Tralee Bay Swimming Club News

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Tralee Bay Swimming ClubBy Kevin Williams

Blennerville to Fenit Swim …… The swim took place on Saturday last . The weather gods were good to the large group who gathered at The Lock Gates in Blennerville for the start.

Scattered clouds and sunshine with a slight chill in the air . The wind was 12 knots from the North which meant the bay was sheltered for the 8km swim in aid Of Fenit Lifeboat.

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Swimmers about to set off on the Gerald Walsh swim. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin

This swim was originally pioneered by one of the club founders Gerald Walsh in the mid 1970s. All the swimmers and crew were informed of Gerald’s achievements and then of the passing of his wife, Cecilia, whose funeral was taking place that morning.

Most were familiar with her and her presence in presenting the prizes and trophy at The Gerald Walsh Memorial Swim every year.

A moment’s silence was then respected for Mrs Walsh. The safety briefing was concluded and thanks to the diligent work of Cathy Fisher in recruiting Kayakers we were able to appoint each swimmer with a kayak.

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Kayakers keep an eye on the swimmers in the Gerald Walsh swim. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin

There were 22 swimmers in total with 9 of these taking on the challenge for the first time. Two vistors from Askeaton were also present.

As the swim got under way, the sky brightened more, making it a perfect day for swimming.

The 4.0 metre tide was helping the swimmers down the bay but not quite as fast as usual . The fastest swimmer was 1h45m and the final 4 home were just over 2h30m.

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A fine morning for the Gerald Walsh swim. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin

A delicious BBQ was ready and waiting for everyone at the finish and could be smelled a mile up the bay, spurring on the swimmers. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the BBQ, kayaked, did boat safety cover, ferried people for their cars and timed the swimmers.

Condolences: The club would like to extend its deepest sympathies to The family and friends of the late Cecilial Walsh who passed away last week . Rest in Peace .

The Gerald Walsh Memorial Swim: Round 8 and the final round of our World Series od Swims takes place this coming Sunday at 4.00pm from the bathing slip.

Gerald Walsh was a founder member of Tralee Bay Swimming Club in the 1950s. The swimmer of the year as well as All of the group winners and runners up will be decided at this swim.

The points table is extremely tight at the top with 5 swimmers capable of winning The Swimmer of The Year.

The swim will be followed by a BBQ as usual and NO results will be revealed on the day with all group prizes and The Gerald Walsh Cup being presented at The Club Prizegiving .

Club Night Out and Prizegiving; This takes place on Saturday The 26th at The Meadowlands Hotel. The results of Round 8 will be revealed along with final points table for Swimmer of The Year.

The rules are also clear in the event of a tie it will come down to most wins , most seconds etc .until a winner is decided . Prizes on the night will be group for Round 8 , The Gerald Walsh Perpetual Trophy , The Swimmer of The Year , 1st , 2nd and 3rd in each group , the Winter Swimmer of The Year and The best newcomer.

A sit down meal and live music with Beautiful Noise to keep everyone dancing into the night . Tickets are 35 euro and available from all committee members. Please come along for a great night out.

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