Last Tuesday saw the annual running of the Wheel Rock swim, a 1.3km loop from the slip out to the famous "hazard to shipping", then on to the marker buoy and back to the slip. Sighting the Rock is difficult at the best of times, but on a dull evening with a full tide it can be very tricky.
Special thanks to Dermot Dillane and John Brick in the RIB for adding a hi-vis to the marker, making it a little easier to spot. Our kayakers were especially needed - as the evening progressed the winds picked up leading to a fairly big swell once the tide turned. Many swimmers were glad of the company of a kayaker at the later stages of the race
This year we had a special category prize for the best finisher without a wetsuit - in recognition of Elaine Burrows achievements in long distance swimming. Elaine herself was on hand to present the prizes on behalf of the event sponsor - Brendan Dillane WeatherMaster. Dave Smith deservedly won, putting in a great swim to finish in 3rd overall as well.
First home was Vincent Smith, just beating out Gerard Pierse in a neck-and-neck battle right to the end. Dave Smith put in a respectable third place, followed home by Becky Pinkheard who kept Ronnie Fitzgibbons at bay to the end.
But it was a successful evening for Gerard Pierse - as he topped the chart when the handicap results came in- followed by Shane O'Brien and Sandra Byrne.
Our prize for volunteer of the evening went to Ciara Tierney who jumped in at the last minute to help out with a shortage in the kayaks. Thanks Ciara!
Thanks again to all who generously gave their time to make this happen, all our volunteers and kayakers and committee members. And a special thanks again to the huge number of swimmers who made it so enjoyable to watch. And fair play again to the kayakers who provided such a great service even as the weather got worse during the evening. Thanks too to Dermot Dillane and John Brick for looking after everyone in the RIB.
See you all in the water soon, and lets hope summer will arrive by our next swim on August 5th!
Comments