Ballycotton Swim, 19th August, 2011
Write-up by Carol Cashell, Swim Organiser
The RNLI boat in choppy water during the first half of the swim (photo by Kevin Dwyer)

The annual Ballycotton swim (in aid of the Ballycotton RNLI) took place last Friday, the 19th of August. 44 swimmers braved the conditions of the alternative course on the night. The weather meant we could not go around the Island, so instead we planned on swimming closer to the pier and land. Of course in typical Irish weather, the sun came out towards the end of the swim to leave a stunning setting for the swimmers coming into the finish on the slipway in front of the RNLI Boathouse. The alternative course of 3.3km was marked out with 3 bouys, and swimmers were guided along the way with the help of 12 kayakers, 2 ribs (Liam and Aidan) and the 2 RNLI boats (boat and rib). As always a huge thank you to all the support crew that helped out on the night (on water and on land!). These events can never run without their support.

Positive change in conditions by the end of the swim (photo by Kevin Dwyer)

The swim itself started in a staggered start, with the fastest group going last to keep the safety together. Well done to all swimmers as everyone finished within the time allowed. The first 2 swimmers finishing had a battle over the last 500m or so…well done to Owen O’Keefe and Lynne Donnelly on making the finish an exciting sight for those of us on land! Gabor took an exciting video of the finish, which can be seen here. Additionally, Kevin Dwyer took some great photos of the start and finish, which can be found on his website here.
Finally, the Ballycotton RNLI were thrilled with the donation of €710 on the night. Thanks again to everyone involved. See you next year!

Results by Swim Time