[Leica] IMGs: Storm Angus

[imra at iol.ie (Douglas Barry)]

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