Isle Of Wight 2004
As usual I was very excited about this rally beforehand, despite the weather forecast which was average at best. I can't remember having to pack my waterproofs for the Isle Of Wight before, let alone wear them, but this year it was tipping with rain when we left Bognor. Luckily, as we headed to Portsmouth, the rain eased and had stopped by the time we reached the ferry port. When we got onto the island we headed for Ryde and popped into the Lud for a cheeky half before booking into the B & B. Champs, Debbie, Terry and Angie were already there, and the cheeky half stretched into three as the rain poured down again. As soon as there was a break we made a dash up the hill before it started again. It was great to see landlady Jill again, it's my sixth year at her place, and she cooks the best breakfasts in the world! I've even got used to her scary dogs now, or maybe Lee manages to calm them down for me.....
After a quick shower we headed out. We started off in Wetherspoons, bought a patch off Tori and then headed back down the hill to the Lud and then on to the Marine. I really wanted to see More Specials at the theatre, so made my way up the hill at their supposed start time. I paid my tenner, got a pint of cider in and discovered that the support band were still on. Although they sounded really good, it was Johnny and the boys that I'd come to see, so after a quick chat with Mag I abandoned my beer and headed back down the hill to the ice rink, with every intention of coming back in an hour or so. It never happened though! I immediately bumped into Doug from the Paul Weller Council when I got there and we had a quick chat before they took to the stage. They're from Bognor, so it was very exciting to see them on a national rally. I then found the rest of our lot, including Rich and Sacha and a few of the Pacemakers. Had a bit of a dance, which is quite easy at the ice rink as it's so big, but although not the best surface at least it doesn't get slippery with spilt beer from drunken scooterists.... Then it was time for the Paul Weller Council. They went down quite well, playing a mixture of Weller's stuff from The Jam, Style Council and solo eras. Before they came back for their encore I nicked the setlist (as usual) and noticed that Little Boy Soldiers was on it. I hadn't heard that played live since I saw The Jam at the Brighton Centre in 1981 and it's one of my favourite Jam songs. When the boys came back out I screeched "Little Boy Soldiers" to Russell (the lead singer) and not only did he hear me (he probably didn't have much choice!) but he also dedicated it to me! The song went down really well with the rest of the crowd and made a fantastic finale. It was then time for the DJ's and they played a great mixture of music so it was time for more dancing until I finally wound my way back to the hotel some time later.....
Saturday dawned and after a hearty breakfast I waited for Stacey to arrive with the rest of our lot who were only coming over for the Saturday. Lee was feeling a bit peaky and didn't join us for breakfast. Landlord Derek offered him some garlic jellybeans as a cure for his hangover but we politely refused and instead gratefully accepted some paracetamol from Sacha. Whilst hanging out the window waiting for Stacey's arrival I saw a tired and sheepish-looking Hammy, ambling back to the campsite. He refused to divulge where he's spent the night and also refused my offer of a lift, probably knowing I'd give him the third degree until he spilled the beans. (A nameless accomplice later showed me who he'd spent the night with - nothing to be ashamed of, take my word for it!!).
Stacey duly arrived and we headed for the custom show where we caught up with everyone else. An overexcited Mark Boucher bounced up to me and excitedly showed me his gleaming Lambretta, along with an Elvis custom scoot which he'd done in his new shop. There were lots of nice scooters, including my favourite, The Sweeney. They were the best murals I've ever seen. I even thought they were photos, but Lee assured me they were painted, which is amazing. By now Lee was feeling peckish so we nipped up to the Wimpy for lunch, followed by a few drinks on the green opposite the Lud. Kev Lock and co were playing some top tunes and he was not only sporting an incredibly blonde barnet, but was also wearing his Forest shirt. As they were playing Coventry, he squared up to Pacemaker Rich and they exchanged some playful banter. By the time we left, Coventry were winning 3-1 and Kev was looking rather sheepish.....
