Sunday July 10th: Swimmer plays Tourist

Sandycove, Cork County Ireland, Distance Week is over, time to pack up in preparation for our 4am departure tomorrow morning, but before then a little time to dedicate to learning some more about the town of Kinsale, what has gone down in this little town and the waters of the harbour before my visit, I can sense this area is oozing with history, my senses are right.

Me at the entrance to Charles Fort, what history in these buildings

 Robbin and I zip back to the apartment, change into dry clothes and head down to the harbour, yesterday we spotted a harbour boat tour, 5pm, we are on the boat. The tour begins by telling us of a town rich with history, the town is on the site of a monastery founded by St Multose in the 6th century, by the 10th century the Vikings had a trading post in Kinsale. The Normans walled the town in the 13th century and established it as an important trading base. By the end of the 16th century as a result of overseas trade, Kinsale had become one of the most significant towns on the south coast. Numerous battles took place in Kinsale Harbour, Kinsale had become a place of desire to rule, numerous battles including battles between the Spanish, Irish and English forces, to keep attacking forces out  a chain was even laid across the harbour  channel to deter attackers by sea.

The Fort buildings

 Charles fort was built in the 1600’s, on the boat tour we saw it from the harbor view, I also got to see the beach from the torture swim, amazing to see it from a different angle, ” how could I have missed that during the tourture swim?”, I wonder. After the boat tour Robbin and I make our way to Charles fort by land, the fort was named in 1681 in honor of King Charles II, the fort was a formidable deterrent to intruders by sea but had weaknesses with regard to attackers by land. The fort is star shaped with five bastions which defended the entrance to the harbour. At the entrance to the fort was the guard house, this was where they used to detain soldiers when army regulations were breached, the discipline in the army was governed by the Army Discipline Regulation Act, this act listed 25 distinct offences that would result in death, these included murder, mutiny, striking a superior officer, fraudulent enlistment, falling asleep on duty and cowardice in the face of an enemy…no pressure there right!

  The fort itself remained in use until 1921,  the English withdrew at the setting up of the Irish free state, in the 1990s restoration began and it is now maintained and open for visitors to tour, what a remarkable site. Robbin and I walk around the posts, we view the soilders quarters, soilders would enlist for life, it must have been so terribly cold and bitter during the winter months.

The Governor's House on the left

 We tour the governor’s house, this is quite grand compared to the other buildings, here lived the governor and his family, as the story goes on the wedding day of his daughter the governor shot his new son in law. The son in law and his new wife, the governor’s daughter had been walking, the bride saw some flowers and asked the groom to climb down and pick them for her, the groom wanting to please his new wife, asked a soldier on his post if he would retrieve the flowers, he agreed as long as the groom watched  his post, the groom agreed eager to please his new bride on their wedding day, but alas the groom fell asleep, the governor at the time was doing his rounds, he came across one of his men asleep at the post, in keeping with the Army & Discipline Regulation Act he shot him, it was not until afterwards he realised that he shot his new son in law, his daughter was so distressed she threw herself of the cliffs to her death, later that night the governor shot himself dead. Over the years the ” lady in white” has been reportedly seen at Charles Fort, she fell to her death in her wedding dress.

 That is but one of the stories we learned on our whirl wind tour of Kinsale on Sunday evening, just the tip of the ice burg I am sure.

 We finish off the afternoon with a drink at the Bulman, the only pub we managed to visit during our stay in  Ireland, it is a lovely spot with life music and wouldn’t you know it they played a song by a New Zealand  band ” Crowded house”, perfect.

 Next up the final pack up, off to bed and up at 4am to drive to the airport and a farewell to Ireland, what a wonderful country. I have enjoyed my stay and meeting so many tremendous friendly people, goodbye Kinsale and County Cork, I’ll look forward to another visit some day.

 What is up next travel back to Stowe, Vermont, USA, then sizing up the next big challenge, a 2 way crossing of Lake Champlain on August 4th, 16 plus miles and swimming at night, how are plans shaping up for the big swim? I’ll keep you posted.

Time to size up the next swim, on arrival back to Vermont, I drive to the waterfront and look out over Lake Champlain, hang tight lake I'm coming in August 4th

Sunday July 10th, 9am

Today is swim number 16 of 16, the schedule says:6 Hour swim at Sandycove- Meet at 8am

Sandycove the last swim, there is the red house my favourite land mark

 

 Isn’t it amazing how things can seem to move so slowly yet be over so quick, just 9 days ago this point in time that I am at today seemed like a century away, all I could think was ” how am I going to endure another 15 swims, it will take FOREVER, well it didn’t take forever, it took me focusing on one swim at a time, I made a commitment to attend this distance week and I am going to see it through…..and now here I am, so surreal, my last dip in Ireland during the 2011 Sandycove distance training week.

