August & September swim times

Planned swim times for Myrtleville Beach. These are the times most likely that a group will assemble. Email myrtlevilleswimmers@gmail.com if you’re interested any day.  Or tweet @Berlyn1966.

These times can vary earlier or later, so definitely check in advance if you’re coming on your own.  Swim at your own risk. Don’t swim alone. Always swim in groups.

  • Monday: 18:00
  • Wednesday: 06:30
  • Friday: 06:30
  • Saturday: 08:15

No morning swim planned on Saturday, 21st September – Myrtleville to Church Bay Swim.

Open Water Sea Swimming in Cork, Ireland

2012 Myrtleville – Church Bay Swim participants (pic Howard Crowdy)

Bye buoy

The yellow buoy near Bunny’s was proving popular at high tide early yesterday evening for swimmers practicing their sprints for Crosshaven Tri.  Unfortunately, one of the other buoys formerly anchored at the Dutchman has started to head towards France, so hopefully nobody used that as a sighting guide.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Dodgy yellow buoy gone to France.

There was a bit of a chill going in, but it still felt quite warm very quickly after that.  Getting in is the hard bit……

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Possibly feeling a little colder tonight…..Eleanor Courtney and Carol Cashell.

It always feels great when it’s done, though.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Michelle Glossop Smyth, Gary Frost, Joleen Cronin, Siobhan Russell, Grace O’Shea, Richie Kelleher.

Thanks to Siobhan Russell for the pictures.

Congratulations & Good Luck

Owen O’Keeffe warmed up (or rather, cooled down) for his Summer of long swims with a five hour swim in Myrtleville in June and has been clocking up some fantastic results since then.  Last week, he completed a 61km swim down the Blackwater from Fermoy to Youghal.  It’s hard to even imagine it!   Carol Cashell was among the crowd who went to cheer him home and sent some pictures.  His swim report is here.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Owen O’Keeffe finishing Fermoy to Youghal 61km swim.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Owen O’Keeffe and family

Also, good luck this week to regular Myrtleville Swimmer, James Slowey, who is racing in the Haute Route Alps – a seven day road race billed as “The highest and toughest cyclosportive in the world”.  He made sure he could handle the cold sections on the mountain tops by swimming all Winter….

Open Water Sea Swimming in Cork, Ireland

James Slowey: Myrtleville Ice Beach 22 January, 2013.

And finally, just another beautiful picture of Myrtleville – what a treasure…

Open water, sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville, Sunday August 18, 2013.

Beach war

Siobhan Russell, as ever, has been busy recording the activities at the beach.  With lots of competitive swims going on and moving closer to the Crosshaven Triathlon, it can get a bit heated at times.  Factions and splinter groups definitely appearing….

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Blue Seventy vs Orca – gang war line-ups.

It seems it’s getting serious for some…..

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

I don’t know – and I don’t want to know.

Time to get back to what it’s all about….

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Race from the beach – serious Tri preparations going on now.

Speaking of serious swims, Trevor Malone broke the fastest time for an Irish swimmer from Africa to Europe in the last few weeks.  As usual, Bernard was straight in for the photo with the returning hero.  Here they are – to quote Carol Cashell – brown and browner.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Trevor Malone and Bernard Lynch.

The red-head convention is under way shortly in Crosshaven, but Joleen Cronin still has to get her work done for her first attempt at the Crosshaven Triathlon on September 7th.  She’s pictured below with fellow first-timer, Clodagh Monks and our intrepid photographer, Siobhan.  150 individuals and 60 teams are entered and entries are closed. Another fantastic effort by all concerned.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Clodagh Monks, Siobhan Russell & Joleen Cronin – ginger, anyone?

Finally, apparently Tara O’Connell was determined to show off her Barleycove Riviera tan, so this picture was sent for inclusion….

Open Water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Orlando Hill, Tara O’Connell, Siobhan Russell & Claire Canning.

Keep swimming and remember – Marlin and Dory had to swim 1,568 miles to find Nemo – you can just go to the Dutchman and back if you prefer, although you may not find Nemo there.

Myrtleville – Church Bay Swim: Sept. 21st

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville – Church Bay 2012 (pic. Howard Crowdy)

The postponement from June is working in favour of many swimmers, giving time to get in more OW swims in preparation.  The very warm water is also a great help, of course!

Entries are increasing steadily so if you haven’t done so already, and you wish to enter: click here.

19.5ºC IN THE WATER – IN MYRTLEVILLE, NOT SPAIN.

A quote from the internationally-accepted precise open water swimming temperature scale, courtesy of loneswimmer.com:
Over 18°C (65°F): This temperature is entirely theoretical and only happens on TV and in the movies.

Last night, verified on three watches, we had 19.5ºC in Myrtleville. Wetsuits were abandoned up and down the beach.  Electrolyte transfusions were set up by the boathouse to help recover from the sweat.

23100723_blue-lagoon-hot-water-springs-iceland-art-print-by-erik-

Myrtleville – 22 July, 2013

Regular Myrtleville swimmers (known as Myrtlevillians to Mr. Bohane and others) had been sending home texts from their holidays crowing about 19ºC water “out foreign”.  They must be freezing.

After a committee meeting, it has been decided to rename the beach and a new sign was erected this morning:

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Myrtleville – AKA Hot Water Beach

See you in the water!

Church Bay Directions

As Myrtleville continues to be thronged, several people have asked for directions to Church Bay for Monday evening’s swim, so here goes:

Church Bay Directions

Church Bay Directions

From Crosshaven the total journey is about 1.3km.  Take the right hand fork in the Y at Cronin’s pub.  The left fork will take you to Fort Camden.  If you get there, go back!  Follow the narrow road up the hill and past the graveyard on your left and keep right at the next Y.  This means crossing the traffic, so do yield 🙂 .  Then take the first left down the hill and find a place to park at the side of the road.

Evening swimmers

The Crosshaven group have been going down a bit later to avoid the crowds and Siobhan Russell sent on these pictures from their Wednesday night swim.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Happy with sea temps reaching 17c: Siobhan Russell, Gary Frost, Orlando Hill, Barbara-Anne , Niamh O’Connor, Harry Casey, Annemarie Fegan, Aoife O’Donovan and Joleen Cronin.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

“She got in my way….”. Don’t mess with Niamh O’Connor or you might end up flat on your back…..

On his first sea swim of the year in April, Sean Foley asked “just how many times can you get brain freeze in one swim??”.  Better temperatures a few months on!

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Finally some warm water – Harry Casey and Sean Foley.

Church Bay Mondays?

Myrtleville attracts large crowds in sunshine.  Crowds who don’t seem to be able to take their rubbish home with them, but that’s another story.

On sunny Monday evenings, Church Bay is a quieter, less crowded option.  There has been a group there lately on Mondays at 6.00pm, as well as at Myrtleville.  So, a choice, as long as it’s not too windy as Church Bay is more open than Myrtleville.

Open water sea swimming in Cork, Ireland

Church Bay, Monday July 8, 2013 – calm and quiet.