The Sound of Naked Women in Cold Water

This was my first Strip and Dip for charity. The high profile women’s race into the cold Irish Sea in Wicklow is now in its seventh year and has raised more than €700,000 for the children’s charity, Aoibheanne’s Pink Tie, over the years.

Last year the women created a Guinness World Record by having the most naked women taking part in a swim. There were more than 2500 women and they had to stay in the water for five minutes to seal the deal. It might have worked last year during our summer heat wave, I’m not so sure the women would have lasted five minutes this year — it was so cold.

The gathering is very festive. Women accessorise and body art is everywhere. It is the most colourful gathering one could imagine. The women gather at the top of the beach, waiting as the buses arrive from a nearby hotel, and picnics are laid and prosecco is popped. There is one male, Wayne, allowed who mans (pun intended) the beach head. He is truly blessed among women. There are also many volunteers who organise the migration of women down onto the beach and ultimately into the water.

This year a number of buses were delayed and so we waited an hour, naked, on the beach. The sun was mostly out and we were mostly warm. I do remember at one point the sun disappeared behind a cloud and at the same time, a cool breeze crossed the beach. The inward…