 Today’s swim is a 6 hour swim, it is a qualifying swim for the English Channel for many, the water temperature is said to be 11-13 degrees celsius ( 51.8-55 F), my plan to swim the strongest and longest my body allows me to.

 So onto the swim we arrive at 8:45am with 6 premixed Feeds of Maxim, hot water to be added to them to make them hot feeds, today I have my New Zealand Cap on and temporary tattoo on my shoulder for a little extra ” KIWI DRIVE”.  Ned pulls us in for our swim debrief, he starts  with a summary of yesterdays TORTURE swim, asking each of us how it felt to have the boat drive away, our feeds not given to us when we were swimming, confusing instructions shouted at us and all the boat wakes. ” Today will not be like that, we are here to help you succeed, there will be a team on the island to feed and support you, you swim laps around the island we will be there for you”

Neave, Robbin and Billy in the background spoiling us swimmers once more

 Ned then goes on to announce thanks and awards to the many who have helped make the week possible, a big one is Neave, Billy’s Mum, she has been on shore during most of the swims, putting on a spread of hot drinks, home baked muffins, biscuits and even BBQ’s for us to savour post swim. Robbin  has been helping her and they have had a right laugh, even getting in and swimming too on occasion and lending Robbin a wetsuit so she could swim to the island…which she did on Friday, way to go Robbin. We all applaud, then Ned announces all the English Channel swimmers who have come to swim and support the newbies, I clap hard on that one, what a treasure to have these accomplished, experienced swimmers share their knowledge and finally acknowledgement of the one swimmer who attended every swim, and wouldn’t you know it, it was me, the stubborn ” skinny penguin”, 16 swims ,14 of them hypothermic, I tilt my head slightly as the group applauds, I am EMBARRASSED with the attention.

A low tide treat to begin our last swim..that means slithering through the weeds and scrapping over the sharp rocks.

 With the awards out of the way we get down to the business of the last swim, ” Find someone to swim with, it is much more digestible with company”, Ned says, as he says this I start shuffling closer to Colm, I look up with a ” pick me” look in my eyes and we walk down the slip way side by side, the tide is low and we all walk out, Colm asks if I prefer the rocks or sea weed to swim through, ” sea weed please”, I say, it feels warmer to me in the seaweed, with that we are off.

Today the water is extra special cold for us, I don’t swim my usual punchy pace I hold it steady and swim beside Colm, I am pleased with my choice it is nice to swim alongside him and I sense he knows this Island well, I follow. Around we go one lap down and time for me to take a feed, Colm had told me at the start that he was not feeding until lap 2 , ” I’ll wait for you”, he says as I swim towards the island, I swim in and take my feed, the feed feels lovely and warm sliding down my throat, I swim off with a burst on energy, Colm kindly waits for me and we take on lap 2 together, I notice it is colder around the back side of the island, then in for the next feed we both feed and head out again, then things get fuzzy, we swim another lap or so, I see the island, Colm pointing me in to feed, someone standing with a bottle, I stagger up to take it, I stare at the bottle….” that’s not my feed”, I say, Robbin, my sister replies ” this is your feed, here drink it”, ” that’s not my feed, it’s orange, my feed is green, that’s orange”, I say again, Robbin again replies, ‘ Charlotte you made this feed yourself, look you wrote your name on the bottle, it is not orange”, I look down I don’t see my name and the bottle still is orange to me, I don’t trust them, why are they messing with me? Next thing I know the hot fluid is tipping down my throat, it is scalding hot, ” I can’t believe they are feeding me boiling hot water’, I think as I stumble back in the water, Colm is there, ”  come on this way” , we head out to swim another lap, next time I come into the island there is no recollection, only what I have been told I said and did, so here is an account from Robbin….she tells me after the swim that I again was convinced the feed was not mine and refused to drink it, then she tells me ” you looked like a walking corpse, no color in your face, there was no blood in your outer extremities, your eyes had sunk into their sockets, you had big dark blue smudgy circles around them, you looked puzzled and then in an inquisitive way said” Who the F*ck are you….., anyway”, apparently I could still swear!, Ned tells me I didn’t recognise him at all, ” no more laps of the Island for you Charlotte, you swim to the slipway and back  with Carol” Ned says, then there was Carol, my savior, she took my hand in the kindest voice, ” come on Charlotte we’ll swim to the slip way and back, just 3 minutes there”, OK I said in my head and with that I put my head down and swam, ” now we go back to the Island”, Carol said,” OK”, I mumble and I put my head down and swim back to the island, next thing I know I have swum back to the slipway after swimming one more width and Carol is helping me out of the water, next comes a blur and I am in the car with blankets. My last swim is over, I gave it all I had, thanks to the support of the crew and other swimmers, my camp is over OR IS IT?

