Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Quinton Nelson, North Channel Pilot

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Probably a dozen or so times every summer I go out fishing with Quinton Nelson from Donaghadee, in his boat 'The Brothers'. My first trip was when I was about 14, with Donaghadee man David McCormick (who has since become one of the world's top deep sea anglers) - our fathers work together and David and I laboured to them during the summer holidays when we were both still at school. David's father Bob re-installed the 17th century Patrick Montgomery coat of arms on a dwelling house on the Craigboy Road, where it had languished in a yard for donkeys years having once graced Patrick Montgomery's orchard-surrounded house that was the first building on the site.

Quinton is a man of many talents, and he often accompanies the open sea swimmers who travel to Donaghadee from around the world every summer to try to swim the 18 miles to Portpatrick. The current record is 9 hours 34 minutes, set by US swimmer and Nike Ambassador Michelle Macy in July 2013. In August 2014, Colleen Mallon from Co. Armagh swam across in 9 hours 56 minutes.

Here is an article about Quinton on LoneSwimmer.comIMG 0192SAM 5570SAM 5580SAM 5585

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