Party in Monkstown...

Last week I went to a party in Ned's house for all of the Cork people who swam the Channel in 2008. Aside from all the previous Cork soloers, there were some very distinguished guests. I got to meet David Yudovin IMSHOF, I won't even go into all of the amazing swims that he has done, I'd be here all day, let's just say that it was amazing to meet him. Also Dave Whyte was there, he piloted all of the previous Cork swimmers but unfortunately he is retiring this year. He is also the newest inductee into IMSHOF. It was great to meet someone who had so much experience in Channel swimming. David and Evelyn of Varne Ridge Caravan Park were there also. They were very nice and I am looking forward to meeting them in Dover next year.

As part of the evening we also got to see all the inspirational photographs in Rob Bohane's swim from Sceilig Mhichíl and Ned's swim around Valentia Island. Eilís Burns, who coached all of the Cork soloers, gave a nice speech about all of her swimmers and gave them some amuzing presents that represented there character. Rob received a certificate form IMSHOF recognising his Sceilig swim and I also got one for my Crosshaven to Blackrock swim. Overall it was a fantastic evening, and needless to say, Anne's cooking was top notch!

Blackrock to Cobh Swim...

Last Sunday saw the second annual Blackrock to Cobh Swim take place under beautiful sunshine. This year Fergus Galvin organised the swim. The course measures over 12km but due to a strong tidal push, the actual distance swam is much less. The swim starts from the slipway in Blackrock, quickly passing the Blackrock Castle Observatory and into Lough Mahon(boring), then it turns south into the Passage West channel(strong tidal assistance), around the Cork Dockyards and into the town of Cobh.

On the morning of the swim the sun was shining and the water was a balmy 14 Celsius. Due to some wind there was some chop on the Lough and out in the Harbour. However, as the swim progressed the conditions improved. The start of the swim was delayed by the late arrival of two large Japanese trawlers and a small cargo ship. Once the boat traffic was clear we got the go-ahead from the port authorities to proceed with the swim.

Mike Harris and Róisín Lewis started on go, followed by more swimmers on 10mins, more on 20mins and finally myself, Julianne Galloway and Colm O'Neill, North Channel Swimmer, on 30mins. From the beginning the assistance from both the river and the outgoing tide were noticeable. Almost immediately we passed the impressive Blackrock Castle jutting out into the river, then it opened up into the vast expanse of Lough Mahon. Here I managed to pull ahead of Colm but Julieanne was steaming ahead. This section of the swim was very long and drawn out, the monotony broken only by the occasional passing ship and one feed of High5.

Once the corner of Cobh Island appeared in front, I knew that we were getting close the Passage West. Once we rounded the corner we were flushed down the Channel passed Glenbrook, the Rushbrooke ferry and into Monkstown. I followed my tactics of keeping a wide corner around the Dockyards so as to avoid the eddies and avail of the current. However, a marauding tug-boat put that plan to bed and I was forced to take a tighter line around the final corner.

Once Cobh Cathedral was in sight I searched below for the line of blue barges and tugs where I knew the finish was. I sighted the entrance to the finish area and put my head down and swam hard. I could see that I was making good progress as the Cruise Terminal and train station flew by. Between the last two tugs we tuned in to the little alcove to finish. All that was there was very high walls and a long flight of steps to the top. After a long swim there is nothing more relieving than a good flight of steps to climb.

There were lots of people at the finish, as there always is in a seaside town on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Once I managed to haul myself to the top of the steps I got dressed, the sun made this a whole lot easier. Once dressed it was great to watch the other swimmers finish. Last in was Mike Harris, this was a big swim for him, he seemed quite disorientated at the finish. When I went to congratulate him on finishing his only words were, "Come back in another fifty years and you try it!"

Thinking back on the swim, I realise how important it is to know the course. Although I had Donal Clancy, an excellent kayaker, with me I still had to have my own ideas which made the swim alot easier. Last year I did crewing for this swim. I learnt alot that I was able to put into practise this time round. For example, I knew that it was not a good idea to stay in close to land when rounding the last corner just after the Dockyards, last year, lots of people got caught in a negative flow here and made very little progress. Also, I knew exactly where the finish was for the swim, most people would not have had a clue as it was a very unusual spot, I was able to make a good line for the finish from the last corner.

There was also a great gathering of swimmers at this event. Julieanne Galloway drove down from Dublin that morning and still managed to finish in under 2hrs 15mins, she is signed up for the English Channel next year. There were also two other Cork swimmers there who are signed up to swim the Channel on the same week as me, Lisa Cummins(who feels no cold) from Sunday's Well and Sylvain Estadieu. Colm O'Neill from Dublin was also there, he swam the North Channel a few years back and also Charles Harper, who one the Liffey Swim and is swimming the Channel next year.