 In the car I go through my usual shakes and tremors, my muscles spasm and cramp up, that is the most painful bit, today I am fascinated with my feet, they look like those of a cadaver, I used to study anatomy using cadavers when I attended Otago University in New Zealand, granted my feet don’t smell of formulen, but they do look so drained of blood like a corpses, ” how could I be alive and have dead looking feet, wierd”, I think.  At Otago I completed a 4 year degree in Physical Education, we studied Anatomy for the first year, I never forgot the muscles names after seeing then first hand on a body, kind of sticks with you, just like the smell of the formulen, our anatomy lab was always right before lunch and whatever I did I couldn’t get the smell off myself, duing lunch it hung over me while I ate, I didn’t look forward to lunch on those days.

Robbin notices me drift off to sleep and decides to whisk me away for a shower and food, a good call, as we drive away I glance back at the island, many swimmers are still out there, Ned had asked me if I would like to come over to the island and watch the other swimmers feed after I was done swimming today, ” you’ll learn alot”, he said, so my plan is to go change and come back, I have already decided, I am coming back with my suit on underneath my clothes, if Colm wants company towards the end of his swim I am getting back in.

 Back to the apartment, a warm shower, food, dry suit on, I pick the one that simmers like a fish, brightly colored, warm clothes on top, then I stuff my swim cap, ear plug and goggles into my pocket so no one can see and am off with Robbin back to the island.

 I catch a ride in the dingy out to the island and sit and watch the remaining swimmers as they swim in, feed and head back out for another lap. Ned is right, I do learn alot, ” look how calm and controlled they are when they come in”, says Ned, I look, sure enough they swim in, walk up to the island, ask for their feed, maybe something special like a jelly baby or mint, even mouthwash to give the mouth and tounge relief from the salt water, then thay are off again. They don’t argue, shout or reject help, the swim on. I am amazed that they can talk at all. There is still 1.5 hours to go, Kevin is still swimming, along with Alan from Montreal, Donal is still out there too and Colm, who had helped me so much earlier in the day. I continue to watch and notice it is hard to look upbeat and positive knowing how hard this must be for them swimming, I spare a thought for my own crew and realise what a tough ask I give them..” look happy it helps me when I swim”. More time goes by, now only 40 minutes to go, Colm swims, Lisa brings him his feed, ” It’s getting tough out there now”, says Colm, her looks up and sees me all bundled up sitting on the rock, ” coming in for another lap?”, he asks, ” Yes I said I can if it would help”, I reply, ” No, no, I was just joking you stay warm”, Colm replies, ” really Colm she has her suit on, cap,and goggles ready to go”, says Lisa, ‘ no Charlotte I have slowed down over the hours, I’ll be much too slow for you”, as Colm continues to say no I am ripping off my pants and jackets, and shouting to him, “you go I’ll catch you up”,  with that he resumes swimming, I tug on my cap, ear plugs in and goggles down, I dash into the water chasing him, I don’t care if he is slow or fast I am going to be there for him if it helps him through. So off I stroke, winding in and out of the weed and the rocks, the water is refreshing and before long I pull up alongside him, he was right I have to slow my stroke down to stay alongside him, I look down at all the wonderful activity on the bottom of the cove, I breathe to my left and fondly look at the powerful waves crashing on to strong rocks, it is beautiful, I feel so grateful to be in such an amazing place, then I breathe to the right and see Colm soldering on, nearly 6 hours completed in this water in the low 50s, what a feat. The cold snaps my mind back, I swim fast past Colm to warm myself up, swim in a big circle and then pull up beside him again, hoping I am not distracting him. We swim along like along the backside of the island, round the 3rd corner where the water is a bit warmer and then back into the island where I get out and Colm goes about finishing the last little bit of his 6 hours and he does, what a terrific swim. Alan makes his qualifying swim and Donal his mentor leads the way, setting a good example for Alan by keeping him company and swimming the 6 hours also, Kevin cruises in and completes his as well.

Me and Colm my new swim buddy

 So there we have it, distance training week comes to a close, time to gather round and say some goodbyes and some thank yous for all the good swimming, lessons learned and support offered, Ned headed up one heck of a wild ride, it was the most miserably painful wonderfully enjoyable experiance I recall, thanks Ned for everything. So into the car and off Robbin and I go, is this the last story from Kinsale, absolutely not, we have not it is 3:30pm and we are going to high tail it to make it in time a harbor cruise at 5pm and tour Charles fort, we haven’t done any sightseeing yet( apart from in the water!) and I am determined to learn a little history about this wonderful little village and harbor before we leave for the airport at 4am tomorrow morning,what will we discover, I ‘ll keep you posted!

Closing thought: True success is the only thing that you cannot have unless and until you have offered it to others

 Author unknowen

Saturday July 9th 10:00am

TORTURE SWIM

 Today we are swimming from Sandycove Island, Ned has a pack of accomplices accompanying him today, accomplices who know the lessons we are about to “learn by doing”, many have swum the English Channel and other challenging waters, this group are no band of merry men today, they are ghoulish figures on board to help Ned teach us lessons the HARD WAY, you know the way you never forget. I am amazed that I can read accounts from other Channel swimmers of ” what to do and what not to do”, but boy when you experience the discomfort of ” not a good idea” it is firmly ingrained in your deepest inner self….” Boy I am NOT doing that again during my swim”, Yes I would say today is shaping up to be a good learning day….THE HARD WAY.

