JohnCenaFan28
02-12-2009, 05:25 PM
A US athlete hailed as the first woman to swim the Atlantic Ocean only spent part of her journey in the water.
Jennifer Figge, 56, hit the headlines after reportedly swimming from Cape Verde, off Africa, to Trinidad, reports the Daily Telegraph.
But it has now emerged that, due to ocean hazards and poor weather, only around 250 miles of the 2,100-mile journey was swum.
The rest of the time, Ms Figge, from Aspen, Colorado, rested on her support crew's catamaran.
The 56-year-old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on 12 January and reached a beach in Trinidad almost a month later.
During the journey the endurance swimmer battled strong winds and currents. But when the conditions became too bad, she retired to the accompanying sea craft.
Her longest stint in the water was about eight hours, and her shortest was 21 minutes.
Speaking after arriving in the Caribbean, Ms Figge said that during her swim, she saw a pod of pilot whales, several turtles, dozens of dolphins, plenty of Portuguese man-of-war, but no sharks.
"I was never scared," Ms Figge said. "Looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can always swim in a pool."
-Nova
Jennifer Figge, 56, hit the headlines after reportedly swimming from Cape Verde, off Africa, to Trinidad, reports the Daily Telegraph.
But it has now emerged that, due to ocean hazards and poor weather, only around 250 miles of the 2,100-mile journey was swum.
The rest of the time, Ms Figge, from Aspen, Colorado, rested on her support crew's catamaran.
The 56-year-old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on 12 January and reached a beach in Trinidad almost a month later.
During the journey the endurance swimmer battled strong winds and currents. But when the conditions became too bad, she retired to the accompanying sea craft.
Her longest stint in the water was about eight hours, and her shortest was 21 minutes.
Speaking after arriving in the Caribbean, Ms Figge said that during her swim, she saw a pod of pilot whales, several turtles, dozens of dolphins, plenty of Portuguese man-of-war, but no sharks.
"I was never scared," Ms Figge said. "Looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can always swim in a pool."
-Nova