It was a celebratory drink Noel Browne richly deserved, following his completion of the gruelling Straits of Gibraltar 17km swim from Tarifa in the South of Spain to the finishing point at Plage Dalia in Morocco.
IT was a celebratory drink Noel Browne richly deserved, following his completion of the gruelling Straits of Gibraltar 17km swim from Tarifa in the South of Spain to the finishing point at Plage Dalia in Morocco.
The 42-year-old Castlehaven man set off at 9.30am on Tuesday and completed the swim in five hours and 40 minutes, but he admits he could have done a better time, were it not for the currents at the end of the swim.
‘It was tough going alright, and I missed the point where I was to finish as the currents pushed me off, so I could have done it an hour earlier,’ Noel told The Southern Star.
‘It was about 20 degrees here, the wind was the big factor. But we’re quite a happy bunch now that I’ve completed it – I’ll sleep well tonight,’ he told The Southern Star.
Noel, who was part of Steve Redmond’s support crew for the Oceans 7s challenge in 2012, had his partner Karen McCarthy, and Donal O’Donovan, as his support crew for the challenging swim.
A member of Lough Hyne Lappers, he is no stranger to long swims and has previously swam from Fastnet to Baltimore.
*****
Click here to sign up to our mailing list and get the best of West Cork delivered straight to your inbox.