Lots of new and returning swimmers arriving at the beach over the weekend.  It’s great to see new faces and welcome back chlorine-pickled, sea-deprived old friends!

Two newcomers from Blarney made it easy for the rest of us at 8.15 by going in around 7.30 on Saturday and warming the water up.  Thanks, lads!

John McDonnell and Kevin Hedderman from Blarney – started early on Saturday. Thanks for leaving the immersion on for us, lads.

There’s a bit of learning to be done about who to avoid on the beach as well, of course.  Recent arrival, Susanne Deane, made the mistake of engaging a known menace in conversation – “How’d you like to buy this bit of carpet, missus”, went yer man’s sales-patter. “Pure synthetic wool-plastic, like.  Only a few left, missus”.

Never, ever talk to this guy, Susanne – dodgy, dodgy, dodgy.

Carol Cashell has been doing a bit of running with Carrigtwohill AC and brought a couple of club-mates, Dave Ronan and Marvin Board, down for a swim on Sunday morning. Being Carol, she no doubt gave them a complete, written briefing on what to expect and how to prepare for a safe swim.  I think possibly the mention of optional, orange personal-flotation devices got lost in translation for Marvin.

Marvin Board – Carol said ‘swim safe’ and he listened.

I haven’t got pics of everyone but welcome and welcome back to Fintan, Robert and others!  See you all in the sea.   Where else would you be?

With over 100 swimmers in the sea over the weekend in Myrtleville, congestion in the sea is becoming a problem.  Certain swimmers (Anne Sheehy No names, so as not cause embarrassment) are already notorious for cutting across other swimmers, even with only small groups in the water.

However, in defence of those unnamed parties, others contend that mnás just can’t swim straight (Denis Condon Again, no names) and are always causing trouble anyway, so they just can’t help themselves.  No comment on the veracity of this contention will be made on this site (although Eoin Lowry some people agreed with it).

It’s the sheer volume of swimmers coming to Myrtleville now that concerns us  – and how many there will be when the sea temperature increases.  It’s only March and we’re swamped with people.  What’s it going to be like on a warm Summer’s morning?

Projected Saturday morning swim numbers when sea warms up in Myrtleville.

Still, when you see it as beautiful as Saturday morning, where else would people go?

Myrtleville – Saturday 12th March: 7.40am – before the rush.

There’s lots of room and no better place to start the day.  Great to see so many people enjoying it.   We’ll just have to find space for us all 🙂

We all know it’s only a matter of time before our star photographer gets tempted by the big money offers from the USA to become a photographer to the other – non-swimmy – stars. Let’s face it, if she can make us lot look good in Myrtleville, she’ll have no hassles with Leonardo, Julia, Matt etc.

The move took a step closer today with five of her pics featured in the H2Open magazine competition on Facebook.   The winner will be published in the magazine.  Siobhan will definitely get the call-up from 20th Century Fox after that one.

Here’s one of the pictures – featuring the world’s most famous jumping swimmer, Breda Maguire, with a supporting cast of Harris and Cashell(s).   Well done, Siobhan!

Now,  how exactly does the voting work so the vote-buying committee can spring into action?

The picture below sent on by Frank Lynch of Alan Wilkie wearing The Hat, but swimming for another crowd in the excellent Sunday’s Well Masters Gala, started me thinking about flags of convenience.

First, an amended definition with some words deleted and some added to fit the specific circumstances we are dealing with here: 

Flag of convenience is the business Myrtleville practice of registering a merchant ship swimmer in a sovereign state goat-ridden island (GRI), different from that of the ship’s owners swimmer’s real and beautiful swimming location and flying that state’s GRI’s civil ensign goaty cap on the ship swimmer so as to enter certain events. Ships Swimmers are registered under flags of convenience to reduce operating costs for Myrtlevillians and avoid the regulations of the owner’s  swimmer’s country, while making practically a full-time job for Angela Harris registering Myrtlevillians with Swim Ireland.

