#Isle of Man Steam Packet

[onlinehomesupplience]

£10m Investment to Future-Proof Heysham Port and Boost Irish Sea Links

Peel Ports Group has announced a £10m investment to upgrade Heysham Port, a vital link between Lancashire, the Republic of Ireland, and the Isle of Man. The project aims to enhance operational resilience, create additional capacity, and improve efficiency for key operators including Isle of Man Steam Packet, CLDN, and Stena Line. Upgrades include a reconfigured trailer park to support future growth and the arrival of Stena Line’s new "NewMax" ferries, increasing freight capacity by 40%. A new gate system will also reduce congestion and improve the haulier experience.

[weirdowithaquill]

Traintober 2023: Day 17 - Holiday

How Sudrian Tourism has Evolved:

Sodor has changed majorly thanks to the publication of the Railway Series and the subsequent Television Series, both of which propelled the island and its railways from being just another part of the UK into a tourism juggernaut. But the fact of the matter is that Sodor did not immediately transform from being an insignificant island on the coast of Cumbria to one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United Kingdom overnight – so how did it all change?

To understand, we must go back to the 1500s, and the Protestant Reformation in England. At the time, Sodor was part of the English Crown – but far looser than its Irish and Welsh neighbours. Due to its small size, rough terrain and low population, King Henry VIII was far less interested in confiscating Catholic land on the island than its surrounding areas. This was in part due to the both Sir Geoffrey Regaby and Bishop Michael Colden, who managed to guide Sodor away from the Lincolnshire Rising and the Pilgrimage of Grace. Due to their remote location and general poverty, Thomas Cromwell never visited Sodor, and Cronk Abbey was never closed. For its part, St Luoc’s Cathedral at Suddery was ‘converted’ to a Protestant Cathedral in 1537, but continued holding Catholic mass. This was done by holding the two religious ceremonies one after the other.

As Sodor was now one of the few parts of the British Isles that had a Catholic church and direct line to the Papacy in Rome, it became an ‘underground’ tourist destination as a new British site of pilgrimage, frequented by Catholics looking to attend mass at the Suddery Cathedral. In return for continuing these ceremonies, Sudrians became more devout to the crown – in particular to Queen Elizabeth I, and by 1603 the Catholic mass had been all but forgotten. This did not end the attractiveness of Sodor as a religious destination, due to the caves of Saint Machan and several other holy sites that litter the island; the numbers were not large, but they did lead to a number of important connections, especially with Ireland, the Isle of Man and English ports.

The next phase of Sudrian tourism came in the 1860s, when the Skarloey Railway found the long-forgotten Skarloey lake and hidden hollow. Rather than explain it, I think I’ll just use the description that the Reverend Wilbert Awdry did:

“Spas were popular at the period and offered the possibility of a lucrative passenger business. Skarloey’s mineral springs and sheltered situation took hold on the minds of some members of the Board, among them Shamus Tebroc who conceived the idea of developing Skarloey as a spa. An hotel and a number of villas were built as a speculation, and the gravity worked incline which had been installed for the conveyance of materials was retained and up-graded for coals, merchandise, and passengers’ luggage.”

Skarloey became the first of the Island of Sodor’s tourist hotspots, especially due to its proximity to Culdee Fell and Saint Machan’s cave. The popularity of the spas was good for a time, but began to fall off as the bad fortunes of the Sodor & Mainland Railway continuously hurt the Skarloey Railway’s tourism campaign with delayed and cancelled trains, ratty carriages and even standoffish staff. This led to Skarloey becoming a local holiday destination instead, but even that began to slow down as WWII loomed.

On the other side of the island, the Mid Sodor Railway also began heavily advertising their railway to holidaymakers across the UK, but to a somewhat better result. The Isle of Man Steam Packet contract the railway picked up led to a large influx of tourists across the late 1800s and early 1900s, up until the 1920s. The railway’s ability to reach the walled city of Peel Godred and the cave of Saint Machan (via the Culdee Fell Railway) made it a very attractive destination for tourists, though this would change at the end of WWI.

The advent of relatively cheap international travel via ferries in the 1920s did a lot of damage to Sodor’s tourism economy, as their major markets in England preferred to travel to either the Continent or the Lake District – or even as far afield as the United States. Sodor instead switched to being primarily an agricultural and resource-extraction economy, with some manufacturing. This continued throughout WWII.

Which leads us to May 12th, 1945. The Three Railway Engines was published – in colour – in the UK. It achieved enough success to lead to the continuation of the series in 1946, and again in 1948, and then again continuously until 1972. These twenty-seven years’ worth of publicity for the island and its railways had a massive effect. Skarloey was rediscovered and the budget-conscience holiday maker of the 1960s chose it for its low prices, high quality, and picturesque scenery, turning around the railways needed to reach it. The Culdee Fell Railway also saw an uptick in traffic as the Peel Godred Railway brought in more passengers than the old Mid Sodor Railway had.

