Blackwater 60 km – Report
A surprisingly clear day dawned about an hour before the start of the swim. (Photograph: Donal Buckley) The early-morning mist was just rising off the water when I arrived at Fermoy Rowing Club at 6:30...
View ArticleFollowing my Blackwater Descent
My planned descent of the Great River of Munster this Friday will take me through some familiar countryside in North Cork, West Waterford and a little bit of East Cork. This means that, for a change,...
View ArticleRound Jersey Report – Part 3
Continued from Part 1 (run-up to the swim) and Part 2 (second half of the swim) from earlier in the week. This post is about the second half of the swim only. I’ll have a reflection on what went well...
View ArticleRound Jersey Report – Part 2
This post is about the first half of the swim only. To read about the run into the swim check out Part 1 from yesterday. I’ll write about the second half of the swim in Part 3 tomorrow… Touching the...
View ArticleRound Jersey Report – Part 1
After the rest of team Crosóige Mara had gone home after our English Channel relay on Saturday, 13 July, it was just me left in Dover on the Sunday night. The following morning, I checked out of our...
View ArticleRound Jersey Solo completed…
Another very quick post just to confirm that I did complete my Round Jersey solo swim on Wednesday, 24 July in a time of 9 hours 35 minutes. I beat the Nick Adam’s record for the fastest swim by a male...
View ArticleCork swimmers ready for MIMS 2013
With Lisa Cummins already stateside, it’s only Liam Maher and Carol Cashell left to send off to the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim 2013. Last Saturday, there was a send-off swim at Sandycove Island for...
View ArticleThe difference a day makes…
The weather finally took a turn for the better this Wednesday (the sun came out and we were well into double figures in terms of air temperature and I was able to get my 2-hour qualifying swim for the...
View ArticleGearing up for Jersey
Well, today is the first day resembling summer! It’s very sunny, very warm (17ºC) if a little windy here in Fermoy and the forecast for the next week is reasonably good. This brings great relief as it...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 7
Finally, Ned has sent on a few photographs! Here is his report from Day 3 of the SCAR Swim Challenge, the Apache Lake 17 mile swim: I woke in a hotel room with no phone, no web, no fridge, no cooking...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 6
Here’s Ned‘s report from Day 2 of the SCAR Swim Challenge in Canyon Lake: All the swimmers and kayakers (and kayaks) were transported upriver to a start location a few hundred metres from the dam (for...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 5
No email from Ned today, just a text: Completed swim in just under 3 hours. Canyon Lake is one of the top ten pretty places I have ever seen. No internet coverage… Today is the longest swim, 17 miles...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 4
Here is Part 4 of Ned‘s report from the SCAR Swim Challenge: Up just before 4:00 am, which was frankly about my normal jet lag wake-up time. The house kitchen buzzed with toast slices, berries,...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 3
Here is Ned’s account of his first day of the SCAR Swim Challenge in Arizona: I headed off to the pool today with Gracie while the others went shopping for water, trackers, video camera mountings and...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 2
Ned‘s report from yesterday morning: Tuesday, 30 April 2013 – 6:00 am (local time) The plane trip out has left me with big fat swollen ankles – not a pretty sight. Let’s hope they return to normal...
View ArticleGuest Series: Ned’s SCAR Swim Challenge – Part 1
Over the next few days, I will be carrying reports from Ned Denison who is currently taking part in the SCAR Swim Challenge in Arizona. Here is the first installment: It’s Sunday 29 April. I arrived in...
View ArticleCS&PF Dinner 2013
After crewing for four English Channel attempts this year, three of them Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation swims, I decided that I’d go to the annual CS&PF Dinner. The dinner took place in...
View ArticleChris Bryan at the FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup
Last Friday, 1 March, the third race of the FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup series was held in Eilat, Israel. A total of sixty-five swimmers from sixteen countries descended on the city, on the Gulf...
View ArticleDefining “Open Water Swimming”
Swimmers at the start of the RCP Tiburon Mile in California, one of the world’s most popular open water events. Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in the number of people taking...
View ArticleAnother Big Swim for 2013
In July and August of last year, I did three long swims down the River Blackwater: 18.6 km from Fermoy to Ballyduff, 15.0 km from Ballyduff to Cappoquin and 26.4 km from Cappoquin to Youghal. In late...
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