She says she chose Lake Ontario for her swim because it's one of the hardest open-water swims in the world, and she wanted to "accomplish something difficult" for children who fight cancer.

CNN: 14-year-old swims solo across Lake Ontario

"In Chokwe, one of the hardest hit districts -- the normally vibrant streets now lie under water --all business brought to a standstill and social services shut down, " the United Nations said.

CNN: Raging floodwaters kill dozens in Mozambique

This, allied to the fact that the Atlantic in mid-November is no place to be hanging around, with freezing water crashing all over the boats, makes the Transat one of the hardest races in the world.

BBC: Transat Jacques Vabre

Karlin Music Theater, in one of the hardest-hit areas of the city, was filled calf-deep with mud and water.

UNESCO: Communication et information

That is, the moon pulls hardest on the Earth's oceans on the side facing the moon, making a bulge of water (high tide).

CNN: The sun, the moon and the Titanic