Douglas, Isle of Man, August 25, 2017

Douglas, Isle of Man, August 25, 2017

We left Liverpool last night a bit later than the posted 11 pm. The tides are so extreme and currents so strong that ship movement is dependent on the conditions. The captain told us he'd have to average 20 knots to meet our scheduled 8 am arrival time at the Isle of Man.

The ship arrived as intended but then things got a bit sticky. Douglas is a tender port. It's a big bay but wide open to the sea. The first group of passengers was loaded onto the first tender soon after 8 but as we learned later that night from our dinner companions who were on that first tender, they were bouncing around on that tender as the captain and others were determining if it was safe enough to take them to shore. That tender went but then operations were put on hold while the crew prepared a second tender stairway down to the loading platform on the other side of the ship. Depending on seas and currents we would leave either from the port or starboard side. Now that's something new to me.

The worker bees in the Shore Excursion department are young, efficient and charming so they kept us all informed and amused as we all waited patiently in the big Showroom until the tenders were ready. They took 80 or so at a time from ship to shore. We were supposed to  leave at 8:30 but were delayed until about 10. It was a rocking and rolling ride to the pier and then another steep climb up yet another steep ramp (low tide again) where a group of Manx representatives were there to greet us. (Yes, the Isle of Man is home to the Manx cat!) We rode on a shiny new double decker bus along the shoreline promenade (beautiful flowers the whole three miles) to the Manx Electric Train station.

After yesterday's disappointing steam train trip we weren't very optimistic about the electric train but it was great fun. We clambered aboard cars that still depend on the original Victorian and Edwardian technology (124 years old this year) for the thirty minute trip up to the town of Laxey. Then we transferred to the Snaefell Mountain Railway, the only electric mountain railway in the British Isles. It's also well over 100 years old. We climbed up to the 2,036 foot summit of Snaefell, stopping motor vehicle cross traffic along the way. The summit is the highest point on the island and for our visit was swallowed up by low hanging clouds to we didn't get to see the six kingdoms visible from the peak. And then it was back down to the Laxey station and back on our bus for the ride back to town.

Every June a wild and wooly motorcycle race is held on the streets of the Isle of Man. The roads are narrow and curvy and have claimed more than one victim. The Island was full of motorcycles and I mean FULL of motorcycles. Did I hear 20,000? The first day of racing of vintage bikes was to begin the next day. The course was set up with barricades and big bales of hay to cushion the drivers in the inevitable crashes. We even saw a phone booth wrapped in bubble wrap! Everywhere we saw motorcycles parked and at the ready. The course would be opened later that afternoon for practice runs but drivers were already zooming along the roads. And thus the police presence. I can just imagine the noise when all those bikes take off. Poor sheep. They scattered when our little tram car rambled by them in the fields. They're in store for a rough week!

A fun day. The only disappointment was that all the souvenirs were geared to the race participants so no purchases. One more chance tomorrow on the Isle of Sky to unload British pounds before we head back to Iceland. Four port days in a row. We're all ready for a sea day R & R.

Funny British stand up comedian tonight. One couple ambled in maybe 15 minutes into his act and then sat near the stage. Of course he riffed with them at which point they got up, told the guy he was insulting to them and left. People! Do NOT arrive late for a comedian, sit down front and expect him NOT to notice you! The rest of the audience had a great time as did we.