 Robbin and I enjoy the novelty of a ” late start”, we arrive at 9:30am to find a bustle of activity, Sandycove is no longer the sleepy little cove we have swum in over the last week, there are kayaks, boats, paddlers, swimmers, a hive of activity. As soon as we park we are called over for the day’s meeting, Ned gathers us around the top of the slipway and begins the rundown…

Time for SNEAKY Instructions....read on and see why!

 ” In the Channel anything can happen, the more you experience of the ” what ifs’, the better prepared you will be, the best laid plans can and will change, your job is to ” SHUT UP AND SWIM” despite what is going on with your boat, pilot and crew.

 Today you swim out around the island, you swim in the opposite direction that you have been swimming all week, the island will be one your right, be ready for further instructions, you will get fed by the boat, put your feed on the slip way to be taken in the boat, you have 5 minutes GO!

 I scurry away to get my gear sorted, grease on, earplus in, cap and goggles, then my feed bag laid in the pile with all the other swimmers…

Feed Containers lined up ready to go!

 From here it is ” walking the plank again”, you guessed it….down the slipway….

There's me at the back of the bunch, looking eager walking down LAST!

  The Torture Team are shouting at us to get in and swim, it feels like we are being prodded by electric poles by a farmer trying to move a flock of stubborn stroppy sheep, and then a swimmer dives in, like sheep we all follow, one after the other.

 The water temperature is no longer a shock to my brain, my mind has become accustomed to 11-13 degrees Celsius ( 51.8-55.4 degrees F), in fact my mind says ” Bring it on”, my body however is not quite as convinced.

 Off I swim, stretching out with long strong strokes around the island, I LOVE swimming in this direction, I favor breathing to my right and today I get a good view of Sandcove Island and the goats that live on it, it is also particularly clear water, below me are wonderful scurrying crabs, swaying seaweed, it is swaying in harmony to some hidden soothing music underwater and finally the fish, darting everywhere, YIP I am having fun, ” I love swimming”, I say to myself. Around the island I go, I notice that my mind has already begun calculating, where I am, how long I have been swimming, speculating that I will go around the island atleast twice, yes I am already steamrolling ahead in my mind taking control of the situation at hand.

 Whirl, Wosh, Whirl….I am aware of cold bursts of water engulfing my midsection, suddenly I don’t feel quite as much in control as I did just a few minutes ago, “OK, just a boat, just a boat, they are here to help”, I repeat over and over in my head, little do I know they are not here to help, they are here to make things difficult, they are here to add confusion and some real live Channel scenarios….I will soon learn more.

 I lift my head up, it is one of the bright orange boats, I don’t recognise anyone on the boat ” Rats no familiar faces”, I think, someone shouts at me..” Follow the boat, follow the boat, FOLLOW THE BOAT”, ” OK, I guess they want me to follow the boat”, I think and I do, ” this is fun, turn here, follow there”, I follow and I follow, then my mind pipes up ” Hey where is the island now”, Hey the boats taking you in figure 8s”, my mind keeps tossing out new scenarios, each new one confusing me, I override my brain” Head down SHUT UP AND SWIM” I instruct myself, and I do, PHEW, that was a close call.

Follow that Boat Swimmer NOW

 So I swim , swim and swim, I have settled back down and get into a rhythm in my stroke, I have no idea where I am, then I feel a wave push me back, I pull my head up and look ” Hey that sucker came out of nowhere”, I think, on I swim cross that a rogue wave caught me off guard, next I hear shouting ” drink this”, a bottle is passed to me, ” ahhhh not MY bottle”, I had been banking on my feed, a shot of energy to help me be strong in the chilling water, ” DRINK, DRINK, DRINK IT”, the shouts from the boat continue, I want to please but am not feeling that ” this water is going to taste great feeling”, I spill alot, drink some and then swim on humming the Talking Heads song ” We’re on a road to nowhere”.

 At the start of the swim I felt such purpose, as time has moved on my stroke has slowed, I don’t know where I am going and I feel a “ does it really matter stroke” creeping  in, I snap myself out of it and start swimming with all I can muster. At our meeting this morning we were told to take responsibility and charge of ourselves, if we need assistance a fist punch in the air. I have decided to swim as long as I can, I swim on and JUST SWIM.

