As many of our Facebook followers would have seen, this gave us the opportunity to play holidaymakers for a few days and for us to experience the visitor stay. Although I still had to cover a few breakfasts, it was very enjoyable and on our first morning, I cycled to Port Erin to join the rest of the family who'd taken the train. Incidentally, it costs just £3 to put you bicycle in the Guard's carriage should you not have the energy to retrace your tyre tracks.
And then! And then, although even most of Maughold was grey, we rounded the bend to see wonderful brightness over the Northern plains and up to the Point of Ayre.
After a lovely afternoon, mainly with Jack, nearly daring to splash around in the children's water feature in Mooragh Park, we took the Manx Electric Railway tram back to the gloom at Laxey before finishing the journey back to Douglas.
Although we had to go through the waves and into the wind, it was quite good fun, though we didn't go quite so far as we'd intended and didn't find a beach to eat our packed lunch on. Typically as we turned back, the breeze seemed to ease off a little and we didn't quite have the push we had had been expecting.
I had my camera, which whilst it wasn't waterproof, I was pretty confident I wouldn't let it drop in the sea. Irene spotted a couple of puffins but frustratingly, every time I seemed to get in position, the boat would be pushed round and I wouldn't have quite the shot I was looking for. Although it wasn't as rough as when we paddled out, it wasn't pan flat and I just couldn't manoeuvre and hold the camera to find the picture I wanted. Therefore, I twisted right round in the kayak. Obviously, my shift in weight, combined with a bit of a wave hitting from behind meant that my balance wasn't quite what it should have been and the next thing I knew, I was upside down in the Irish Sea.
Needless to say, it was a bit of a shock, I was very wet, the first pair of expensive glasses I'd ever owned had floated off to the bottom of the briny and my non-watertight photographic apparatus was as soggy as me!
And then there was re-mounting the kayak!
I've done this many times on sit-on versions and even managed many times on the one occasion I was taken paddling on a surf-ski, so assumed this would be very easy.
After about twenty minutes trying, I discovered that I was wrong to assume this would be very easy and my arms were starting to tire somewhat from dragging myself up, only for the the thing to roll over at the last moment.
Admittedly, I was beginning to fear that I'd have to be rescued but instead opted to swim for a reasonably flat rock.
Once again, I became a little worried that I'd taken the wrong option as a few waves slammed the boat into be and the barnacles were cutting my legs but eventually, I succeeded in jumping in and sliding off my slab, though the water still in the kayak made the return journey to Fenella Beach a little wobbly to say the least!
We've since discovered how to re-enter a kayak, bought a bilge pump and soon will be booking a safety course but it is a cautionary tale and I'd certainly urge any other would be paddlers to respect the ocean a little more than I did.
Putting the boats back on the car roof was certainly tough with arms like jelly but we headed off to the Peveril for a much needed beer with only minor grazes, bruises and the pride a little dented, though still in tact.
However, life obviously had other ideas and felt my inflated ego still needed further pricking because a Dutch couple had been watching us from the Raad-ny-Foillan on the cliffs above and approached us to check that we were okay as they had been on the verge of ringing the emergency services.
You understand what I mean? The first thing you do when you fall over in the street is to look around and check if anyone has seen you and if the coast is clear, it doesn't seem to hurt half as much.
AND the picture of the puffin didn't even turn out after all that!
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