and straight line measurement
    2DGAP6Q7V0KA.jpg
    LBGPNONUXSXA.jpg
    IELO7057VGFM.jpg
    KellieloneswimmerpavlicovDanSimonellievmo

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    here are screenshots of the start and finish locations from another gps app.V432CDTYJN0I.jpg
    V7C06Y0JWIZR.jpg
    evmoloneswimmerDanSimonelli

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • gregocgregoc Charter Member
    @david_barra, did Chloe finish on someone's private beach in the middle if the night?!
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    gregoc wrote: »
    @david_barra, did Chloe finish on someone's private beach in the middle if the night?!

    Beaches in the Bahamas are public to the high water mark. After the landing, Chloe boarded the boat and she and the entire team motored a few k's to the originally planned landing spot where we met up with local press and spectators, and then on to the Atlantis Marina to dock overnight.

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • And a good night's sleep I'm sure.
  • molly1205molly1205 Lincoln, NebraskaSenior Member
    What an incredible and inspiring swim! I'm thrilled for Chloe and her support team. It's awesome in the true sense of the word.
    wendyv34

    Molly Nance, Lincoln, Nebraska

  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
    N704MSZBX070.jpg
    Chloe right before splash time..... Just because this thread should be more current than that other one.......
    jkormanikgregocjroyerpavlicovMvGloneswimmerIronMikeJBirrrdDanSimonelliNeilEugene

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

  • loneswimmerloneswimmer IrelandCharter Member
    Just to all confirm that we received all the paperwork from @david_barra. And a fine body of literature it is too, completely in line with his personal motto, "anything worth doing is worth overdoing".
    smithpavlicovgregocjkormanikJBirrrdDanSimonelli

    loneswimmer.com

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member
    Can't wait to read @david_barra's observer notes!

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • How many lengths of Issyk kul is that @IronMike?!
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