Why do this?

I am goal oriented and have been looking around for something to work towards in my swimming to motivate me and keep me interested. I did a few masters meets ten or 12 years ago. But there is no one else in my town who swims and wants to go with me to meets. I got kind of interested in open water events, and trained to be in some triathlon relays, but the runners and bikers always backed out on me. And I wanted to swim in nice clean warm water, not the English Channel or the Bering Sea. Please.
So I learned about some swims in the Caribbean. There is a yearly 5 mi. swim in St. Croix, a bit long for a first attempt for me. And I used to live on St. John in high school when my dad was stationed there with the VI National Park. So I already love the place, know a few people there, and long to return to its beautiful waters. I learned that the Friends of the VI NP started a yearly race to raise money, and got excited about it. It is not a sanctioned US Masters meet and does not have the required distances. But it looks like a beautiful course along some of the most beautiful beaches and reefs in the world, and you can choose from 3.5, 2.4, and 1 mi. distances. I felt the challenge and decided to go for it.