2 and a half weeks till the day - Lake Swim - Fundraising

Howdy folks,

Above is the final draft of our Club Logo. Excellent work Dave D'Arcy, much appreciated.

2 and a half weeks untill we paddle across the Loch. That means that this is the last weekend of serious training. The following weekend will be a gentler swim to ensure your body is primed for the big day.

In order to Acclimatise to Fresh Water, this Sunday our Sunday Swim will take place in Lough Owel which is 4 kms after Mullingar on the M4. Its about an hours drive from Dublin. The Lough is deep with remarkable water quality and visibility of up to 20 feet on a bright day. It is very safe for swimming and there is actually a race scheduled here in August.

There is an island in the lake 500m from the shore. We will swim over to the island and back, and over and back. So it will be similar to the seapoint swim, just in a lake!

Remember how your first swim in the sea was different to the pool. Well there will be another adjustment here. So it is important you make it to this swim. If you need a lift or have spare car spaces send a mail to the group.

We will meet at Seapoint at 11am on Sunday morn and drive up together.

There are a couple of swimmers onto their Third Sponsorship Page. Well done. I have my form folded up in my pocket and it comes everywhere with me. Everytime I leave the house its a sponsorship opportunity, ask the Romas on the street, they've pockets full of cash!

There is a race in Seapoint at 5.45 for men and 6.15 women on Thurs. Should be good craic, I'm pushed for time but hoping to make it. Saturdays race is at Jury Inn in the North Quays, 5.30 and 6.

Happy Paddling

al

3 Weeks Training Left - Lake Swims - Money Raised - Are you the next Bertie?

Howdy,

We have 3 weeks training and 2x2km swims left before we fly over to wrestle Nessie. This next 2 weeks are the most vital training weeks as the week before the swim the training is lighter to ensure you are in peak condition on the day. Everybody needs to do a 2km sea swim this week, and a 2 km swim next week. The following week is the week before we leave and we will be swimming shorter distances.

So just to ensure the message is perfectly clear. It is massively important that you do a 2km swim this week, and a 2km swim next week. Nobody wants to go all the way to Scotland to struggle, or to not finish the swim.

This Sunday we will swim from Whiterock again! 12.30 as always, and it's a 2k swim. I'm gonna do a 2k there tonight if anybody wants to join!

On Sunday week and the following (final) Sunday we will do a Lake Swim to prepare. Remember when we transferred from the pool to the sea? It took a bit of getting used to! Well there will be a little bit of getting used to again when we get in the a lake. Keep these days free in your diary. We will find a safe lake as close to Dublin as possible. We are currently researching options.

How's your Fundraising going? I have to admit I'm still under the €50 mark, gotta up my game to hit the €500! If we raise €500 each we will have raised €10,000 between us which is phenominal!

A suggestion came from a couple of heads within the club that we should Donate money to the 40 Foot seeing as its our home. Suprisingly they receive no funds from the County Council and it has been maintained for 150 years by private donations! Our initial target was €7,500 and we now have more swimmers, so there could be excess funds. If so we could take a vote and donate anything over the target to the maintenance of the 40 Foot.

Are you "harbouring" ambitions to be the next Bertie? The Dun Laoghaire Co Council is currently seeking public input on their plans to develop the Dun Laoghaire coastline. As a local sea-swimming club our voice should count. If you have any interest in contributing to the public consultation process let me know. The future of our coastline is being decided now and they are asking for your opinion. It's a great opportunity to have a say in something special.

The 40 Foot Walruses becomes political, who'd a thunk it?

Happy Paddling,

al

4 Weeks training 'till we Swim 2 the Castle - Lake Swims - Sunday Business Post - Sandycove Race

Howdy,

The Leaving Cert might have already started but at least we still have 4 weeks Training left before we conquer the Loch. At this stage it is really important that you are swimming 3 times a week, and doing a 2km sea swim once a week. Keep on Swimming!

Urquhart Castle have generously given us permission to swim ashore on their grounds on the day. So check out the picture above and visualise swimming to that castle every day when doing your press ups in the snow.

We want to do one or two Lake Swims before the day. Does anybody have any suggestions on a good location? Near Dublin, safe for swimming?

We got a great colour snap in our swimsuits on Page 3 on the Sunday Business Post Magazine last weekend, see the top photo above. For bigger versions and more photos check out the 40 Foot Walruses Facebook Account.

http://www.facebook.com/people/FortyFoot_Walruses/1261256458

We had 7 swimmers competing in the First race of the Sea Swim Calender last Saturday. Well done to Denny, Sue, Butler, Jamie, Sham and Simon T, and me who all swam superbly.

Our average finishing time was above the halfway mark, which is a fantastic start! It demonstrates that our standard is already above average when compared with the regular competitors from Leinster's top Swimming Clubs. There is no reason why we cant bring home a trophy or two this season. Had we been allowed start at Go we would have taken first and third, unfortunately we were hindered by handicaps.

There are no races this weekend, but they kick off again at Seapoint on Thursday week!!! Anybody who swam last week will recommend it!

Congrats to Sue who took her sponsorship card to a wedding and now has €510 raised! Drunk people are an easy target!

Please E-mail suggestions for Lake swim location to Nessie Mailbox.

Happy Paddling,

al

Greetings Sunday Business Post Readers!!!

