AFTER swimming from England to France, and from Northern Ireland to Scotland, a swim from Howth to Skerries is merely going for a dip!
That was the challenge prolific sea swimmer Fergal Somerville set himself on July 8.
However, the Beaumont native wasn’t alone for his latest challenge. His teammate at Eastern Bay Swim Team, Ken McCarthy, rowed alongside him in a currach that he made himself.
And Vanessa Daws, an English Channel relay swimmer and current member of Eastern Bay Swim Team, supported the men with fuel breaks and navigation.
At 7.15am, the trio set off from Howth and wearily arrived in Skerries at 1.27pm after completing the 25km journey. The swim/row took six hours and 12 minutes, a phenomenal 4km plus per hour pace. According to Fergal, this is the first time the Howth to Skerries swim has been done.
“The route was planned meticulously by Ken, whose knowledge of tides and flows in the bay is unrivalled,” said Fergal.
“A currach sits on top of the water and moves to the oarsman’s commands in the same way an orchestra follows the conductor. “A swimmer’s position is predominantly underwater and the body is pushed through the brine.” Every 45 minutes the swim/row duo stopped momentarily to fuel up on sports drinks and the occasional chocolate bar or banana.
The trio rounded the islands outside Skerries just before 1pm and from there could see the town. The last two kilometres proved particularly difficult.
“The tide was emptying out of Skerries when one would expect a more welcoming flow for the effort that had been expended in getting to this point,” said Fergal. And so, the trio moved along steadily. In the final kilometre they received the welcome surprise of meeting Kevin O’Sullivan and Pat Brown, two regular ‘Skerries Frosties’ swimmers.
Both swimmers took the weary trio around the dangerous rocks which protect the entry to Skerries Harbour.
This was Ken McCarthy’s longest ever-solo row and similarly, it was Fergal’s longest ever swim in Ireland. Both still had the energy at the end to applaud the support of Vanessa as commander in chief. All three enjoyed the plaudits of the welcoming committee in Skerries led by Michael Gartland, veteran of a number of marathon swims, and Connie Dottino, another renowned swimmer, kayaker and triathlete.
After confirming successful completion to the coastguard, lifeboats and harbour masters, the trio packed and headed back to Howth, this time by road! “Maybe, there’ll be a return later in the summer to do the swim/row in the opposite direction,” added Fergal, who swam the English and North Channels in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
