The first real sign of approval came when the commentator announced that there were no jelly fish in the water this year.

Someone pointed out that he says that every year, sea swimmers not taking kindly to battling through shoals of tentacled assassins.

This is the hard end of swimming, the outdoor roughed up version of the sport we all know as warm indoor Olympic competition. Most of the men looked like firemen or bodyguards fortified on porter and full Irish breakfasts. Not a six- pack in sight. Jellyfish ... bah.

Here amongst the bilge pumps, bladder wrack, plastic bottles and propeller churn, The Irish Times Dun Laoghaire Harbour Swim again drew quite a curious crowd hanging over the edge of the pier. It's a spectacle, a tradition and no respector of the squeamish or the frail.

First the string of men slipped down the algae covered cobble stones where the lifeboat is kept and splashed off from two markers. Handicapped according to their performances in sea swims throughout the summer, the first were out of sight before the last dipped in.

Inevitably as the strong swimmers chase down the weaker, it is a case for some of them of simply hanging in until the end.

Brian O'Dwyer did just that, pluckily holding off a late surge from second placed Gerry Claffey in a winning time of 33 minutes 34 seconds for the 1,850 metre race.

"You just go out as hard and comfortably as you can and hopefully hold on in the swim back," said the winner. "That's basically it.

"I pushed him (Claffey) with about 100 yards to go and I thought that was it. But he held on to me. But the water was nice. It was good and calm.

"I've been swimming in this race now for 26 or 27 years and I've never won it before. I came second about seven or eight years ago although my brother Frank won it 33 years ago. He was 14 when he won it. I'm 42. I've been trying a while."

The women's race also produced a new winner in Carol Finlay, who will be 33 tomorrow. The Half Moon swimmer, along with all of the other 88 competitors, had to endure a rougher sea as the wind picked up and the tide began to turn.

"I had a good time in the water.

It was quite choppy out there but I like it when it's choppy.

Yeah, other people don't like it when it's like that ... that's why I won ... I'be been swimming in it since I was 17. That's 15 years.

It's the biggest swim we have along with the Liffey.

"I didn't really know if I could win or not but when I got out there I said I'd give it a go. I think I'd won it when I was swimming up the home straight at around the bandstand. I could hear the commentator talking about me."

The fastest women overall was Rachael Lee, who swam the shorter 1500 metres distance in 19 minutes 42 seconds. As with the men, the handicap system readjusted the times which gave Finlay the trophy.

Aer Lingus won the women's team prize with a second place, a 10th, 14th and 19th with Ann McAdam, Ireland's successful Channel swimmer, picking up the prize for the quickest veteran.

The men's team trophy went to St Vincent's. Three of their swimmers finished in the top 10 with Tighe Murphy in fourth place, Brock Coghlan in fifth and Neil McCabe in eighth.

Alan Turner of Aer Lingus was the fastest over the course in 27 minutes 41 seconds with Guinness swimmer Phillip Molloy winning the veterans' prize.

MEN: 1, B O'Dwyer (Guinness) 33 mins 34 secs; 2, D Harte (Millennium) 36:23; 3, G Claffey (Millennium) 35:40; 4, T Murphy (St Vincents) 31:54; 5, B Coghlan (St Vincent's) 35:11; 6, B Nowlan (North Dublin) 35:21; 7, E Gaffney (Glenalbyn Masters) 35:40; 8, N McCabe (St Vincent's) 35:42; 9, M McCarthy (Glenalbyn) 37:06; 10, G Byrne (Dublin) 35:32. Fastest: A Turner (Aer Lingus) 27.41. Team winners: St Vincent's (4th,5th,8th,12th). Veteran: P Molloy.

WOMEN: 1, C Finlay (Half Moon) 20 mins 59 secs; 2, K Bolton (Aer Lingus) 24:25; 3, K Molloy (Claremorris) 21:25; 4, O Furey (Glenalbyn Masters) 22:02; 5, A Wadden (Trojan) 21:28; 6, L Clarke (Glenalbyn Masters) 21:15; 7, C McDonagh (Terenure) 22:10; 8, R Doyle (Tallaght) 22:51; 9, J Reid (Carraig) 23:13; 10, M Kelly (Aer Lingus) 22:54. Fastest: R Lee 19:42. Team winners: Aer Lingus (2nd, 10th,14th,19th). Veteran: A McAdam.