Thanks a million for taking the time to look us up on the "Interweb".

We presume you are here because you are interested in The 40 Foot Walruses Sea-Swimming Club and/or the world famous "Nessie Challenge"!

Our e-mail address is nessiechallenge@gmail.com

So if you wish to sponsor us, get involved or you have a query please don't hesitate to belt us over a mail. We promise we wont sell your details on to penis enlargement spammers.

If you wish to pit yourself against Nessie get your name on the list for '09! Unfortunately the Nessie Challenge '08 is fully subscribed and looming large on the horizon. But once there aren't a discouraging number of fatalities (3 plus) this year we will certainly be stepping up to the challenge again in '09!!! Pre-Training starts in January so its a super New Years Resolution.

For further info on the causes we are fundraising for please scroll down to the Blog Entitled "Info on Charities". It is the blog before the blog before this one.


A Little Bit About Us (excerpt from Sunday Tribune May 12th):

EIGHTEEN Dun Laoghaire dare-devils are preparing to swim the cold and murky waters of Loch Ness this summer - and even tales of old Nessie cannot put them off.

Organisers Alan Coleman and Simon Torpay, both 28, have heard stories of sonar sightings of the legendary beast, and have even had warnings from renowned stunt swimmer “Alcatraz Joe” - but they will not be deterred from the 12 July event looking to raise more than €10,000 for charity.

“Last year Simon and myself did an 11km swim from Howth to Dun Laoghaire, ” Coleman told the Sunday Tribune.
“It was the first time this route had been done, and was quite tough. This time we wanted something that was a bit more inclusive, something more people would be interested in doing, ” he said.

Calling themselves the 40 Foot Walruses Sea Swimming Club, they are the first group from Ireland - including three mums - to attempt the swim.
The 18 brave souls will be swimming in water of 10 Degrees Celcius for around an hour.
“It has been done before but it’s not something that’s done regularly, ” said Coleman.
Initially, there was a group of 30 swimmers, but after speaking to Joe Oakes who swam Loch Ness three years ago - and who was the first man to swim the supposedly impossible Alcatraz to San Francisco stretch - they decided to impose a minimum standard.

“I got in touch with Joe after I bought his book which gave advice and tips on swims like this, ” said Coleman.
“When I told him our level, and that we had some beginners, he bascially said that the middle of Loch Ness is no place for beginners.
“It’s very choppy, ” explained Coleman. “And because it’s fresh water there is no buoyancy.”
A high peat content means visibility in the 800ft deep lake is very bad too.
“Joe said you can’t see your hand in front of you, and he also said it was the coldest water he had ever swam in.”

Currently, the 18-strong swimming club can be spotted on Sunday mornings, in their speedos, at the 40 Foot swimming spot in Dun Laoghaire.
“We are training together once a week at the 40 Foot, but we are all doing extra training - about 2km a week, in our spare time as well. It’s a big commitment, it does interfere with your social life, ” laughed Coleman, who says he is looking forward to a hot drink afterwards.
“We will have hot scotch, haggis and a bagpipe player playing ‘Scotland The Brave’ waiting for us at the far side.”

And the big question - is he afraid that Nessie will make an appearance on the day?
“The more I read about it the more I believe there could be something to it.
“But there are 18 of us, so I will surround myself with other swimmers who are covered in goose fat -Nessie likes to eat geese apparently, ” he laughed.

Thanks again for taking the time to look us up.

Happy Paddling,

Alfonso

5 Weeks Training 2 Go - Names for flights - Swim Ireland Membership - Phantom FM & Sunday Business Post - Sponsorship

Hola Gringos y Gringas,

There are 5 weeks of training left. The level you want to be at now is 2kms every week in the pool, and 1.6 kms in the sea. Congrats if you are going according to plan. If not dont worry too much, just keep getting the swims in! Swimmers who were finding it tough 3 weeks ago,and have upped their game, are belting through the swims now. Its all about practice. Just keep getting the swims in! The time is now-just do it - live the dream - impossible is nothing - be the ball - etc.

Last Sunday's Swim was a rip roaring 1.6kms. Sandycove to Dun Laoghaire Baths and back.
This Sunday our Swim will take us from Sandycove to Dun Laoghaire Pier and back. Thats 2km!
We will spend the following 4 weeks getting strong over 2km, with a couple of lake swims thrown in. Then its Nessie Wrestling Time!!!

RE: The Flights, I have to confirm our names exactly as they appear on your passport by next Tues, so belt that over to me asap please.

We will be registered with Swim Ireland by Friday so everyone who has filled out a form and paid the fee can compete in this weekends races if they wish. This Saturdays Race is a home fixture for us! It's a 1.2 km swim going out of Sandycove starting at 3pm, a doddle for anybody who has been doing our Sunday Swims.

In your Inboxes also you can find myself and Donal blabbering on Phantom FM, you may find it funny to have a listen? We are hoping to get a bit of coverage in this Sunday's Sunday Business Post Magazine (the swimsuit edition), another one for the scrapbook!

I believe Sue has overtaken Aran on the top of the Sponsorship leaderboard with €110 raised!
I'm still on Zero, better get my begging face on.

Oh and if anybody meets JP and he tells them he swam 3 kms in the pool last week he didnt, time ran out and he had to stop 5 lenths short!!! Just so you know.

Happy Paddling,

Alfonso