Hey - quick update,

Went for my swim on Friday, had the most amazing start; saw 3 killer whales and a pod of porpoises, only 10 metres from the boat - the fact they were travelling in the opposite direction might have given me a clue about the weather that was coming... but I was very excited and couldn't wait to get started. Had a fantastic swim until the water temperature dropped, apparently to 9 degrees from 13, and the wind picked up to over 20 mph. I tried really hard to keep going as the swell got bigger, and after 7 hours 47 minutes, when I was getting a bit confused and unable to answer the safety questions fully; we decided to pull out as I still had 5 miles to conquer and my core temperature was falling significantly.

I'm really dissapointed, obviously, but after a days recovery even more determined to go back and conquer the minch. Hopefully with better, and more predictable, weather! My support crew were just fantastic, absolutely spot on, all their effort meant so much for all those hours - you know who you are!!

Anyway, I'm sorry guys - but bear with me....!!

Hannah

x

'Background'

In July this year, I am going to attempt to be the fastest person to swim from Skye to Harris - the Little Minch. I have been in training for this swim all year, and if I succeed, will be the second person to complete this swim ever!

I have chosen two charities to support with this swim - one national and one local. The national charity is Breast Cancer Care, and the local charity is a new charity, The Leanne Fund. Any donations will be very gratefully received, and go towards making a real difference to the lives of people living with breast cancer and cystic fibrosis.

I have made Just Giving pages on the internet, alternatively, donations can be made by cheque to Hannah Smith, 5 Geshader, Uig, Isle of Lewis, HS29HL. If making a donation by post, the donation will be split down the middle between the two charities.

www.justgiving.com/swimtheminch2010theleannefund

www.justgiving.com/swimtheminch2010

There is a Facebook group, Hannah's World Record Swim! and here I will be updating my progress! Feel free to get in touch if you want to know any more about my challenge!

Thank you so much for the support,

Hannah Smith

Thank you for supporting The Leanne Fund. Your contribution is making a difference in the lives of young people with Cystic Fibrosis.