Saturday evening, and we went to Yelfs for dinner with Rich and Sacha. It was a bit of a disaster, the food took forever to arrive, and when it did Rich's 'medium rare' steak looked like it had been under the grill for half an hour. He got a refund and we left, heading once again to the Lud and then the Marine. Knowing how busy it gets in the Lud, we popped into Threshers on the way down Union Street and bought some cans. This turned out to be a good decision as it was heaving in all the pubs! There was also a big queue outside the ice rink but it gave us a chance to chat, and I caught up with poor Louise, on crutches following a slip on the dancefloor at Exmouth. What a nightmare! The do was very busy and the main act were Spunge, a lively, young ska-punk band who were really good. They were mainly playing their own material but it was supplemented with some classic covers, including Oliver's Army and Centrefold!! Other entertainment included Champs and Rich on the bucking bronco, as well as a young lady with a very short skirt and barely any knickers. A very popular rider, she kept returning, until her boyfriend stepped in and stopped her, much to the disapproval of the (male) crowd! Then it was time for more dancing, including Morrissey's latest single which caused Lee to dash back from the toilets to join in! We left about 3am and luckily managed to hop on the campsite coach for the bargain price of £1, which saved the 45 minute stagger up the hill!
Sunday, and we all gathered back at the ice rink car park for the rideout. It gets bigger every year. My sister had joined us for the experience, having popped over on the catameran. Instead of rushing away with the first swathe of scooters, we held back and watched them go off down the seafront, and Lee bravely offered to lift me onto his shoulders to take some photos. It was hilarious, but his hard work down the gym has paid off and he managed to raise me above the crowds, much to the amusement of several bystanders. Getting down was even funnier, so we disappeared back into the car park to mount our scooters and make our way to Sandown Rugby Club for music, beer and ice creams. After a wander around and various chats we headed back to Ryde and dropped Sam off back on the pier, where there was a boat waiting to take her back to the mainland - perfect timing!
On Sunday evening we met up with Champs and Terry for a last drink in Yelfs. We'd managed to get tickets for The Jamm / Who's Who at the theatre, thanks to Mag. The venue had sold out early, much to my disappointment, but luckily there had been a couple of tickets returned so we were able to go after all. It was a great night. We missed the beginning of The Jamm, which was a shame, but the rest of the performance was up to their usual standard. I was over the moon (again!) when they played Little Boy Soldier - amazing, haven't heard it live in 23 years and now I'd heard it twice in a weekend!!!!! The bouncers were a little over-zealous and wouldn't even let me read the setlist, let alone take it. Next up were Who's Who. They had their old singer back, and sounded great. However, for me, Moony is the reason to go and see them, I could watch him all night, and his rendition of Bell Boy was legendary. They even played Squeeze Box, a favourite of mine, as well as the other classics. After the bands, it was Dave Porter and blondie Kev back on the decks and time for the final dance of the weekend. The new rally anthem "Amarillo" by Tony Christie went down a storm, it's a classic! And so it was time to go to bed, another IOW was almost over.....
Monday morning, and we missed getting onto the waiting ferry by six scooters - I was gutted. It was a bit windy and the ride back from Pompey was so scary I ended up leading Lee onto the B roads, through Farlington and Bedhampton and Leigh Park!!! It was a magical mystery tour, but I'm a sissy and I get blown about all over the place! There was barely time for a bath when we got home before I collected Sam from a party and we headed off to Fratton Park for Pompey's second home game of the season, against Fulham. What a match! Having gone 3-0 up in the first half hour, we were pegged back to 3-2 by half time. Nerves were jangling in the second half, even when we went 4-2 up. Fulham grabbed another but we managed to cling on to finish 4-3 and I was positively exhausted by the excitement of the match and the weekend's excesses.
It had been another great rally, the biggest since '86 apparantly. I love the Isle Of Wight, but it signals the start of the end of the season, with only one or two more to go.... Roll on Woolacombe!