Furthermore, tourists came to see the engines, a phenomenon not seen before in the island’s tourism industry. Insignificant towns such as Dryaw, Brendam, Crosby and Glennock became infinitely more popular as the sites of incidents in the Railway Series, or as convenient locations to stay for travelling the island. The biggest success story of the island’s cities was Cronk however. Cronk grew massively from the tourism trade as the most central location on the NWR to reach the various tourist destinations of Sodor – even Awdry takes a moment to mention ‘The Crown of Sodor’ Hotel on Sigmund Street due to its prominence as a hotel on the island.

This large influx of tourists was however of a majorly local source – the UK, parts of continental Europe and a relatively low number from North America. It wasn’t until the advent of cheap international jetplane flights in the mid-1970s and the debut of the TV series on October 9, 1984.

This debut is what changed everything.

The Thomas and Friends Television series was an international success, with translations into a number of languages (eleven by Wikipedia’s count) and broadcast around the globe. This, coupled with the opening of an enlarged airport at Vicarstown (which had been constructed in 1941 by the RAF and expanded by Vickers in the 1960s. The airport itself had been bought by the NWR in 1982 (probably in anticipation of the TV series) and began receiving jetliners from across the world as early as 1986.

Today, Sudrian tourism is one of the largest income producers in northern England due to its international status crafted by the Thomas & Friends series. The island is a popular tourist attraction for both railfans and Thomas fans, as well as religious pilgrims, spa enthusiasts, hikers, ramblers and historians. The airport at Vicarstown has been linked into the NWR via a spur line, and more recently a number of signs on the island have been converted to include secondary and tertiary languages, for better interpretation.

Sodor reached its best numbers for international tourists in 2019, when over 1.5 million people visited the island, making it the third most visited tourist destination within England, beating out Birmingham. The secret to it’s recent further uptick in visitors is the opening of a number of museums, galleries and other cultural sites on the island, as well as a strong advertising campaign that focused on the island’s major tourist draws, which are:

The North Western Railway, Skarloey Railway, Culdee Fell Railway and Arlesdale Railway from the Railway Series book and subsequent Television series

A pre-Norman era Abbey at Cronk, one of the oldest of its kind in Britain

Suddery Cathedral, which continues to be one of the few remaining pre-reformation cathedrals in Britain

Several Norman-era castles, including a completely intact castle at Harwick

The Walled City of Peel Godred

The caves of Saint Machan

Culdee Fell

Henry's Forest National Park

Skarloey and its spas

Museums, galleries, and cultural centres

The Standing Stones of Killdane.

This advertising campaign brought a greater variety of tourists to the island, especially those from North America.

The island was badly affected by the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic, which saw the high tourist numbers of the previous decade prop by over eighty percent, which forced the island to once again consider restructuring their economy around agriculture, manufacturing, and resource extraction. This eventually was decided against, as tourist numbers have slowly picked back up through 2022.

Sodor has been greatly affected by its rise to one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the UK, including a number of hotels being built on the island – many of which are converted manorhouses – as well as several upgrades made to the transport systems of the island, with updated ferry services between the island’s major ports and locations in the UK and Ireland, as well as the railway building a special line to the island’s main airport, new tram and bus services within the major cities on the island. The island’s railway system has also seen upgrades throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including a third track being added to the mainline, new signalling systems and a number of extra connecting services to cities in the UK, such as Manchester, Birmingham, Carlisle and Preston.

Sodor has grown drastically as a result of its tourism industry and is today an international tourism hotspot. The island continues to be popular into the modern day, as a result of strong advertising and a pointed diversification of tourist offerings on the island to help the island’s tourism industry grow and bring in profits for the island’s people.

Back to Master Post

[corkcitylibraries]

100 Years Ago Today | June 16th 1923

Cork District Sessions

Denis Sexton, Clarence Street (now Gerald Griffin Street), was charged with the larceny of a bag of onions on Patrick’s Quay, the property of the Cork Steam Packet Company. Sergeant Mullen stated that he arrested the accused, who made the following statement, “I went to the Steam Packet, I thought there were six bags and four cases to collect”. “I said to the checker, ‘sign me for this’ and produced an order. When I went up to the quay, I found it was five cases and five bags on the boat and when I found out my mistake I left one at Morcelli’s with no intention of selling it. I was going to take it back again. That is all I have to say”. Sergeant Mullen said he was still making inquiries and hoped to procure enough evidence to connect the accused with the offence. He accordingly applied for remand. Mr. O’Connor, representing the defendant, said he was a respectable young man with ten years in the same employment. Bail was fixed at £10.

