Visiting Dublin, The Hat stopped off in the other / real / original / less rural Sandycove.

Cold water at about 9c in Dublin’s Sandycove.  Just like home this week.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Agent B heard tell of a poor guy stuck in a never-ending Island Loop last Sunday and went West to help him out.  He was ambushed and forced to wear non-conforming headwear – under threat of never seeing Myrtleville again if he didn’t do so.

It’s unclear which desperados were responsible – they stayed out of the picture. “Mad Moz” may or may not have been involved – but the ones they call “Mister” and “The Bull” are suspected of complicity in this heinous crime…

Agent B displaying less famous hats – under duress – in a little-known scenic location.

No point in pretending the water wasn’t cold last night – there were patches that came direct from the polar ice cap.  A good forecast for the week ahead should see it heading back up again from the 9c or less it’s at now, into double figures again.  We deserve that!  A good crowd of twenty five or so over the evening, including the main large group – who got the Siobhan treatment.

Main group of photo models – or swimmers – respond to Siobhan’s instructions to Line Up.

Some people who were in early couldn’t contain their glee at being done and seeing the others off.

Laughing Lynch – On ye go now, sure it’s lovely and warm in there……

Pat Lowry has been swimming in Myrtleville regularly but always missed the pictures, so Bernard promised him a slot….

Pat the Paramedic finally gets on the site.

Of course, he has a hat 🙂

Pat’s Hat. Sorry, couldn’t resist that one. Showing my age.

For the small group who followed up last night with the 06.15 swim this morning, here’s what we got: worth getting up for.

Myrtleville at 06.15 May 13, 2014

Friday at 06.15 and Saturday at 08.15.  See you then!  Swim Safe.

Heading for shelter from the SW wind in Fountainstown on Saturday morning seemed like a good idea – but the water was out so far the wind was really whipping up the shallows.  Still, it was great fun and completely safe as you could stand just about everywhere all the way out to Ringabella!

Gary heads for the horizon. Looking for enough water to swim in.

Denis in the distance – blustery wind whipping up the shallow sea.

The triathletes getting ready for Lanzarote, Nice etc. are all looking for time in the open water now – Saturday wasn’t the ideal start!

Dave Foley back for his first swim of 2014 and David Ginnell in for his first sea swim preparing for Ironman Nice. And a guy in togs.

The forecast is looking good this week.  Safe swimming!

As soon as we start to enjoy warmer water and some sun, the Irish weather comes back to show us who’s the boss. Sea temps have dropped back a bit – around 9c this morning – but not enough to deter these familiar faces from a return to the sea – they even brought a small new recruit.

Warm weather swimmers return – and growing in numbers.

The Bank Holiday Monday is often a quieter session, but a good crowd headed in, despite the lumpy water.

May Bank Holiday Monday.

Forecast looks a bit poor for the weekend, so swim safe if you’re going in.  We’re going to swim from Fountainstown at 8.15 tomorrow morning.

I “borrowed” this one from Gordon Adair – great shot of the rocks.

The Dutchman.

As anyone following various tweets will know, there’s no greater supporter of Myrtleville – and The Hat – than Angela Harris. She was so excited about finally collecting her very own hat on Saturday, that she slept through her alarm.  Fortunately, Mike was on hand to save the day and collect it for her.

Mike Harris delighted with his new hat – and one for Angela, of course.

She was just thrilled when she met him later and was greeted with..

I got you a present, Angela..

Thrilled.

Angela & her hat – happy together at last.

We had over twenty in the water on Saturday morning – some incognito:

Agent O – fresh from her daring Sandycove mission – collects her hat. Important to keep her identity secret for other missions.

Being a long weekend, there was a lot of swimming, even in the miserable conditions.  Siobhan Russell was in the West.

Siobhan Russell heads off into Bantry Bay.

The swimming event of the weekend, however, was a bit closer to home.  Finbarr Hedderman, preparing for his North Channel swim in July, swam for six hours in Sandycove on Saturday AND Sunday.  That’s incredible swimming and well worth a mention.

Finbarr Hedderman heads for home after his second six-hour swim this weekend.

The tsunami of hat sightings globally is just too much for some people, who cling to the old days and numbered hats. They don’t realise – bin one and ten more will rise up to take its place. Viva The Hat!

Ned Denison & others have put together two short documents for anyone thinking of getting into open water swimming in the Cork, Fermoy and Kinsale areas.

Well worth reading, for the many people who will be starting or recommencing OW swimming as the temperatures heat up.

Starting OW swimming in Cork for beginners.

Starting OW swimming in Cork for experienced swimmers.

As always when swimming – be careful, plan ahead and SWIM SAFE.

Over thirty swimmers yesterday with 13.1c water and the sun shining.  It’s warmer than it was last May and June, before the heatwave.

We had first-timers, old-hands returning from foreign climes and a very happy group who swam through the Winter and are enjoying the payback of how warm it feels now.

Diana Neaves and Anne O’Connor enjoying getting into swimming in the sea.

Lisa’s last swim was in 23c water in Australia – she still did 45 mins in 13c here.

Nice to see our safety boats are still looking good in 2014.

A long way from Fermoy – Blackwater Tri’s Martin Buckley & Nigel Caroll.

Traffic jam – Myrtleville Mondays are busy already.

It’s hard to keep up with the hat at this stage.  Spotted last weekend in Edinburgh, checking out the Commonwealth pool.  It’ll probably get invited to the Games in Glasgow during the Summer.

The Hat adorns the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh.

The hat also appears to have mystical powers.  Here’s a shot of Gary Frost passing Charlies Bar in Lanzarote.  Apparently he’d never passed a pub on his holidays before he got a hat – or so Denis told me.

Gary cruising past Charlies Bar, Puerto Del Carmen.

The white vs. yellow factions can get a bit heated at times.

My hat is nicer than your hat – Gary Frost and Anne Sheehy modelling both colours in Lanzarote.

Carmen Burns got in on the act on her holidays too.

Carmen Burns swimming by the harbour in the Old Town, Puerto Del Carmen.

We haven’t got Lanzarote temps but at over 11c in the water now and heading for 12c, we can’t complain.

Clarence “The Big Man” Clemons was famous for his hats, as well as his Sax.   Mr. Finbarr – Ice Miler, Channel Swimmer and unrivalled cold water Sandycove lapper – is our local swimming Big Man.  It’s only right he should be seen with a famous hat.  Who needs one of those ones with numbers when you can have the Dutchman, Finbarr?  You’re more than just a number to us 🙂

The Hat meets its biggest fan.