Ion and his team
On the 11 August 2015, I was battling the North Chanel which was the most difficult challenge of my life. Initially I planned to swim the North Channel before the Lake Zurich, but again, everything happens for a reason… and swimming the lake first was like a big training session on my fitness. After a wait of a good few weeks and driving once to Belfast, I finally received the green light on Monday the 10th after being cancelled due to weather on couple of occasions. So 2 weeks after doing well in the Lake Zurich I was off to Bangor in North.
Local Bray man Ion Lazarenco decided to wind down his summer with a swim across the Irish Channel. An open water swimmer since 2011, Ion is no stranger to a challenge. In the past, he has swam the River Nistru in his home country of Moldova, the Ice Mile in Lough Dan and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Ion swam the Irish Channel on August 11, it took a total of 16 hours and 23 minutes. Setting off before 7am from Bangor, Co Belfast, the 12.3°C sea was crystal clear. But all was not as calm as it appeared. “I have to admit, I have never swam so hard in my life,” Ion told the Wicklow Voice. “I came across the first jellyfish in the first hour. It was gigantic, it was a shocking sight.
“It was like a minefield in some areas as there were just huge groups of jellyfish. I didn’t get stung that much in the first eight hours because I could see them and swim around them. But once it got dark, and I was fighting strong tides, there was no way around them. The pain, along with the cold, was consistent throughout the entire journey but I was there and there was nothing that could stop me from achieving my goal.”
Luckily, Ion had a great team of people with him throughout the swim who helped him to keep going.
“I enjoyed the entertainment from my brother Marcel and the team. I was blessed to have experienced observer Maureen McCoy as a member of my team. I was incredibly grateful for Lucas Kowalczk who jumped in on a couple of occasions to swim with me, even though it was dark and he was getting stung as well. These are moments I will never forget. There are so many people to thank so I apologise if I miss anyone – it’s not intentional. Special thanks to Victor, pilot Brian Maharg and his co-pilot Marvin, Stephen for his help, Philip, Simon and Vicky for their insights and my family for their continued support in my crazy adventures.”
The weather was changeable for the duration of the swim which took its toll on Ion. The tides often pushed him back, especially in the final couple of hours so Ion really had to dig deep to make it across the last stretch.
“At times I felt that I was getting nowhere even I was swimming so hard. When I saw Brian getting on the rib and telling me there was 500 meters to go, I was over the moon. I couldn’t wait to get the pain, the jellyfish and cold over with. I never thought of stopping even though it was difficult to keep my body going, I refused to give up until I hit that rock in Scotland. You better believe that that was an emotional moment!”
