Sandycove Island to Dock Beach 5km swim
On Satueday the 7th of September, threemembers of The Blackwater Triathlon Club, Dave Mulcahy, Declan O’Keeffe andStephen Dalton, travelled down to West Cork to take part in the SandycoveIsland to Dock Beach 5km swim. Thisevent, which was raising funds for the stroke unit in CUH, involved a full lapof Sandycove island, then a half lap as far as the second corner then pastSheep's Head, around another head then a 1.3km stretch back to Dock beach. TheEntry to the event is tightly regulated for safety reasons and swimmers had tohave completed a minimum set of open water swims in the previous year to takepart. The decision to stay in skins, no wet suit, is based on the training inlow temperatures done by the swimmer already this year, also the knowledge thatit could be two hours in the water and the confidence to know you will finish! A lovely calmsea greeted the swimmers as they arrived in Sandycove on Saturday morning. Theswim was due to start at 09:00 and registration was open at 08:00. Followingthe safety briefing approximately 40 swimmers set off from the slipway in fourwaves, 5 minutes apart. The water wascool hovering between 13 and 15 degrees as the swimmers entered the water.There were plenty of kayaks and a safety boat to accompany the swimmers as theymade their way to land. The water around Sandycove Island was crystal clear asthe swimmers made their way around the island, watched by the goats on theshore. The swim started on a rising tide so the participants had to swim arounda rock outcrop before the first corner, which was then completely covered bythe time they came around again on the second lap. As they swam, the swimmers were treated tothe sights on offer in the clear water, including beautiful rocks, seaweed andshoals of sprats. As they left the island behind with Sheep's Head to theirleft, the swimmers encountered some slightly more turbulent conditions in theopen water, with some rolling seas making sighting a little more problematic. On the plus side,the water warmed a bit at this point and as the swimmers looked to their rightall they could see was the horizon in the distance. The longest bit of the swimwas a 1.3km stretch from the last head to the Dock Beach. Being able to see thebeach, even though it was still at least 25 minutes away, was a challenge atthat stage of the race. Fortunately all the swimmers made it safely to shore,with the BTC trio all completing the swim in less than two hours. There was agreat sense of achievement for the lads when they had had a drop of hot soupand a sandwich to warm up again afterwards. It was a very well organised event,for a very good cause. Definitely something for the bucket list.