Once again we were stalled for hours in the ship lounge waiting for the Captain to release the tenders.  Finally the Captain  announced that the seas were too heavy to launch the tenders, and forecast to remain so all day.  So Portrush was a no-go.  Much grumbling.

The port cancellation was particularly frustrating as we could see a sister ship, the Windsurf, launching her tenders and transporting passengers into the city dock.  Someone must have mentioned this to the Captain,  for he was soon back on the PA explaining  that the Windsurf was better equipped to launch tenders in rough seas (from the side) than our ship, which could only launch  tenders from the stern of the vessel.  We missed some great sights in an around Portrush, but decided to make the best of a unfortunate situation.

We attended another talk by historian Ross Arnold. Russ (employed for the cruise season by Windstar) who made regular scheduled presentations on the history of the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland.  His talks were informed, humorous, and when word got around, well attended.

However, the lecture we thought topped them all was when Ross dedicated an entire presentation to the virtues  of Irish Whiskey (note the “e” in the proper spelling).  He even conned the ship’s barkeep into passing out wee samples.  The lecture got even better with each sample.

At dinner that evening I had to suffer through a another reminder of my age.

ISLE OF MAN, UK

Inbound to the Isle of Man more bad news from the Captain who informed us that our destination Douglas was “unsuitable” and that we would disembark at a port on the south of the island and be bused to and from Douglas (groan).  Brenna managed to contact the motorcycle hire company and advise him of the delay (yes, we planned to ride motorcycles over the famous 37 mile Tourist Trophy (TT) race course ).  We knew that today’s steady rain and slick streets made motorcycling out of the question, but we hoped that we could arrange for a car to drive the course and see some of the island.

When we finally got off the bus in Douglas, Mike Banks from Isle of Man Motorcycle Adventures was waiting for us. It was pouring rain so bikes were still out of the question, but Mike offered to drive us around the TT course, and even included a stop at the Official Gift Shop.

Mike has competed as a rider in the famous TT races, and as he drove us around the course, he explained the speeds and tactics used by the racers. The TT is widely considered to be the most dangerous motorcycle race in the world.

Motorcycle racing began on the island in 1904, and in the years since more than 200 people have been killed on the course, including more than a few spectators, in the wrong place at the wrong time when a crashed bike came cartwheeling off the course.

The 37.73 mile race snakes through 200 turns down rural roads and along village streets, with modern riders clocking average speeds of 132mph, and as high as 190+mph in the straightaways. The race is a test of skill, and luck

The TT race is actually a week of time trial racing featuring different classes of motorcycles running 3 to 6 laps around the course. There is even a sidecar race with brave fellows (called monkeys) that hang on as a  “passenger” and flop from side to side of the rig to add weight when needed in turns, hanging off inches from the roadway at speeds in excess of 100mph.  Every machine racing against the clock–quite a show.

Driving the TT course in the rain.  Note the stone wall on the left.

It was a miserable weather day.  When we drove back into Douglas after a couple of hours, Mike apologized for the foul weather and refused to take any money for his time.  Mike Banks owns “Isle of Man Motorcycles Adventures”  and we would recommend him to anyone considering visiting the the Isle of Man as a gentleman who knows the island and its sights and services well. [Shameless  plug for a nice man.]

We spent a little time walking about and visiting pubs in Douglas, then climbed on the bus back to the boat.

DUBLIN NEXT