Brian Meharg
Brian Meharg MBE of Bangor Boat is a knowledgeable and experienced Irish escort pilot of the North Channel. He has been escorting channel swimmers across the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland as a crew member and escort pilot since 1962. He has been part of 64 attempts. His swimmers include many International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductees including Ted Keenan, Rohan Dattatrey More, Kevin Murphy, Anna-Carin Nordin, Stephen Redmond and Alison Streeter MBE.
As an escort pilot, his swimmers have set many records while helping to establish the Northern Ireland-to-Scotland route: the first female, the first relay, the the first American, first swimmer from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first swimmer from India. For the Scotland-to-Northern Ireland route, the records included the first female, the first male and the first male from Ireland.
Between 1989 and 2009, he was the only active pilot for swimmers across the North Channel. With the increased popularity of the North Channel as part of the Oceans Seven, other escort pilots have been added with Meharg continuing with up to three solo swimmers each season – more for the experience and enjoyment as opposed to a commercial venture.
Contents
Honours
Meharg is an Honour Contributor (Pilot) in the Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland of the inaugural Class of 2018. His Class of 2018 includes Honour Swimmer Chris Bryan, Honour Swimmer Lisa Cummins, Honour Swimmer Kieran Fitzgerald, Honour Swimmer Jack McClelland, Honour Swimmer Deirdre Ward, Honour Contributor Eilís Burns (Coach), Honour Contributor Martin Cullen (Administrator), and Honour Contributor Quinton Nelson (Pilot).
North Channel Crossing Highlights
- 22 August 1988, he escorted Alison Streeter of England from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 9 hours 54 minutes 42 seconds.
- 25 August 1989, he escorted Alison Streeter of England from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 10 hours 4 minutes.
- 18 August 1996, he escorted Alison Streeter of England from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 10 hours 2 minutes 12 seconds.
- On 12 September 2008, he escorted Colleen Blair of Scotland from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 15 hours 24 minutes 59 seconds.
- On 8 July 2014, he escorted Anna-Carin Nordin of Sweden from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 14 hours 21 minutes.
- On 6 August 2014, he escorted Colleen Mallon of Ireland from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 9 hours 56 minutes.
- On 24 July 2015, he escorted Vicky Miller of England from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 6 minutes.
- On 14 August 2016, he escorted Phia Steyn of South Africa from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 14 hours 46 minutes 40 seconds.
- On 26 July 1999, he escorted Paul Lewis of England from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 14 hours 28 minutes.
- On 21 July 2000, he escorted Steve Price of England from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 16 hours 56 minutes
- On 41 July 2004, he escorted Colm O'Neill of Ireland from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 11 hours 25 minutes 5 seconds.
- On 41 August 2010, he escorted Steve Redmond of Ireland from Scotland to Northern Ireland in 16 hours 16 minutes 1 second.
- On 26 July 2011, he escorted Craig Lenning of the USA from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 14 hours 44 minutes 50 seconds.
- On 2 August 2011, he escorted Howard Keech of England from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 14 hours 25 minutes.
- On 16 August 2014, he escorted Padraig Mallon of Ireland from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 49 minutes.
- On 29 August 2014, he escorted Darren Miller of USA from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 11 hours 16 minutes.
- On 22 July 2014, he escorted Guy Moar of Australia from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 11 hours 9 minutes.
- On 6 August 2015, he escorted Rohan More of India from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 12 hours 46 minutes.
- On 11 August 2015, he escorted Ion Lazarenco Tiron of Moldova from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 16:24.45 seconds.
Darren Miller's North Channel Crossing
Anna-Carin Nordin's North Channel Crossing
Escorted the first woman and the second person in history, Anna-Carin Nordin, to complete the Oceans Seven
Vicky Miller's North Channel Crossing
External links
- 10K Under 10°C, Ger Kennedy Joins Cold Water Swimming A-Listers
- Presenting The Ireland Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame On WOWSA Live
- Brian Meharg Shares His Perspectives On North Channel Crossings At the 2019 WOWSA Ocean Fest
- Hall of Fame – Marathon Swimming Ireland Announced
- Irish Long Distance Swimming Association
- North Channel swimming
- Colleen's Rock Commemorates Blair's Crossing
- History of the North Channel Swims
- Nothing Can Compare In A Bold Step Forward
- Irish Long Distance Swimming Association Facebook
- International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
- The History And Future Of The North Channel
- Open Water Swimming
- Mercedes: The Spirit Of The Age Age Premieres In Ireland
- Darren Miller's Rock Solid Six Pack
- Anna Carin Nordin Completes The Oceans Seven
- An Unassuming Heroine Of The World's Oceans (Seven)
- Celebrating Anna Carin Nordin's Feat Of The Oceans Seven
- Duty Of Care At Start & Finish Of The North Channel
- Brian Meharg Of Bangor Boat Passing On The Knowledge
- Bangor Boat Bonanza
- Peter Bales, A Navigating Giant Of South Africa
- ‘All at sea’ with Brian Meharg MBE
- The Admiral of The Channel
- Where Is Precisely The North Channel?
- 11 Feet And 6 Big Smiles
- Lopsided But Swimming Straight
- Guy Moar Sets Aussie Precedence In North Channel
- Pádraig Mallon Cuts Loose In Time For Dinner
- This Was To Be A Special Day
- Benefitting From Bangor Boats
- Man With Mother Nature In The Open Water
- Vicky Miller Makes It Across The North Channel
- It's Miller Time Across The North Channel
- Millennium Crossing Of The North Channel By Stephen Price
- Stephen Redmond Across The North Channel
- Simon Olliver, 4 Down 4 To Go
- A Look Back: Facing The Unexpected In Setúbal
