Round South Island

It feels like it’s been ages since we moved anywhere, and in fact it has. We’ve been in Port Edgar for nearly 10 days. Our new crew have arrived and are settling in, of course with a game of UNO already on the go. This week we have Chris, Jonathan, Jake and Larvell has come back for more (YAY). We also have our volunteers Olly and Maria (from Skandia).
The last week has been quite a busy one. Our Round Britain team all had a few days off over last weekend, and of course being gluttons for punishment, Simon and I got the express train back with Michael and Jay to London (only 4hrs – about as long as a flight would take with all the checking in hassles etc.) then headed back to the Isle of Wight for the JP Morgan Round The Island Race. For some silly reason (to raise money for the Trust I think) I decided to test whether I could still ride a bicycle, and cycled round the Isle of Wight racing against Frank and Simon, who were both out sailing.
We had a pre-race bbq at UKSA with the crew from both of the Trust boats and with some of the JP Morgan cyclists, who I would be following the next day. It was really good to see all the EMT team and Choe, Hatty, Joe and Larvell again, and to meet more crew, some of whom will be sailing with us further along our path. It was also Larvell’s 18th birthday – HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARVELL!!!
I can happily say that the weather was definitely in my favour, with some light winds slowing the boats down a bit enabling me to beat them round the course without killing myself. Joey Bootle and I started off together, but soon after, my need to stop and enjoy too many views of the boats behind me (and a much needed rest for my rather unfit cycling body), I was soon out on the roads on my own. It was really beautiful and peaceful, and such a nice way just to be able to recap on all the happenings of the past few months. The island is a little hillier than I thought it was, and the route slightly longer, but I still managed to crawl round the 95km course in about 6hrs. What a great experience, and I will certainly be looking up some of the cyclists I met along the way to do some more cycling when I finally return to the south. A big thank you to the JP Morgan cycling team organizers and to Jo and Nic from the Trust- all out cycling had a fantastic time, and the little energy breaks were very much appreciated (and needed!!).
After a quick catch up with various friends along the way, I had the great new adventure of experiencing a sleeper train back up to Edinburgh on Monday night. This is definitely the way forward for travelling longer distances in the UK. I don’t know if it was the novelty of sleeping in a train where my cabin and bunk where actually slightly bigger than what I am living in on Scarlet, or if it was the freshly made beds, quite drink in the lounge carriage while departing, or the early morning wake up call with a cup of tea. It was so much easier than having to wait in airport lounges, go through security, all with the hassle of queues and checking in and then still having to make your way into the city at the other end. And then there is also the added and much needed advantage of the trains burning so much less carbon than an aeroplane… Got to be a winner!
Back on Scarlet and ready to go. Karen and I caught up with a bit of maintenance work this week, and then had Elaine for Skandia join us today. She very happily undertook the daunting task of polishing stainless, and thanks to hers and Maria’s (our Skandia volunteer for the week) efforts Scarlet is looking nice and shiny again!
We have a good leg ahead of us, and we’re starting it off in style tomorrow. We’re heading to the Royal Highland Show to experience the best of traditional Scotland. Can’t wait!
Good night, Cath.