I don't normally read the Japan Times but when friends are far away on an amazing adventure you have to look a bit farther for news. My friends Penny and Chris Palfrey went to Japan to go swimming and so far this is the only news I've heard.

From the Japan Times:

Thursday, Sep. 22, 2011

Aussie swims across Tsugaru Strait

Kyodo

Hakodate Hokkaido — A 49-year-old Australian woman swam across the Tsugaru Strait between Hokkaido and Honshu on Tuesday, leaving her one more channel to complete before she becomes the first-ever solo swimmer to cross the world's seven major channels, dubbed the "Ocean's Seven."

Penny Palfrey swam the roughly 30 km from Cape Shirakami in Hokkaido to the coast of Aomori Prefecture in about 14½ hours after starting out around 4 a.m.

Due to strong waves caused by approaching Typhoon Roke, it took about twice the time originally planned, while her 54-year-old husband, Chris, failed to complete the swim, according to a Tokyo-based association.

If Palfrey, who has been pursuing the open water swimming challenge since 2006, successfully swims across the Irish Channel between Ireland and Scotland, she will become the first person to accomplish the Ocean's Seven, the open water swimming version of the Seven Summits for mountaineers.

The others are the Cook Strait in New Zealand, the Molokai Channel in Hawaii, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel in California and the Strait of Gibraltar.