News from the Pool...

Well the summer is pretty much over now. It's time to start putting in some serious work in the pool. Since the beginning of September, I have been training with Fermoy Swimming Club, but it's not really enough hours, though it is very good quality training. With the help of my coach and the manager of the swimming pool, I have managed to secure free swimming until this time next year. So, anytime that there is a public session on, I can just swipe my card and swim... This is fantastic news as the cost of all of the pool sessions starts to mount up and it can get hard to finance when you're only fifteen!

Sandycove Island Challenge 2008

At last, I have decided to write up about the race last week. The Island Challenge is an annual race around the island. This year, nearly 200 swimmers from all over the world competed. We were very lucky with the weather on the day, after the worst summer in recorded history, we got a beautiful day and the water was at it's warmest in over a year. Everyone was in a good mood and decided to turn up on time and the whole event ran very smoothly.

As the first group lined up along the slipway, the tension was high, everyone had set there eyes on a suitable rival and nobody could wait until the klaxon went. As I dived into the water, I got an enormous shock, I hadn't swam in more than 13 degrees in the last month. I immediately set about my strategy of taking the shortest course possible and swimming as if I were doing a 1500m in the pool.

Once we had rounded the first corner, there was nobody else in sight, Chris Bryan from Ennis was way up in front and everyone else was falling behind. It was my job to make sure that nobody passed me from here on. The whole lap seemed to just fly by. Of course I nearly cut myself to shreds going over the rocks on the far corner. When I saw the Pink House out of my right goggle, it was time to sprint.

I was lined up with the finish and sprinted like hell for 150m. By then I realised that I was slightly off course, but just a quick adjustment and I went in for the finish. Once again I nearly injured myself while trying to reach up to the touch pads. I was so paranoid that the timing chip didn't register, but they managed to convince me that it did. I took a look around and was delighted to see that I came in second.

My mentor and biggest rival, Ned Denison, was well behind me, mission accomplished. As usual the atmosphere afterwards was fantastic. This year the afters were held in the Trident Hotel in Kinsale. This was great because it meant that we could have a meal and then head up to the function room for the prize giving. I was very happy with my lovely Kinsale Crystal bowl and there was an added bonus, I received a nomination for the Mike Harris Trophy. This is awarded to a person who has made a valuable contribution to open-water swimming in Cork. I felt really honoured to be nominated for such a prize.

All in all, it was a fantastic day out. Hopefully all of the Island Challenges to come will be as good as this one!

Oysterhaven to Sandycove - Hell...

On Sunday, a group of five started the first swim form Oysterhaven slipway to Sandycove. They were Imelda Lynch (EC Solo 2005), Ossie Schmidt, Lis Cummins (fellow aspirant), Sinéad Sheridan and myself. Sinéad started first with her husband Aidan in an inflatable, followed 15mins later by Imelda, Ossie and Lisa with Jim McGrath in his kayak, and finally I left after another 20mins accompanied by Ned in his motorboat.

At the start of the swim I felt good, the water felt about the same as my Crosshaven swim. Then I realised that I forgot to put in my earplugs, my ears quickly filled up with water (which I hate).Things were stil going good until we got out around the headland. There seemed to be alot of debris in the water.There was a small jelly near the surface but I forgot about it. Then I saw one huge jelly below, that freaked my out and I felt very wary in the water. I think that this made me slow down my stroke rate, then I started to get cold. Not only was the water really cold, but to make it worse there was a horrible swell and it was raining.

When I couldn't see myself making any progress I felt a bit crap, but I just aimed for the next feed. When Ned told me to pick up my stroke rate I tried it but I think I was still tired after my pool session. I started complaining and Ned told me to count 100 strokes, I motivated myself by only counting right arm strokes so I was going further without noticing. Then my fingers wouldn't close, I did the clenching fists thing and that got me another couple of hundred metres.

At the next feed Ned said "France in 1.5miles". I thought of I go hard for half a mile then it's just a lap of the Island left. When he said 1200m to go I counted another 100 right arm strokes and we were coming near the island. When we got to the island I tried to forget the rest of the swim and pretend I was just swimming around the island. Then came the pink house and I felt fantastic that I had finished it after feeling so bad earlier.

I found it hard to understand that I felt so good all through my 5hr swim and felt so terrible after less than an hour.But the feeling I got after finishing was worth all the pain. I could never have done it without the motivation from Ned though. Then, on the walk in my feet touched the ground and I said "finally that's it, no more pain". I spoke too soon. I tripped on a stone and tore open the side of my foot and my knee, Lisa's car was all blood.I am still limping in my shoes today. No fins in the pool for a while!

I never felt so glad to be finished a swim before. I was hell bent on getting in teh boat halfway through. I will try and remeber everything that motivated me and use them in future swims.

