Becalmed but far from calm in a littoral sense

Round-Ireland Swim Diary: The Atlantic is proving as fickle as predicted, writes Seán Kenny

Thursday, August 10th - Sunday, August 13th

Four more nights stuck in Roundstone are a measure of the Atlantic's ferocity this week. The team make one foray into the ocean on Thursday, but must turn back, stymied again. The forecast is getting to sound like a broken record. The team wait for kinder weather, but the Atlantic, utterly insensible yet apparently implacable, is having none of it.

"We're disappointed we can't move, but we can't blame anyone; it's just nature," says Ian Claxton. "It's like Groundhog Day; it was day 28 for four days."

Frustration has lessened the restful effect of the hiatus, as Anne Marie Ward notes: "We didn't totally rest . . . wondering whether we'd be going out or not. The west coast hasn't failed us; it's been as unpredictable as we thought it was going to be."

Monday, August 14th

Finally, relative calm returns. Nuala Moore is immediately struck by the change: "When we left Roundstone, the sea was totally unrecognisable, it was that calm."

After last week's difficulties the break in the weather vitalises the team. "We couldn't wait to get going. When we saw the calm water we just said, 'Let's go for it'," says Anne Marie.

Nuala echoes this: "Last week was cruel mentally, so what can physical hardship do to you that mental hardship can't?"

With fast-flowing spring tides at their back, the team make good progress despite being two swimmers short for the day. The water is noticeably cooler than earlier in the expedition, necessitating extra clothing between stints in the water. A well-insulated, high-spirited team arrive in Inishbofin.

Tuesday, August 15th

It transpires that yesterday was merely the calm between the storms, a brief interlude until normal service is resumed by the Atlantic. The expedition boats steam out into a choppy sea early in the morning, but the swell is unsafe, so they return to shore. They make another fruitless foray later.

By now, the swimmers are exhausting the vocabulary of frustration. Ward sums it up: "It's a case of so near and yet so far and that's probably the frustrating thing at this stage. It's also frustrating after being all fired up after yesterday. It's up and down, but therein lies the challenge of the expedition."

The team have day jobs to return to and livings to earn, which means time pressure as weather-induced delays build up. They have one eye on the calendar and an ear cocked to the sea-area forecast. "It's all about mental strength now. We're working on raising our spirits every day and then having them deflated, so we have to raise them again," says Claxton.

Strong winds rule out swimming on Wednesday and Thursday.