Submitted by jim.rotheram on
Hi Folks
Just a flyer to find out if there is any interest in an IOM rally next year. Several crews showed interest in 2014 but it was finally left just to Pen Gwyn and Mrs Magregor to brave the perils of the Irish Sea. That trip turned out to be a great weekend with only a slight hitch for Pen Gwyn on the return trip (see Mac Sailor issue 87).
Launch dates may need to be flexible due to weather concerns but the island is a great place for a holiday with a variety of different harbours: Ramsey, Douglas, Castletown and Peel to name but a few (okay that's almost all of them). The interior is beautiful and a ride on the Maxey Electric Railway down the east coast is rightly described in the guide as, "unforgettable".
The trip could be a week's circumnavigation or a weekend jaunt, or a mixture of both.
One possible alternative is to take boats across on the ferry although at this point I haven't investigated launch facilities. Whitehaven/Ramsy is the closest mainland launch (30 miles) but Mrs Mac crossed from Fleetwood/Ramsey (60 miles) last year without (almost) any problems (again see Mac Sailor issue 87).
The trip is not without its challenges but offers a real alternative to purely coastal/estuary based rallies.
Regards
Jim Rotheram, Pen Gwyn