No VHF, no launch
A working VHF is mandatory. Every vessel is checked by the Safety Team on the morning before launching. A boat without one does not go on the course.
Inspection and launch
Your vessel must be launched before 08.00 and checked by the Safety Team.
Relay boat safety brief
Flash up main engines
Warmed up and ready before departure.
Prepare fleet escort
Safety Boat 1 leads the convoy.
Your team boards at Hodson Bay Pier
All relay swimmers come to you here.
Depart Hodson Bay in convoy
Sail in formation led by Safety Boat 1. Do not overtake any vessel en route. Follow in line. The passage can take up to 45 minutes.
Holding area · north of the pontoon at Rindoon Castle
Stay inside the holding area. The water outside it is shallow and boats ground there.
Relay 1 goes
Start order is 1 to 20 by time trial result, fastest first. David Warby calls your boat to the start line on Channel 8. Move there immediately when called. Your fastest swimmer enters the water at least 30 seconds before your slot and goes on the hooter.
All 20 relays underway
Cut-off 1 · Buoy K
6km from the start.
Cut-off 2 · Buoy S
10km.
Overall limit
Anyone still on the course at 7 hours is stopped and returned by boat to Athlone Marina.
–4.15
Berth at Athlone town marina
Your team finishes at the castle. You moor at the marina. Full detail on the Finish tab.
After party · The Snug Bar, Fry Place
Your callsign
R + your relay number
Relay boats are R1 to R20. Kayaks supporting solo swimmers are "Kayak" plus their swimmer's number. Use it every time you speak on Channel 8.
The two rules that matter
And one more
Your vessel and your swimmer pass within 20 metres of every yellow buoy, keeping it on your left. Including Buoy A. Buoys are 500m apart and lettered A to T.
Rindoon Jetty to the Shannon
Buoy K at 6km · 3 hour gate. Buoy S at 10km · 5 hour gate. At Buoy T you leave the lake and start the 3km run down the Shannon, where the markers change to small round yellow buoys and red posts.
The overall limit is 7 hours. Anyone still on the course then is stopped and returned by boat to Athlone Marina.
The three narrow points
You hold. The swimmer goes first.
At all three, give your swimmer unrestricted access through the gate. You proceed only after they have safely passed through.
Solo swimmers and their kayaks have priority through these gates too. Extreme caution at all three.
Speed and awareness
Decelerate near swimmers and hold that slow steady pace.
360 degree awareness at all times. Underwater obstacles, river current, other vessels, other swimmers, and your own position relative to the course.
Never put your engine in reverse. If you get ahead of your swimmer, wait for them to catch up.
Passing another team
Neither your boat nor your swimmer may enter the 20 metre safety zone around another vessel. Back, side or front.
Make the move entirely outside that zone, and only while staying inside the navigational channel.
Warn your swimmer before you adjust course to pass.
Passing inside a narrow gate is forbidden.
HELP
HELP"
at Buoy [nearest letter]
The nearest safety boat comes to you. Safety boats cover the full course.
For anything that is not an emergency, call "Swim Control" on Channel 8. Phone is the backup if VHF fails.
Everyone you might need
A swimmer in distress
Any swimmer, not only your own.
"Help, help, help" on Channel 8, your callsign, nearest buoy letter. The nearest safety boat comes to you.
If your vessel breaks down
Your swimmer exits the water onto your boat. First thing, before anything else.
Notify Swim Control on Channel 8 with your location and the relay team you are supporting.
Drop anchor.
The relay can only continue if a backup boat arrives.
Who is out there with you
A doctor on the Command Control Vessel
Order of Malta ambulances at Judy's Harbour Rindoon, Hodson Bay and the finish line
Safety boats covering the full course, plus the RNLI
Divers stationed along the route
Watch for hypothermia
Exhaustion or feeling very tired
Confusion
Memory loss
Slurred speech
Ask a simple question every so often and listen to how the answer comes back. Not what they say, how they say it. That is the easiest check there is.
If your team retires
A boat or swimmer retiring must notify their destination to the Control Boat on Channel 8, callsign Swim Control.
Lost your position?
In reduced visibility, prioritise situational awareness. If you are not certain where you are, stop. Do not guess and do not press on hoping. Call Swim Control on Channel 8 and they will assess your situation.
Where your swimmer goes
Beside the boat, towards the bow. Never behind.
Keeping them towards the bow lets them hold their line and keeps them well away from the propeller and the engine fumes.
Always know where your swimmer is relative to your propeller.
WIND → SWIMMER → BOAT
In windy conditions the swimmer must be on the windward side. That way wind and swell cannot put your boat on top of them. This overrides whatever side you agreed.
Who decides what
Ask them to pick a spot on the front half of the boat and stay level with it. If they stray more than 10 metres off, hold your direction until they notice and get back on course.
Changeovers
Engine off, every single changeover.
Only then does the next swimmer enter the water.
One swimmer at a time
Only one swimmer from a relay team may be in the water at any moment.
The single exception: teams may put all their swimmers in at Athlone Boat Club for the final leg to the castle. That depends on conditions, river flow and how spread out the field is, and it may be withdrawn on the day. Listen for the call at the briefing and on Channel 8.
Keep checking on them
Assess their physical and mental condition throughout. Asking simple questions is the easiest way. Watch for exhaustion and hypothermia. The signs are on the Emergency tab.
Clothing and supplies
Captain and crew: you will be a long time on the water. Hat, gloves, layers, rain wear, spare clothes. Carry extra in case someone needs it.
Food and water: bring plenty, and check your team have theirs.
And for everyone
Respect the environment and the people who live along this water. No litter, anywhere.
Respect and help your fellow swimmers, kayakers and crews.
Listen to the marshals and safety teams. They are there so everybody gets home.
You and your swimmers finish in different places
They finish at Athlone Castle. You berth at the town marina. Do not follow them to the castle.
The run in
Let your swimmer pass under first.
The red line on the map above.
For the final leg, if that option is running on the day.
In the designated area.
Navigation beyond the marina is strictly forbidden
Getting to the finish line
Once berthed, it is about a five minute walk through the new town walkway, past the Radisson Hotel and across the pedestrian bridge, to the swim finish. Go and meet your team.
Agree with your team where they collect the bags they left on board.
The finish
Swimmers & Volunteers Hospitality Tent · free sandwiches, wraps, buns, fruit and water
The Bounty Coffee Dock · free tea and coffee for swimmers and volunteers
From 1.00pm · DJ and MC Ray Reilly introduces the homecoming swimmers
Simon's Street Kitchen and the River View Bistro are open for supporters
After party · from 7.30pm
The Snug Bar on Fry Place. Finger food for swimmers, support crew and volunteers. Share the stories and the photos. You have earned it.