 The boat comes by again, I don’t know how long I have been swimming or where I am, I stop and am instructed to drink water again, I look around, ” open sea that way, the other way, I don’t recognise any of the land in the distance”, ” DRINK”, there is a water bottle thrust into my hands,

 ” DRINK IT DRINK IT DRIIINNNNKK”, someone is shouting at me, I am not sure who, they are angry, I want to drink but my jaw is clenched shut, I manage to get the top of the bottle in between my teethbut as soon as I do my jaws clamps down around the bottle, it hurts, I tip my head back and do the best impersonation of drinking in a relaxed style with a smile, the impersonation fails miserably. Next thing I know the bottle is gone and Ned is yelling, ” catch those swimmers”, his arm is pointing that way, ” OK, that way swim to catch swimmers, I can do that”, I say to myself, and with that I swim off spinning my arms as fast as I can. I catch the swimmers and recognise Craig, I settle in beside him, we swim alongside each other for a bit and then he is gone and I don’t no where, I AM ALONE VERY ALONE.

 I am lost, ” is anyone watching me”, I wonder, I swim on, my hands are like claws, my body that has been aching from the cold doesn’t seem to ache any more,  I stop, I swim, I stop , I swim, at some point I no longer remember if I am swimming or not, I am disorientated, my body unresponsive and my mind muddled. I punch my fist up in the air to signal for help, I don’t recall much from here, I am not sure how quickly the boat came to pick me up, I do remember thinking, ‘ OK you are in control, YOU are going to climb up the steps into the boat YOURSELF”. So the boat comes by, I hear the boat talk about pulling me in, I smile inside about a cunning plan to climb up the ladder on my own, down comes the step ladder, I look at it commanding my legs to step up and my arms to reach out…..nothing happens…I command them again, still nothing happens, my legs are defiantly not moving, next thing I know I am  scooped out of the water, Donal wraps me in a towel and then a blanket, he sits me down on the boat beside him and I latch on to him like a starfish on  fish tank glass. I burrow myself into his side and tuck right under his arm, he warms me, I feel safe.

 After a bit Ned shouts ” time to get dressed’, Doanl helps me pull a pair of big corderouy pants over my suit, a fleece pullover and Ned’s big long  jacket.

 My swim is over for the day, and now that I am on the boat Ned and Donal have switched gears from  gruff confusing torture pilots, to patient, kind and instructional, the cooler opens up, hot chocolate, bread rolls, ham and cheese, Ned makes us sandwiches and the two of them share their knowledge of swimming, I am the luckiest penguin out there, I am able to watch the other swimmers and hear Donal and Ned’s comments, how the remaining swimmers are doing, who is weakening and who is picking back up, it is invaluable, I learn alot.

 ” I can help, I have lots of post on cold water swimming on my website www.loneswimmer.com “, says Donal, I make a mental note of the name.

 I am taken back on how in tune Ned and Donal  are to the swimmers, from the water it felt like they didn’t know what was going on and were not aware of my location, being in the boat I see that these two are ” as sharp as a tack”.

 The remaining swimmers have been instructed by Ned to swim to a beach in the distance, they make it, some swimmers leave the beach, there are no directions from there, some of the swimmers stand around wondering what to do next, others get back in the water and resume swimming back towards the way they came. 

 After a bit of time has passed, enough time for a couple of sandwiches our boat motors to the island, Craig is the last man swimmer left on the island, he is not having a bar of it getting back in the water and we scoop him into the boat, I feel for him, my recent feelings of hypothermia are still fresh in my mind, he is wrapped up in blankets, I pull the hat of my head and pull it over his.

 The swimmers are making good progress back towards Sandycove Island the start of our journey, looking at the terrain on the way back I find it hard to believe that I couldn’t have recognised where I was when I was swimming, there is that inkling in me saying ” I can’t believe you couldn’t get to that beach, I know you can do it, until another day beach, another day”, I threatening say the words in my head, ” watch out beach, I’ll be back someday”

 There are a group of 3 swimmers and 2 swimming alone, ” see how comforting company is”, says Ned, I do, ” when they get around this corner, they will be deflated, they will think that that corner is Sandycove Island and it isn’t they have one more to go”, Ned is right, when the group round the corner there is still 1more stretch to go until Sandycove some of them drop their stroke rates, but then one kicks in and the others follow. Then one swimmer refuses feeds, ” that’s it, she does that one more time she is pulled out”, says both Ned and Donal, I make a mental note, don’t say NO to your crew and pilot.

 We finally make it back into Sandycove, the first 2 swimmers in the group we are watching land and fist pump each other, then a hug , I feel their elation, it is great towatch, despite all the cold and the tremors I wish I was there with them, sadly I am in the boat. It is too shallow for Ned to drive the boat into the slipway, ” can you wait a bit til we get you a ride in?”, Ned asks both Craig and I together, I look at Craig, he looks at me, we could swim in, I am excited to be able to swim back to the slipway, we both jump in and tread beside the boat, ” sprint to the Island first”, shouts Ned, ” it will do you good”, and we do, and it is FUN. We reach the island huffing and puffing and then stretch it out to the shore…….we’re there fist pump!