Apparently there are so many Myrtlevillians using the flag of convenience these days, a new position for Flag Of Convience Secretary had to be created at an EGM down West. 

So we had Alan using the flag of convenience but wearing The Hat.   More disturbingly, at the same event, we had the blackmailing of Anthony Sloman.  Told he HAD to wear that red thing by the aforementioned, hard-working, registration-queen, Angela Harris – he was forced to be seen in public without his Myrtleville Hat.  His solution was to swim really fast so nobody could see him – just a kind of red blur.  Good thinking, Anthony.  He also washed his hair a lot afterwards.

It occurs to me that if so many Myrtlevillians keep taking up the flag of convenience, we could arrive at a situation where they could propose and carry votes at the AGM down West.  All we’d need to do is lay on a bus and say it’s a day out.  Nobody fills a day out like Myrtlevillians.  Next year’s AGM:

“I propose a club name-change to Myrtleville Swimmers Occasional Day-Trip Swimming Club”.  Carried by 172 votes.

“I propose a new Hat…….”.  Carried overwhelmingly….

Has anyone in SISC given any strategic thought to all of these flags of convenience members? They might now.

Safety bit first – nicely put by Ned Denison:

“It is still the coldest time of the year in the sea. For anyone swimming in just togs: there is no such thing as a safety stop in cold water. You need to keep moving. If your swimming partner is a bit slower…then swim loops around them or zig-zag behind them. Keep your stroke rate highish to keep your heart pumping warm blood around your body. Stopping for two minutes is just a bad idea. You get cold and if you are going to get any cramps – that will be the time.

2. There are two places that you want to be:

• swimming in the water, or
• “all the way out” – on land.

Over the years the injuries have typically happened in the middle. The slipway at Sandycove is concrete and if you are exiting when a wave hits….not good. The Myrtleville beach at knee depth is where you can get knocked over and hurt your knees.

Take a minute to look at the conditions before you get changed. Plan your entry between any wave sets and go steadily. Same coming out…look up and back when 25 meters from the end and plan and execute a steady exit.”

Waves were biggish on Saturday with the Easterly wind, but everyone got in and out safely. Some people completely ignored Ned’s rules though and not only stopped moving but did it while not “all the way out”.

Safety-flaunter Anne Sheehy.  Not a bit of a poser.  Oh no, not a bit.

Fancy new togs seem to be the order of the day.  Jim thought his were de latest fashion, but had to give way to Trevor for pure dead fancy, like.

Jim runs away and refuses to pose with Trevor as his togs are too fancy.

Daniel turned up and insisted on hugging the mnás while singing drunken ballads with his eyes closed – like Finbarr Furey.  “I wish I was…….lah, lah di lah di lah……join in, everybody……”

OK, OK, that’s just mean – so here’s the last word to Daniel in the picture of the weekend.  One man and his wave(s).  Nice work, Siobhan!

“Get a haircut and get a real job“, said George Thorogood.  I can handle the first bit, but on days like this I’m very conscious I don’t have the second one sorted.  I need a real job where I can go swimming in the middle of the day, whenever I want.  Just pure jealous.

Myrtleville swimming – 24 February, 2016

The 2016 Local Authority Press Release from Minister Simon Coveney’s office yesterday contained some very good news for Myrtleville.

As an investment in Marine Leisure, €45,000 has been allocated for development work on the slipway and access in Myrtleville to be undertaken by Cork County Council – incorporating shelter and changing facilities for all beach users.  This will be particularly appreciated by the growing numbers of people enjoying the beach through the Autumn and Winter months.

Tom Bermingham got straight to the point and asked “Will I see this in my lifetime?”.  The good news for Tom and the rest of us is that this funding has to be used in 2016, or it will be lost.  We can expect to see quite rapid progress and completion in this calendar year.

Our thanks and appreciation to Simon Coveney for his continuous support on this project and for taking the time to visit the beach to discuss it recently.  This is a genuine good news story for us all!

Simon Coveney in Myrtleville in January.