One of my favorite swims to date has been the Fastnet Rock to Baltimore Swim. Prior to this swim on 11th Sept 2023, I completed the Galway Bay Swim which was grueling. Two days later I drove from Galway to Balltimor in Cork. To be honest at that time, I didn’t know what to expect or what was ahead of me. I just felt the need to try it, as some of my amazing swimming friends had done it. It is 20.5 km, and I was the first deaf swimmer to complete it.
Although the waves got quite high halfway through the swim and the sea got quite rough, pushing against me quite hard, I still felt very safe. A lot of this was down to the brilliant team on the boat accompanying me. Kieran the pilot, observer Nathan, together with Briana also part of the crew was tremendous support. It really helped my journey with them writing on a large whiteboard detail of how I was doing and what distance I had covered. They were full of encouragement and fun. They were a huge part of the whole experience and enjoyment of it, for me.
The scenery was stunning, topped with the sun shining. I really enjoyed the swim and mixed up the strokes, getting some back stroke in, which is my favourite.
I had hoped that I would reach the mainland in 10 hours, and it took me 7 hours 20 minutes. I was delighted with this time as I had done it at a leisurely and enjoyable pace and somehow this worked for me on the day.
For anyone thinking of completing this swim, I would highly recommend it.