Crosshaven to Blackrock.....5hrs 37mins

Sorry about the delay, a full two weeks after the swim I finally decide to put it up on the blog! On Thursday 28th August I became the second [and fastest] person ever to swim from Crosshaven to Blackrock in Cork Harbour. At a total distance of nearly 20km, it is my longest swim to date, and a great learning experience. Here's what happened:

On Sunday evening I got a call from Ned. He asked me if I would like to do a long swim in Cork Harbour on Thursday. I asked him how long, he replied "Oh 10 miles, actually 12, maybe 13". I reluctantly accepted his offer and at 09:06 on Thursday morning I was in the water at Crosshaven.

At the start of the swim the air was mild, there was a light breeze and the water was just over 15 degrees celcius. The water felt colder than it actually was, but the sea was very calm which allowed me to turn my arms over quickly to warm up. The first part of the swim exiting Crosshaven dragged alot. I was trying to pick out landmarks around the Harbour to judge my progress but it was difficult due to the vast area. At 09:50 I had my first feed, 350ml of High5 not heated. The boat crew of Ned, Dave and Sinéad looked happy, so I put my head down and carried on.


By 10:20 we had reached the lighthouse on stilts infront of the Port of Cork Offices. Five minutes later, I had my second feed (same as the first), by looking around I could see we were past Spike Island and approaching Cóbh. I had a mental image of the course so I knew that we were about one quarter of the way there. While having the feed, one of the Irish Navy's new ships steamed past us. I got a reassuring look from the crew then ploughed on. After this I really started to settle into my pace and become comfortable in the water.

After 2hrs in the water my stroke rate was still at a steady 64 with a strong pull. I was happy when we passed Cóbh Cathedral because the whole town seemed to go on for ever. Then a dregder passed at close range, we were rocked a bit by it's wake and it left a fairly cloudy trail in the water. I had another feed. The sun came out and I was feeling strong so kept going.

The wind started to pick up a bit but it didn't make much difference. It was nice passing the quay where the Titanic docked for the last time and the Irish Naval College on Hawlbowline. At 11:50 I had another feed, this time topped off with hot water. Ned told me that an e-mail went out from Rob Bohane that he was watching from his office window in Pfizer's. This gave me great encouragement. The sun was strong and the boat crew looked to be enjoying themselves, we couldn't have asked for a better day.

It was a long corner around to the Cork Dockyards. But it was worth the wait, at Monkstown I could see Dave waving our Munster flag to his Dad on the pier. At 12:20, I had another High5 topped hot, and a wine gum. Twenty minutes later, I had a banana while waiting for the Rushbrooke Ferry to pass. My stroke was starting to weaken a bit but there was a strong tide in our favour.

At 13:20, I had two sours washed down by another warm High5. I was feeling a bit cold but I could hear my family and Nick Mulcahy cheering from the shore and that kept me going. As we turned the corner after Passage West, the vast expanse of Lough Mahon opened up before us. My heart sunk when I saw all that water infront of me. The boat started to push ahead and that forced me to pick up the pace and warm up.

Then Ned got into the water and swam next to me for a while. It was good to have some company in the water. When Ned finished I had another hot feed, I needed it. Although the sun was warm, I was starting to get cold from tiredness. Blackrock Castle was clearly visible ahead. It was difficult getting to there because we had lost any assistance from the tide.

I finally reached the Castle at 14:20, the following 23 minutes would be pure mental and physical torture. I was totally drained, my hand was entering the water infront and coming out behind, but not acheiving much in between. The current was coming out from the river and I was in by the bank fighting to make progress. The finish looked close, but it never got any closer. The boat had docked and I just threw my arms infront of me and finall, after 5krd and 37mins in the water, I dragged myself up the public slipway at Blackrock.

Once I managed to stand up, three warm towels were wrapped around me and I lay down on the concrete and closed my eyes. I was exhausted, my tongue was swollen and I was bloated all over. It felt good to just lie there in the sun doing nothing. When I opened my eyes my family were there and a reporter and photographer from the Evening Echo. I answered a few questions for the repoerter and stood in for a photograph, then wolfed down as much food as possible and washed it down with a hot cup of tea.

When I eventually managed to get off most of the lanolin, I put on my clothes and sat into the car. We went back to Monkstown to get our stuff off the boat. When we got there I suddenly realised that my bladder was about to explode, luckily I had enough change for the upblic toilets on the pier and I managed to relieve myself of nearly a gallon of High5.

When we got home I had a nice sit down on the river bank while the others had their swim. The next morning, it was back to school as normal. I nearly fell asleep a couple of times but I managed to get through the day. The whole thing was finally over after a very easy 1500m swim in the Blackwater.

