Last Sunday, August 18th saw the first running of the Navigator Challenge - planned as a 3.9km charity swim from Derrymore to Fenit. However the weather had other ideas, and after a coastal safety warning was put in place by Met Eireann, some quick thinking on the part of the clubs committee allowed the event to go ahead with a revised, more sheltered route starting and finishing on the beach in Fenit.
Over 50 swimmers registered for the event, and in doing so helped raise much needed funds for our chosen charities - Children's Health Ireland, Ronald McDonald House and the RNLI. Swimmers began registering from 9am at the clubhouse of Tralee Bay Sailing Club, where they were introduced to the alternate course: a 3km circular route from the beach, out towards the lighthouse, over to wheel rock and back to shore via suitably placed marker buoys and safety boats.
With two safety boats and up to 20 kayakers in the water during the swim, safety was a top priority for the organisers. But a top quality field had no issue with the tricky conditions - with most swimmers rounding the first buoy (at 1 km) well under 30 minutes. The second leg to Wheel Rock was something of a sprint, with the stiff westerly breeze helping the progress. However, a surprise appearance by the sun made sighting somewhat difficult - with glare off the surface and so many craft in the water. However, the shout of "Aim to the right of St Brendan!" went out, and everyone successfully rounded Wheel Rock, the 2km mark.
The return to the beach was via a dogleg stage, half against the now incoming tide (to keep swimmers away from the viaduct) and half as a tide assisted sprint past the safety boat and onto the welcome sands of Lockes Beach. The relieved finishers were then invited back to the clubhouse to change and enjoy a well deserved BBQ as guests of Tralee Bay Swimming Club.
While everyone was enjoying the BBQ, a brief speech by Gerry rounded of a great day - with thanks for the smooth running of the event going to our volunteers, the many new friends made from clubs in Galway, Temporary, Limerick and Cork who joined us for the day and for the generous donations made for the charities. All told, we raised over €3000 from the event, which will be divided amongst the charities equally.
The committee would once again like to thank everyone for the outstanding support they have given to this event.
Comments