 LEARN BY DOING: Here is what I learned today, long higgle-t- piggelty list, but what can I tell you my brain slowed down out there…..

• Head Down, JUST SWIM
• Don’t try to figure out where you are JUST SWIM
• If the boat leaves don’t worry JUST SWIM it will be back
• There will be waves JUST SWIM
• Never Give Up JUST SWIM
• JUST SWIM until you get there or are pulled, your crew is watching you, they know your stroke.
• Take your Feeds and JUST SWIM
• Positive Comments motivate me more to JUST SWIM
• Take out the uncertainty by being as prepared as you can to JUST SWIM

So we are at a point I was willing to arrive FAST, 15 swims complete and just one to go, how could I be feeling sad about this miserably painful week coming to a close?

 It’s the people that get you through. So what’s on the schedule tomorrow….8am 6 hour swim. Oh and the parting gift from today’s swim a chipped front tooth from my clen

Closing Thought: No team can ever be whipped if they hang tough together and refuse to be beaten

Sandycove Island

Well it is finally here, Friday morning, Day 7 , that’s right 7 consecutive days of double swims in Ireland, this morning is my 13th swim in the last 7 days and we find ourselves once more at Sandycove Island. The first day I set eyes on Sandycove Island it looked unwelcoming, the first morning I swam around it the same….unwelcoming, or perhaps it was me not respecting or being receptive to the Island and it’s unpredictable and cool waters. Today when the Island comes into view I look at it with respect and with excitement, I want to swim and rise up to the challenges this Island throws my way, yes I am beginning to look at this Island in a new light, my new master, tough yet fair, strict, yet achievable, I like Sandycove Island.

THE WATER TEMPERATURE TODAY=WAKE UP IT’S COLD

 Like it or not the island is tossing 11 degree Celsius water my way today, I don’t fret or flince, instead just size up the stakes, I will have to swim fast and will swim strong for as long as my body will allow me to function, and I do. 2 laps, a good pace and a strong finish with a sprint back to the slipway. Off home to shower, you guessed it YOGA, EAT and REST.

SEASIDE FUN

  Next up is our Friday evening swim, I am not quite sure what to make of this one, our schedule reads….

Garrettstown 6:30pm swim and PLAY in the surf and drink in Kinsale afterwards.

Garrettstown= sandy, sunny, SWEET

PLAY…..I read the words again, ” how odd, what does he mean PLAY” I think quietly, and with that decide to go prepared for anything BUT I will put on a playful suit, it is bright colors and shimmery like a fish, a refreshing change from the morbid black suits I have been sporting all week. So off we go, Robbin and I, we drive 20 minutes to Garrettstown through beautiful rolling hills, passing through a little village and finally following a winding road alongside the beach that drops us into Garrettstown, my jaw drops slightly….it is a delightful long sandy beach, no threatening cliff faces or crashing white foamy waves, this is a paddle at the seaside type beach…how lovely.

 We stand on the roadside chatting with some of the other swimmers awaiting instructions on the night’s swim, while we are waiting we get talking about Feed, I have brought some Lemon Lime Maxim to give Billy’s Mum Neave, they are interested in trying some out, ” I have 2 big tubs with me” I told Neave this morning, ” I’ll bring you some of mine”, I do, while we are chatting Kevin tells me that he uses electrolyte free Maxim, he explains that it is better without the electrolytes due to the salt water you take in over long periods of ocean swimming, thanks to Kevin I file away the suggestion and make a mental note to search the stuff out whenI get back home.

Time for a playful seaside paddle swim

 After a bit Ned says…” OK we play in the surf for a bit then off to Jowita’s home for dinner”, I am still processing “play” for a bit, hmmm that means not jump in and pound out strokes until my body will no longer obey my mind…. ” interesting concept”! So into the water we go and wouldn’t you know it the water feels WARM, and I feel RELAXED, off we go into the water, my mind is singing the song from last night…..

don’t you know you better swim, swim, swim, swim , swim swim

I take some long  strokes and the water feels great, Alan, Finbar, Ned, Billy, Kevin are coming out past the breaker waves with me, we start meandering along swimming parallel to the shore, we are heading towards a big bunch or rocks, we stop here and there to chat, float, duck and dive and guess what? This is the most exciting bit for me, I  CAN TALK….we pull all up treading water in a circle and I can TALK, yip I can chat with the boys and I am thrilled with myself, all week I have watched the other swimmers happily tread and chatting in the water and I, the POPSICLE STICK have had my jaw frozen shut only letting out mumbles and slurred words, now I get to hang with the big kids and converse WHAT FUN!

 We swim along to the big rock pile at the end of the beach and swim back, a surf ride in on miniture waves, into change at the car and off to Jowita’s for the yummiest Pumpkin soup ever, we are home by 9pm, my earliest night back since we arrived in Ireland.

