Jeff Kozlovich, Penny Palfrey‘s paddleboard guide on her solo 72-mile Kaieiewaho Channel swim, announced that Penny and her team are ready to go around April 24th, depending on weather conditions. Jeff, who is participating to raise money for the Blue Planet Run Foundation, will be joined on the 30-40 hour epic journey by Forrest Nelson, Bill Goding, Neil Vaughan and Captain Don Jones.
Penny explained her perspective, “I have great respect for its vast distance, the 3000-meter depth of water beneath me, the sea life in it, the weather that I may encounter and the ocean swells, however I know I have a great support team behind me as my date with the Kaieiewaho Channel approaches.”
In a recent article in the Los Angeles Times (Like a bolt over the blue), John Wright eloquently describes the Kaieiewaho Channel as he boards a catamaran across the Kaieiewaho Channel, “…[as we left Oahu], it took us only a few thousand feet before Honolulu’s incandescent glow faded and the dark sky opened into a dot matrix of starlight.”
“…we were now migrating from the comfort of solid landmass. Beyond Kaena Point [Penny’s starting point] was the seemingly endless ocean. There was no escaping it…as soon as we hit the Channel, the trade winds hit us…Kauai was somewhere out there in the monstrous Pacific.”
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.