Twelve swimmers in lovely sunshine and 9.5c water on the last day of March. The water was a small bit lumpy with a SE wind, but still a great start to the Monday nights for 2014.
Dan O’Mahony and Dave Smyth in for their first sea swim of 2014.
First Monday night of 2014.
Denis joins Anne and Carmen in togs.
4.30pm this Thursday and Saturday at 08.15, as usual.
As has been noted on this site regularly, Denis Condon has been a diligent swimmer all Winter. An example to us all, he has missed very few days in the sea. Last week he was in Fountainstown and decided to ditch the wetsuit. It was a momentous occasion, witnessed by Anne & Carmen and recorded for posterity by a passing delivery man (fair dues, Bernard).
Denis in Skin! With supporter & camera team.
Not content with a photo, Anne Sheehy waded in a few feet to record the event. Denis ploughed through the waves and Anne was so focused – well, just watch the 23 seconds of the video 🙂
The non-humorous part is that Anne says the slipway in Fountainstown is like a cheese grater if you meet it the wrong way! Ouch. The good news was she was fully recovered for the first Monday night last night and duly posed for Siobhan!
Anne – survived the grater and made it for the first Monday night of 2014.
I saw an article saying that the Irish coastline has lost up to two metres in soil in various areas during the Winter storms. A couple of weeks ago, Siobhan was employing her waterproof camera. The shot below of Rob McFadden gives a good view on the right – his left – of the battering the cliff in Myrtleville has taken from the storms.
Rob gets the waterproof camera treatment – but is shunted to the side to show the erosion!
When you look at it from the sea, it does look like there’s a good bit of soil gone there.
I also came across this site from UCC on coastal erosion, which specifically references the Myrtleville cliffs as susceptible to erosion.
Don’t just take my word for it – go down swimming and look back in at it 🙂
We got in one more morning in March. The water was flat calm on a low tide. Temps were 5c on land and even though it had dipped back to 7.8c in the sea, it was a beautiful swim to the Dutchman and back.
Denis Condon first into the water – Myrtleville sunrise on March 26, 2014.
From about April 18 onwards we will have sunrise on our side again – let the Summer begin!
Lots of swims this weekend with groups in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Denis Condon was at all of them, of course! The water was between 8.4c and 9.2c – not bad at all for March.
A bit chilly after Sunday’s swim – need a hot water bottle.
It’s great to see all the celebs encouraging no-make-up selfies in the fashion press. Here’s local celebrity, B. Lynch, with his contribution.
I think I better avoid Crosshaven for a few days after publishing this one 🙂
Bernard Lynch’s no make-up selfie.
Swims this week on Wednesday, March 26 @ 06.30 (in the morning!); Thursday, March 27 at 4.30pm & Saturday, March 29 at 08.15.
Myrtleville Mondays at 6pm are back next week, starting on 31 March 🙂
Finbarr Hedderman has done his usual fantastic job and the 2014 calendar is here.
Of course, June 28 is the only one you really need to look at.
Also in PDF form here 2014 Sea Swim Calendar.
Enter and Enjoy 🙂
The leading group start their swim in the annual RNLI Myrtleville to Church Bay Swim 2013. Picture: Howard Crowdy.
Rob Bohane dubbed it “pre-season swimming” and we got a fantastic morning for a swim to the Dutchman. Seven happy swimmers and all looking forward to when the clocks really work in our favour from mid-April onwards.
Myrtleville – 21 March, 2014 at dawn.
About 8.4c in the sea and with the sun coming up to warm the end of the swim, it really was lovely. You would imagine that hard-core, open water superstars would just find it toasty, but Finbarr wasn’t around to keep up the standards so Rob and Carol, well…the pictures say it all.
Rob ‘I’m not ashamed of my wetsuit’ Bohane, Carol ‘A little bit ashamed of mine’ Cashell – with Denis & Bernard.
“And when you’re finished swimming, it makes a really good hat!” Rob keeps up the justifying.
Missed my birthday by a day because of yesterday’s storm, but Carol still brought birthday muffins. Thanks, Carol 🙂
Birthday muffins for me (and everyone else)! Thanks, Carol.
Trying for 08.15 tomorrow morning or Carol has another group at 09.00 also.
Saturday was absolutely picture-perfect in Myrtleville. Water temperature at 9.5c and sunny on land – real signs of Summer on the way.
Denis Condon going in first – Saturday March 15, 2014.
We had a welcome return visit from Angela Leonard from Wicklow Masters, down for the weekend. No pictures allowed! She was telling us it was only 4c in the water up the country. Looking at the nearest temps I can find (Arklow), I think she was just trying to make us feel inadequate. To be fair, it looks like it was really, really cold up there in February 🙂
James Slowey found his map for directions and managed to make it down for a swim. He even brought a support team – at least it was a nice morning for them.
Dean & Ciara – James Slowey’s support team: dragged out of bed on a Saturday morning.
Bernard was on tour for the weekend and came across an interesting sign in the Deise.
Bernard on Tour – very medieval down Waterford way…..the lower sign is important, though!
The planned swim for Thursday morning is looking dodgy as the forecast is very bad. We are going to move it to Friday at 06.30, to see if we can get in then.
Swimming today, Thursday at 4.30pm and Saturday at 08.15.
Next week, the plan is for a first early swim of the year on Thursday, March 20 at 06.30. The light will be with us for a week or two before the clock changes, so we might as well take advantage!
Monday nights start up again on March 31 at 6pm. We had some nice candidates for “safety boats” among the liners last year. Looks like the first of the applicants for this year has arrived – anchored off the beach yesterday.
Schooner off Myrtleville – March 12, 2014.
Here’s a more close-up version of the Gorch Fock by Hugh Mockler:
The Gorch Fock at anchor off Myrtleville – pic by Hugh Mockler.
Apparently Evelyn must have told Jean about Myrtleville. Now she’s using the picture too. Just as long as neither of them tell Lydia.
I think the floating door behind her takes you through to the dark side. That’s down West.
Jean Byrne and Ireland’s premier swimming spot. Evelyn told her about it.
Myrtleville Swimmers 