7 Days Complete: 70 kilometers, a little shy of 45 miles

GET READY FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE

What could  be next?

Saturday 10am TORTURE SWIM, how far, how fast, how long, to where….no one knows!

Closing Thought: To achieve all that is possible we must attempt the impossible

Thursday

 Today is race day, day 6 of 9, up at 4:30am to stretch and load myself with fuel which consists of Porridge, bananas, a dash of milk and a sprinkle of sugar, then 2 poached eggs and toast, a hot cup of Barrys teas and a 500ml hot Maxim and water to go on the way to swim number one of today, my belly feels full and I can feel the heat of the food from the inside out.

 This morning the air is crisp, 8.5 degrees Celsius crisp (47 F ish),  the water a bit warmer than the air at 11-12 degrees Celsius (51.8-53.6 degrees), it is a beautiful morning, it is a morning offering an extra lashing of cold, I rub my warm belly as I look out to sea, ” come on porridge, share the warmth while I’m in the water”.

Sandycove Island, photo from Ned

 TIDE’S OUT

This morning the island looks unrecognizable compared to the other mornings, this morning we drive down the narrow windy road towards Sandycove Island, as we round the last corner it is not the familiar image you see above it is this……..

Low Tide Rocks and Weeds are silently waiting to add to the challenge

Morning meeting complete me and the other swimmers scatter to out various spots to get ready for our penguin plunge, today the grease is extra cold making it even harder for Robbin to smear on, cap, goggles, ear plugs and we are off for the ‘ hike” in to swim, with the tide being low, there is no ” walk the plank” off the slipway, we trudge across the sand and rocks, this morning I learn a ‘low tide lesson”…..

LOW TIDE = ROCKS, SEAWEED AND KELP

 We are off swimming, (or is it scrambling), I chase Ned as he weaves in and out of the rocks and drives through the seaweed, my tactic of slithering over the rocks to take a short cut is a rookie mistake, the rocks are sharp and covered with razor sharp barnacles, like needles on a porcupine ” you will regret getting too close”, and me the clumsy puppy does exactly that, I slice my foot on the top of the rock, fortunately I have little feeling in the foot at the time so am oblivious to the gash while I am swimming, I feel just a bump andwith not much blood going to my foot there can only be a small stream of blood, if any leaking from it as I lap around the island.

 Next trick is the seaweed and Kelp, I must say although I find this slow to pull through it appears to be warm, it wraps around my neck, my arms, feet and waist like a blanket, once it is wrapped it is tricky to shake off, it all looks like a Halloween forest down there, all sorts of dark shapes of different sizes, some look like massive mutated house plants gone wrong.

 The first 2 corners of the island are the ones that are the rockiest and weediest, I slip and slither, pull and push my way through and then sprint to catch up to Ned, I know that without his expert navigation I will have a much longer and tougher swim this morning, his strong pace is great for me to swim along with.

 So we are off around the back side of the island, no more sheltered water of the cove, it is noticeably cooler this morning, not only the water but the air, I am noticing the driving cold of my head, it aches with the cold, my feet have already ice blocked up but the good news is my hands have not clawed and my midsection feels toasty warm, I can feel the warm porridge sitting in my belly radiating heat like a pot belly stove AND I feel strong. What fun I am enjoying myself this morning, what progress from the horror show swim on Saturday morning just 5 days ago, either I am starting to show signs of acclimatization or my brain been tricked into thinking this hijinx is normal stuff, either way I’ll take it.

 Around the back side things get rough, there is a keen swell and the waves are picking up, I am jostled about by the waves, sometimes I am picked up and dropped away from Ned, sometimes the swell knocks me straight into Ned, then we hit corner 3 the incoming tide picks us up and we surf in super fun, I get to swim around for 3 laps and each time I look forward to  the surf in around the back corner, before I know it it is time for the final 800 meter sprint to Cape Gris, we pull through the current along side the red house and into the slipway, EXCELLENT, GOOD TIMES!

 The cold did once more get the better of me today, Robbin shuffles me up the slipway, I stumble, mumble and slur ” Tanks Blobbin Zinzibar” to her as she wraps me in a towel, 2 blankets and thrusts a hot chocolate in my shaking hands. I am thrilled my brain is still functioning even if my body has started to shunt blood away from my extremities.

 How far today….3 Laps 4.5 km

How Fast…our first 2 laps were Lap 1= 23 minutes

                                                                 Lap 2 = 24 minutes

 I like the faster pace, next up off to feed and rest up for tonight’s swim, back at Sandycove for a 2 Lap swim at my top speed, I am told it is a RACE, I LOVE TO RACE.

Closing Thought:

” Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of doing”

John Wooden

7-9pm Speckled Door or around Sovereigns

 Thereit is tonight’s swim in black and white on my schedule, we meet at Sandycove Island, it is a stormy night with a blustery wind and driving rain, the sea reflects the mood of the current weather it is gnarly and unpredictable looking, we hover around Ned for our meeting…..

