Fergal completes Dublin Bay swim challenge

IT might not be everyone’s idea of the perfect Saturday morning but for local man Fergal Somerville, swimming across the cold and choppy waters of Dublin Bay was a great way to start the day.

The Dublin man is believed to be the first person to complete a round trip swim across the country’s busiest shipping lane, which he completed on October 6.

For most of us, completing such a fraught and gruelling challenge would be a once-in-a-lifetime achievement but for the father-of-two, it was just another box ticked.

Last year he swam the English Channel and in 2010 he swam from Inis Meain, one of the Aran Islands, to Rossaveal in Galway.

The Dublin Bay challenge was a consolation swim for Fergal who earlier this year made several failed attempts to cross the North Channel from Northern Ireland to Scotland. He was forced to abandon the plan due to poor weather.

Fergal (49) raised over e4,000 for the Aislinn Adolescent Addiction Centre by swimming across Dublin Bay, a feat completed in an impressive five hours and 10 minutes.

The charity is close to Fergal’s heart as he works as an auditor at the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

After much preparation and pre-planning with Dublin Port and the Coastguard, Fergal took to the water at Dun Laoghaire lighthouse at 8am.

His swim was primarily timed to the tide, which was coming in on his outward journey and going out as he returned to Dun Laoghaire.

A support crew comprising his sons Eoin (25) and Conor (20), his good friend John Daly and two members of the UCD Sub Aqua Club travelled alongside Fergal in a support boat throughout the swim.

“The weather was certainly better than I expected,

? he told Southside People.

“Although it was choppier than what I thought because you had the breeze of the day and the wash from the ships travelling in and out of the port.

?

Due to the level of planning, Fergal went through the shipping lane just after the mammoth Jonathan Swift ferry and before a giant transport ship.

“The first hour was uneventful,

? he said.

“As we approached the shipping lane the sea got choppier.

“Once through the shipping lane I could see Howth Head clearly, but when it didn’t seem to get closer I just continued to put my head to the side for breath and enjoyed the sun on my back.

?

After two and a half hours of swimming, breaking only every 45 minutes for an energy drink, Fergal reached Howth Head cliff face where he turned to make his return trip.

“The chop coming back was stronger and my arms were aching,

? Fergal recalled.

“Whenever I stopped to adjust the hat and goggles both arms would seize up with cramp and it would take several strokes to get rid of it.

?

The conditions on Fergal’s approach back to Dun Laoghaire harbour posed the biggest challenge for the experienced sea swimmer.

“The tide was pushing me past the entrance to where I started the swim so the last 800 metres turned out to be a frantic sprint that sapped any strength I had left,

? he explained.

“I pulled and pulled and swam up along the wall to get around the corner and touch the harbour wall at the same point I had touched it five hours and 10 minutes earlier.

?

Fergal’s wife Mags, who had waved him off from the same point earlier that morning, greeted him at the pier.

The Dublin Bay two-way swim is the last of Fergal’s

“big swims

? this year and he has not lost hope of completing the North Channel, which he will attempt again next year.