I’ve never had the need for the RNLI to come out for me (thank God!) but I’ve always been appreciative of the work they do. In my younger days, I had thought I might volunteer on the local boat in Fenit but not living close enough meant that it was never really an option so when the opportunity came to support them by entering the Derrymore to Fenit swim I jumped at the chance. It was also a good training swim as we are now T-30 days from my Catalina Channel swim!

Derrymore to Fenit is approximately 4.5km (if you swim straight….not an easy thing to do by the way). The swim was organised by Kevin Williams (@kevinwilliamsfenit). Kevin has been involved in Tralee Bay Swimming Club for many years and has organised countless well-run events. This one was no different. Everything on the day was perfect, including the weather. He said he had no part in that but I have my doubts!

Registration was due to open from 8.30am. Anyone who know me will know I like being punctual. Today was no different. The alarm went off around 6.45am and I had a quick breakfast. I don’t normally like to eat much before a swim so I just have a bowl of weetabix and mixed my carb drink. I’ve been using Science in Sport products (https://www.scienceinsport.com/eu/) for the past number of years. I find their Go Energy drink easy to take on my longer swims. I’ll talk about a bit about my feeds, hydration and during swim foods in the coming weeks as I get closer to the swim.

I arrived at Derrymore strand around 8.15am and not a sinner around.

Before every event there is a safety briefing. This safety briefing was short and sweet. There would be 2 waves of swimmers. The first wave contained approximately 25 swimmers and would start at 9.55am, and for many of whom, this was their biggest open water swim to date. A great achievement to get this done and a great opportunity for them to see how great this sport can be. Open water swimming can be daunting; the unknowns and the fears in your head are the worst though. When you are actually swimming if you can keep a clear mind and enjoy the moment then it can be one of the most enjoyable sports/activities you can partake in. You really feel alive!!!

The second wave contained the more experienced swimmers would start around 10.05am. This bunch of swimmers was a mixed bunch. Some experienced English Channel swimmers (Colm Breathnach, Rosie Foley), some English Channel Relay swimmers (Ger McDonnell) and a few Channel aspirants!

The swim started perfectly on time. There were some fast swimmers in the field including former National Champions. I felt good during the swim and focused on stretching out my stroke and trying to get some length into my stroke. I’m never very good at sighting (watching ahead to make sure you are swimming in the right direction). This was no different today. I started out on a great line but as in other swim I drifted out to my left. I’m guessing it’s down to a stronger right arm pull bringing me to my left.

I really enjoyed this swim even though there were a few cold patches and quite a bit of seaweed. No matter how often you swim in open water I don’t think you’ll ever lose the “what the f$%k just touched my leg” feeling when something brushes off your leg.

People often ask me what I think about during my swims. To be honest, I don’t have anything in particular that I think about. Sometimes it’s food, sometimes I sing a song (I’m better at singing in my head so don’t ever ask me to sing a song!) or sometimes I concentrate on my swimming. Enjoying the time in the water is important to me as well.

The feeling of approaching the end of a swim is great too. I exited the water on 1hr 07mins. Not a bad training swim. It’s always good to get some of these swims under your belt before Channel swims. Helps with the confidence….something which is very important.

Photos courtesy of Poshey Aherne Photography.