Gardaí make record splash

IT took a gruelling five and a half hours to achieve in particularly rough seas, but five Cork gardaí were riding on the crest of a wave after setting a world record and, in the process, raising a substantial amount of money for a worthy cause.

The five jumped on wakeboards that were then dragged by a Torpedo RIB across the Irish Sea between Rosslare and Fishguard, a total of 62 miles.

While one of them, David White, has been involved in the sport for a number of years, the other four only took up the sport six months ago and little did they think back then that they would achieve a record for the longest distance achieved by wakeboarders.

Alongside Dave White, Liam Phillips, Brian Callanan, Anthony Daly and Hugh Twomey were waved off by family and friends who made the trip to the sunny south east on Tuesday afternoon, after it was decided to bring forward the world record attempt by 24 hours due to weather conditions.

The gardaí, who are working in Mallow, were towed across the sea by RIB driver Omar Fitzell, a colleague based in Fermoy.

“For the others it was a massive achievement because they only took it up six months ago,” said Gda White. “It showed a massive commitment and a huge level of training was put in by them.”

The team worked on a relay basis, each taking to the wakeboard for a 10-minute stint.

“It was extremely hard to do, but at least with that you had 40 minutes to recover before you get back on the wakeboard,” Gda White said.

The gardaí were accompanied by three boat crews from Mallow Search & Rescue, who were vital in ensuring that the record attempt was a success.

They were greeted upon arrival in Fishguard by Welsh Police Service members, who organised a celebration barbecue.

Inspector Senan Ryan, who helped co-ordinate the event, said he did not believe the achievement had sunk in for the five.

“They should feel very proud of what they’ve achieved for the charity, Special Olympics Ireland,” said Insp Ryan. “We have already brought a nice bit of money for them, but there’s a lot outstanding in sponsorship cards and we think the final sum will be quite substantial.”

All funds raised will be used to support Special Olympics Munster’s programme of sports training and competition.

There are presently 61 Special Olympic groups in the Munster region. They provide training and competitive opportunities for 2,400 athletes in 12 different sports and constantly need support.

* Donations can be made online at www.specialolympics.ie/wakeboard