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At an age when many people are thinking about how to get in and out of the bath, Mervyn Kinkead has put his own tub to a use which belies his advancing years.

The 65-year-old from Lisburn has become the first man to cross the Irish Sea in a bath.

With only a relatively minor hiccup along the way, Mervyn covered the 19 nautical miles from Donaghadee across to Portpatrick in about eight hours.

The problem arose when the bath, probably used to being filled, began to take in water about three miles out of Portpatrick.

However it was soon righted, and Mervyn made it across to Scotland shortly before nightfall.

"It all began as a bit of a joke," Mervyn told ����ý district reporter Claire Savage.

"Then someone said about doing it for charity so I thought I had better do it."

The adventurous admiral admitted to feeling like a celebrity when a crowd gathered in Portpatrick to herald his damp arrival.

However, his pride in his achievement does not equate to certainty over whether he would repeat the trip.

"I am glad it is all over. I would do it again - well, I would consider doing it again!"