Isle Of Wight rally, August 26th - 29th 2005

Friday was a nice sunny day and we left mid morning for the short trip to Portsmouth to catch the 12 o'clock ferry.  Once on the island we dropped off our stuff at the B & B and then went for a ride to see who we could find.   We tried Kite Hill campsite but the only sign of life was a Nuneaton Pacemakers sign across an abandoned gazebo.  So we headed back to Ryde and had some food and found Champs already propping up the bar in Yelfs.   He'd had his scooter customised with stickers so I went outside to investigate.   They were certainly eye-catching, and rather distinctive, celebrating his heritage as a Half Celt.    I don't know about that, but he was soon to be half cut after another couple of beers, so we left to pop into the Lud for a quick one.   We bumped into Johnny from the Modrapheniacs who had grown his previous skinhead into a longer crop and was barely recognisable with a beard!   Another photo opportunity!    And then to the pub, where we joined Terry and Angie and soon Gary, Linda and Stacey all arrived too.   As I was driving I just had a quick half and then we made our way back to the B & B for a shower and change ready for the evening.

As I had flyers for The Gift's first gig to distribute we started off by popping into Hipshaker for a chat with Dave and to put out some flyers.  We then headed for Stanleys for a quick drink with Champs and Debbie and then onto the Lud where the rest of the club were.   We were joined by Woody and other Pacemakers and then headed up the hill to Wetherspoons with them to catch up.   Then it was back down the hill to the Marine where we found Parker, Lucy and Jo Parker.   We'd intended to go to the Squadron as a change from the VFM do, but it was too hot (for Lee, not me!)  and too busy to get served so we reverted to plan B which was the ice rink.   It was too cold here (for me, not Lee!) so I kept my fleece on and we stayed in the Northern Room which was a bit warmer.   We didn't stay late though, not wanting to scupper the following night by having a massive hangover....

On Saturday, after a hearty breakfast, we headed for the custom show.   There were some amazing new scooters, notably a tribute to the Battle Of Trafalgar which featured fantastic engraving in gold as well as lovely murals.  It was a shame it was against the wall as it would have been nice to see it from all angles and to see the detail, but that would have got my vote as best in show.   We then nipped outside for a chat with Gary and Lin next to the hovercraft.   When it left I eagerly watched and was impressed with the three point turn that it did on the sand.   However, I was not prepared for the sandstorm which ensued thanks to the engine fans (or whatever they were).   My nicely vaselined lips were now covered in sand that had stuck fast, and my top looked like I'd had a massive attack of dandruff!  

We then went up to the Crown pub to watch the football with the Nuneaton lads.  Birmingham were playing West Brom and the Pacemakers had fans of both teams in their ranks.   I was cheering on Birmingham as Woody didn't have many allies, which turned out to be a good decision as they beat West Brom 3-2.   We then got back on the scoot and went over to the Sloop which was where Emma Cox was hosting her birthday party, complete with helium balloons.    We sat outside with the rest of the Detours, along with some of the Choirboys and the odd Talismen or two.   After discussing various politically-sensitive subjects, including cruelty to horses, foxhunting, religion and football we left before Lee's neck became too sunburnt!

We'd been looking forward to Saturday's bands and made our way to the ice rink early as we'd heard various rumours that it had either sold out or there were long queues.   Neither was true, and luckily also it was a bit warmer than Friday night had been.   No sooner had we got a drink when we were accosted by various people in blonde wigs, sunglasses, 70's tracksuits and cigars.   It was the Jimmy Saville scooter club, for one night only, whose members included Johnny and Sharon!    They presented Lee and me with Jim'll Fix It badges which we wore proudly for the rest of the evening.   We weren't the only ones either - most of the bar staff and even the lead singer of Basket Case were also wearing them!   The highlight of their set was Nellie The Elephant which the crowd loved.   It had got busy by now, and the venue had more people than I'd ever seen before (Steve Foster later confirmed there were 2000 people in there).   The second band were Bad Manners who also did not disappoint.  It was the first time I'd seen Buster since he lost all the weight, but one thing that hadn't shrunk was his tongue!   And it looked even bigger on a smaller body!!  They played with their usual energy and enthusiasm to a very appreciative audience.   Afterwards I hung around by the dressing room to try to meet the man himself.  It was a long wait, but ended up meeting and chatting with Booga from the A5.   We were finally rewarded when the door opened and the bouncer let us in.   Buster was lovely and spent time signing autographs, chatting and having photos taken.   I didn't have any paper or other item for him to sign except for one thing....   It's not every day you get to say "Buster Bloodvessel signed my Jim'll Fix It Badge"!!!  Another dressing room visitor left with casts of Buster's handprints - at least I think that's what they were!

The evening didn't end there, as more of Lee's mates turned up.  We had a great dance and stayed right until the last bar of the last record, finally leaving at 3.15.  What a fantastic evening....

Sunday's weather was beautiful.   The rideout was amazing as usual.   The crowds seem to get bigger every year and there is no experience quite like riding through them, with hundreds of cameras, mobile phones and video cameras pointing in your direction.    I had to ride the scooter as Lee still had too much Carling in his bloodstream.   We didn't make it to the end, as we were too hungry, so we peeled off and headed to Bembridge airfield for a nice pub lunch spent watching tiny planes taking off, some with gliders in tow!   It's a lovely, peaceful and scenic spot, only spoiled by the sound of an occasional PM exhaust!   We headed back into town to chill out on the grass opposite the Lud.   We bumped into Lobby who offered Lee a test drive of his new GT250.   Lee didn't need to be asked twice and went around the block a couple of times.   He loved it and said it felt like a Rolls Royce next to his Ford Escort of a PX.   I think he's going to start saving.....

On Sunday night we went to the VFM do at the Balcony, which was a refreshing change to the ice rink.   The nice clean, warm toilets were fantastic (sad, I know, to be raving about some ladies toilets, but they were in stark contrast to those we'd been used to!).   The staff were amazingly helpful and opened up the cloakroom for me to put my bag in.   The bars were easy to get served in and we found a nice spot above the dancefloor.   Birthday girl Emma Cox made an appearance, at apparantly her first ever VFM do which I found amazing!   I had a good dance and we left at 2 o'clock, just as Hipshaker were turning out over the road, removing any possibility of getting a taxi.   So we made the long trek up the scary dark path, which actually scared Lee more than me, which was funny!

And before we knew it the weekend was over.   We'd had a fantastic time, helped by the weather.   The peak for me was Saturday night which was brilliant.  It's my favourite rally and we were sad to leave.  The ferry crossing was smooth and we were home by 1 o'clock.....   Just enough time to nip to Tesco and then catch up on Eastenders....  Back to reality!