Guest Blog: The journey to completing the North Channel
I'm honoured, once again, to host a guest blog by our local living legend Gráinne Moss who has just returned from some heroic undertakings in Ireland and now reports on her experiences. North Channel, 22 July 2022 When I touched to rocky shores of Scotland on 22 nd July 2022 you could say that the journey from Irish soil through freezing cold water (average 12.8 degrees) and stinging jellyfish had taken 13 hours, 33 minutes and 36 seconds. This would not be correct. Thinking back, there were three key events that started this journey. The first was my dad teaching me to swim at a young age; the second is when I was seven and a swimming coach, Pat Simpson, approached my dad saying “your daughter has the best natural technique I have seen, can I coach her?” and the third is doing an open water sea swim in Bangor at age 12 accompanied in a rowboat by a terrified teenager who kept asking me when I was getting out. First swimsuit Early swimming days My dad and Pat taught me t