Lizard Point Swim

Lizard Point is the southern-most point on mainland Britain. None of the official swimming bodies have any record of anyone swimming around the point. So we can assume that this swim has never been done before, there is a good reason for this. A rocky reef extends for one mile off the coast of the headland, with only one narrow channel just below the cliff. This is an very treachorous part of Cornwall's rugged coastline, there are countless shipwrecks litterd along the coast. On Saturday 26th July, I became the first person to attempt the five mile swim from Kynance Cove on the western side to Cadgwith on the more sheltered eastern side.

When I started the swim at 7:40 that morning, conditions were perfect. The sea was calm, there was only a light breeze, the sun was shining and the water was about fifteen degrees celcius. However, when we reached the rocks around Lizard Point, a thick fog began to drift in from the east. Because we had arranged to swim on a flowing tide, we quickly surged through the Vellan-Drang Channel near the old Lifeboat station at Polpeer. It was amazing to see the famous lighthouse above us as we rounded Bass Point, our half way mark. Then the fog became very thick and we could not sea the coast, luckily, we had arranged to meet a second boat. He then went between us and the cliff so we could get our bearings. Suddenly a fin appeared out of the fog, imaginations ran wild on the support boat but it turned out to be a sun-fish. When Ilooked at my watch I estimated that I had about a mile left to swim, so I began to pick up the pace a little. Just then, my Dad shouted, "half a mile", and I began to hug the cliff and sprint. When the cliff fell into the narrow entrance to Cadgwith Cove I knew I was finished. I left the water 1hr 59mins 24secs after starting. There were a few people at the finish, my Grandad, Mam, brother, sister and four local people who were friends. Chris Maunder ran down the beach and rapped me in three hot towels, gave me a cup of tea and a plate of fresh crab sandwiches. What a waay to start the morning.


Through the swim we raised just over GB£1,200 for the local RNLI who are trying to buy a new lifeboat. But, without the help of Coxswain Phillip Burgess and Crewman Nick Pryor, the swim would have been impossible. Because we raised so much money from the swim, Phil said in a broad Cornish accent, "Come down 'ere Kilcobben o' Tuesday n' we'll take you out on a launch". So on Tuesday myself, my Dad, my Uncle John and his friend Stefan went to the Lifeboat station and we took part in a full launch and training operation with the Lifeboat. It was an amazing expeirence. On the way back, it was quite stormy so we got the full treatment of bad weather and heavy seas. The crew on-board were very friendly and even explained to us everything that was going on during the excercise. When we got back from Cornwall I sent away the application forms for recognition of the swim to the BLDSA, so all going well, by the end of this year the course will be made official and my swim will be recognised.

Lee Swim 2008

This year's Lee Swim was held on Saturday 19th July. There was the usual excitement on the boardwalk of the Clarion Hotel in Cork City before the race. After Ned had made his safety briefing, we started to walk towards the start area at the Old Distillery Yard. About halfway up the course a harbour seal was spotted in the river showing off his freshly caught salmon to the crowds on the bank. I was starting in the first group where there was the most competition. When the clakson sounded we dove in to the water and it was a mad dash to get into the leading pack. I eventually settled in next to Gerard Mangan, a fast pool swimmer from Sunday's Well. I knew that if I could stay with him, I would be in the early finishers.

It was neck and neck until we came to the Port of Cork sign where we turn for the upstream section. Ger was able to take a tighter turn around the corner and hug the bank where there would be less current. because I was further out into the centre of the river I was suffering more due to the current. From the last bridge it was an all out sprint to the finish. At the touch-pads I finished just eight seconds behind Ger. When we finished there was noone else around so we thought we finished first and second. But when we went through the showers there were two swimmers infront of us. They were; Chris Bryan of Ennis and Shane Drumm of ESB(Dublin). Still, I was relieved to have finished before Ned Denison. There is always great competition between us at races.

After the race the sun was shining and there was a great atmosphere on the quay-side. Everybody was enjoying themselves and it was a great opportunity to meet past Channel swimmers, most recently Finbarr Hedderman of Ballincollig, and other Channel aspirants, including three other swimmers from Cork who are signed up to swim on the same tides as myself. Then, it was up the the Pegasus Suite for the prize-giving. After a few not-so-long-winded speeches, it was time for the prizes. The overall winner was Chris Bryan, and the winner of the women's race was Jullie Ann Galloway from NAC Masters, who is signed up for an English Channel Solo next year.Two medals came home to Fermoy that night, the first was my gold medal for my category of Male Non-wetsiut 12-18yrs, and the second was Leo Bartley's bronze medal in his Male Non-wetsiut 60-64yrs. Overall times were faster than last year for everyone. But I was still surprised to see my time of 24mins 38secs, nearly 4mins faster than in 2007. All in all, it was a great day and I look forward to next year's.