Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/11/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Douglas, IMHO, you need your head examined! :-) Cheers Jayanand On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 4:50 AM, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote: > I try to swim every day in the sea which can be difficult as it gets colder > and the weather gets rougher. Yesterday, we were in the middle of Storm > Angus and the spray from the waves when they broke on the rocks were the > height of a three storey building. I drove over a couple of miles to swim > in > a severely tossing sea at Sandycove Point as it has the benefit of a small > harbour albeit with strong currents. > > The wind was north easterly and very very strong, so the Forty Foot > swimming hole on the northerly side of the Point was far too dangerous as > it was taking the full onslaught of the sea. Spindrift was being carried > 150 metres up the road, and there was a Small Craft Warning from the Irish > Weather Service. I ignored it, as I'm not small, and not particularly > crafty. Getting in was easy, but getting out was bloody hard, but I > survived. I bought a camera along, but, as I was in a rush to catch the > tide and the dying light, I forgot to check it. The battery went flat after > two quick handheld photos - see below. > > Sadly, the swimming streak ended today as I was caught up in other things, > despite it being a much calmer day. Hopefully, I'll be back in tomorrow, > but > we'll see. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/SandycoveDalkey > /Sandycove_Storm1a.jpg.html > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/SandycoveDalkey > /Sandycove_Storm2a.jpg.html > > Both taken with the little Fuji, and can be seen large. > > And if you're wondering, do they not have swimming pools in Ireland? The > answer is yes, we do, but I love sea swimming as the sense of exhilaration > can be profound. OK it's cold and I don't bother with a wetsuit, but after > you get out you feel great. I normally swim in Seapoint just a couple of > pedal strokes from my driveway and then a quick zip downhill, but it has > been freezing - 4 degrees celsius - in the water. The way Sandycove Point > is shaped you can get some sort of > shelter from the intensity of the wind and waves no matter what direction > they're coming from. I swam west from the pier on the harbour and back into > it where I exited as fast as I could, and back into my clothes > > Here's a link to it on Google maps, but you have to use a bit of > imagination as the tide was flat out when the image was taken and there's > sand showing in the little harbour. The water level rises 4.4 metres > between low and high tides. > https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.288939,-6.1144699,233m/data=!3m1!1e3 > > One thing I have definitely learned is where the rip tide is during stormy > conditions, and that it's way warmer than Seapoint on very cold days. That > long > flat sandy topography at Seapoint DOES chill the water by an extra 4 or 5 > degrees celsius as the tide inches its way in over six hours. Sandycove > which always > has plenty of water felt like a bath in comparision. Who'd have thunk it? > > Douglas > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >