Nicola Murch puzzle pieces

Wow, I have finally managed to piece together my swim yesterday.  It has taken me back to my uni days of having to piece together a drunken night out through chatting to friends and looking at my phone.  I was too upset yesterday to talk,  consumed with bitterness and upset at not completing my swim,  I will learn to deal with it, all part of growing up I suppose.

I had a choice of starting at 1.00am in Scotland and swimming back to Ireland or starting at 6.00 in Ireland.  I knew that the jelly fish were worse at night as you can’t see them and then tend to sit lower if the sun’s out. As I’m not great with stinging nettles and insect bites I thought it best to swim in the day.  I had Nick and Dawn as my support crew, and I couldn’t have asked for better.  Weather wasn’t quite what we were expecting, misty, rather choppy but thinking it would die down once the sun is out…spoiler…sun didn’t come out.  Swam to the rock, waved off by Gary, Paul, Steve, Sean and the Chunky Dunkers -thank you!  Away I went, water temp a balmy 13-14c but no sun, air temp 15c, spotting a few jellies, but easily dodged…until about 1.5hours in they came out in force – Padraig and Nick were trying to spot them and move me around, but with the chop they were hard to see.  I looked up to see a wave of noodles in front – lions mane on my right side..mainly my arm. Went left…more jellies…right…I was surrounded had to just swim through.  I could feel the stings but the cold water helped.  I fed ..all good, feeling good about the swim..apart from the jellies, and longing for the sun to come up and push them down.  Dawn came in for some support all good(ish – Dawn got stung too).  Then I’m not really sure what happened, I can only assume that the toxins got to me.  So after 7 hours my crew pulled the swim – the right decision, I can’t account for last 1.5-2 hours of my swim, I can’t remember getting on the boat or getting dressed, again my crew and Infinity were amazing. Oh and there was a seal I missed ☹ Nick is pointing out many more things I have not included – Dawn getting in again, helping me out the water, dive bombing birds, me trying to undress and jump back in.  Still have tingles in my arms and legs from the jellies – hopefully this will go soon. Losing my sense of direction…but that was just trying to get to the castle gardens today…so another story.  The North Channel is there, it will be there next year, and the year after….. in the meantime I’m going home to my girls.  Glory comes from daring to begin…Infinity Channel Swimming