We swim up the coast along the cliffs to land pieces out there, there is NO exit, you are responsible for when it is time for you to turn around, we swim in groups and pairs after turning around we ride the current back with the incoming tide, Ned looks up the coast, the landmarks are big, things seem further away than they are, they get big fast, if you can see it you can swim it”

No exit point there

 We all scatter to get ready, cap, goggles, ear plugs, grease on and down to the waters edge, I am swimming tonight with Billy, Colm, Carol and Ned, we head down the slip, the air temperature is 14.5 C( 57 ish) the water 11-13 degrees C ( 51.8-55).

Sandycove Island Low Tide

 No launching off the slipway tonight the tide is low, the Sandycove Island lap is unrecognisable to me yet we manage to slither out through seaweed and rocks and with that take to swimming up the coast adjacent to the cliffs, it is the most breathtaking view yet dark and grim all at the same time, the rugged nature of the cliffs, the height of them fascinates me, all while leaving me with a hollow gnawing feeling inside….NO EXIT POINT. That is a fact, the waves are crashing into the cliff face, to try and exit there would not end well knowing how sharp the rocks are and then if you survived the landing where to go and how would someone get you out, nope firmly ingrained in my mind is ” I am swimming this out”

Rocky Cliffs, Sandycove in the background

 So we swim, and we swim, I am enjoying the pace and the rhythm, after a while Ned stops, are you good, ” Yes “I reply, we continue, I can start to make out the shape of the land pieces, they look like tall sea versions of sky scrapper jetting up out of the water, perfectly formed and surrounded by the sea, ” I am going to swim to them tonight, must swim to them”, well looks like my brain has decided that we are swimming the whole enchilada tonight….wonder if my body knows that yet?

 On we swim, our group has turned around to head back, Ned asks ” time for you to turn around?”, ” not yet, a few more minutes”, I reply doing my best to speak clearly and concisely, we swim on the land pieces are getting larger, any thoughts of how to exit and the return swim are gone I want to see the land pieces, ARE WE THERE YET?

 Finally we are, it was worth the effort they are magnificent, so tall, so perfectly formed and what a view from the water. We turn and head for home, swimming with the current is a blast, I feel so fast thanks to the push of the current, back comes the race horse pace and we are off thundering down the coast, I am having FUN, I am getting colder as we swim, I have no choice but to swim with all my might and get back to Sandycove Island FAST, we swim and swim and swim, we come across Colm and the three of us swim together side by side and still I get colder, my feet have lost feeling, that’s OK, I can manage that, my hands claw up, no problem I can manage that but then my speed drops, UH OH, that will take more effort to manage, I pick up my stroke rate, it helps but my arms seem to be spinning there is not as much power in my pull, I stop and look around, ” How far, how far” I repeat it in my head, while I do this I am not swimming, the worst thing I could do, as I am pondering how far I hear a booming voice SWIM, and I put my head down and swim, after a bit I slow again and pick up my head…. ” SWIM, SWIM NOW”, there is that voice again, I obey and put my head down and swim, then I begin to drift away, my mind that is as clear as a bell I hear my son’s voice, he is quoting a line from Family Guy which always makes me laugh ” I might not be able to go to the bathroom by myself but I can STILL DO THAT”, he says it in the funniest voice and pulls a face to match, my frozen jaw gives it’s best impression of a smile…..” Yes I can still do that I can swim home’, with that I hear SWIM, Ned is bellowing loudly at me and I swim and I swim and I swim.

 Soon I can see some tiny specks in the distance, THE RED HOUSE, THE RED HOUSE…IF I CAN SEE IT I CAN SWIM IT”, with that I swim with all I’ve got, the Red House does not get bigger as fast as I would like it too, my mind keeps drifting off and I force it back to THE RED HOUSE, there we are in the inlet it must be less than 500 meters, give it your all DO IT!

 Little did I know Robbin was up on the cliff watching us, worried of course but also amazed, amazed because we had a guide a big seal was leading us home, guiding us in, Robbin could see him porpoising underneath Ned, Colm and me, sometimes behind us and sometimes right underneath, he helped me back, Ned helped me back, swimming beside Colm helped me and my son Soeren spoke to me out there in those cold evening waters, ” you can still do it Mum” and I did.

 Into the car to defrost, Robbin wraps me in blankets, she is soaked from the rain, I thank her for her help in a faint little voice “tank you”, an abbreviated thank you, then Robbin gets her new nickname….amongst my mumbles I say Blobbin Zinzabar, I repeat it many times and we laugh, it sticks.

 Off to the apartment to shower and change we are all heading to Craig’s for dinner and then home to catch some zzzz’s to be ready for another Sandycove Island swim at 6am, 10 swims down 6 more to go, how far have I swum in the last 5 days? 55,000 meters

 Closing thought:  The tougher the job the greater the reward