South Infirmary Committee

Dr. Donovan stated at the South Infirmary Management Committee meeting that the water supply to the hospital tasted badly and that he forwarded a sample to Professor Moore for analysis. Professor Moore reported that it was quite unfit for drinking or domestic use. Mr. Wallace said this was a very serious matter. Dr. Donovan said the water is filtered before being supplied to the patients.  Canon Murphy, committee chairman, said it would be well if the water was boiled before use. It was agreed to bring the attention of the Corporation to Professor Moore’s report and request steps be taken to improve it. One tender was received for painting the institution. It was from Mr. Lingwood, French’s Quay, for £191 10s. and was accepted. Mr. Wallace voiced the committee’s gratitude for the money allocated to the hospital from the Hospitals Sweepstake. Only for the efforts of Mr. Duncan, a fellow committee member, the amount would not have been as satisfactory as it was. Mr. Wallace expressed the committee’s regret at the loss of the services of the Protestant Bishop and the Dean. Canon Murphy agreed that it was the committee’s desire that the distinguished clergymen reconsider their decision and return to the hospital board.

Kiss of Warm Rain

The May-June cold spell of bitter, broken weather has left its mark on tree, shrub and meadow. The satisfying profusion of a leafy June is absent. Ash, beech, oak and elm do not bear their full lusciousness. The flowers are blooming, but in a wistful, half-hearted way. Normally fertile soils are hard, parched and cold and our young spring crops have been hard hit by this bitter, boisterous weather. Delicate potato, grain and orchard plantations are late and crabbed in their growth. A few days of soft, heavy rain from the Atlantic will amend matters. Weekend sport-makers may not love the warm kiss of the misty rain but to one born of the soil no weather conditions in late spring or early summer are more welcome – the fulsome, harvest-growing rain from the sea.   

Diamond Jubilee Celebrated

Sister Mary Camillus celebrated the 60th anniversary of her profession as a Sister of Mercy at St. Marie’s of the Isles last Saturday. The Rev. Dr. Cohalan, Bishop of Cork, presided and the occasion was one of great rejoicing among the members of the community. All present availed of it to offer Sister Camillus the tribute of their veneration and affectionate esteem. The only daughter of Dr. John and Mrs. Burke of Bantry, Sister Camillus lost her father in her infancy and came with her mother to reside in Cork. She received her education at Laurel Hill, Limerick and Clapham, London. Still very young, she entered St. Marie’s of the Isles in 1860 and was professed on June 9th 1863. In the House of Mercy Sister laboured for 40 years, during which time hundreds of girls learned from her the truths, duties and beauties of the Catholic faith before going on to struggle for sustenance and position in every land. The greatest tribute to the work of this holy nun is contained in the numerous letters which have come back to her from all over thanking and blessing her.

Blackrock vs. St. Finbarrs

There is no need to go back on the circumstances which led to the falling through of last year’s County Championship between these two sides. Suffice to say a very regrettable hitch led to a walkover for the Blues and intense disappointment to thousands of followers of the national code. Recompense arrived and an enormous attendance witnessed the old rivals meet in the semi-final of the Henebry Cup. Both sides were fully prepared for the test and there was no doubting their determination to put forth their best effort to win. The Blues put up a big fight but it was somewhat short lived. Their opponents came through the ordeal of the first-half some points to the good and, on the resumption of the struggle, there was really but one team standing, the Rockies. Their hurling was marked with unmistakeable rigor and mastery and at the long whistle Blackrock emerged from the arena with a substantial winning score. Though feeling was uncommonly high, both teams, to their credit, fought out the issue in a sporting spirit. There was rather too much partisanship displayed on the sideline which the players, very properly, ignored. I have to say unpleasant things of the gate arrangements. These were decidedly out of joint for a contest in which such widespread interest was evinced. With anything approaching even ordinary arrangements the gate takings would have been acceptable to even the College authorities, which is where the final against Sarsfields will be played.

[montyrakusen]

Bad weather in Jaywick

Ray lifts his stick slowly and pokes at the body of a young man asleep under the lee of a boat on the beach. There is no response. Ray is a little unsteady on the wet sand and in the rain and gusts of wind he is finding it hard to walk on his baker’s van accident in Pimlico leg. Joan had always wanted them to retire to Jaywick, she had friends there and it was beside the sea and Ray wasn’t one to argue. He’d only come out on his early morning walk for some Danish bacon and the News of The World and now there was a body. He continued prodding with his stick and the young man sat up suddenly and asked Ray what he wanted. Ray explained that this was no place to sleep especially at this time of year and it was bad weather in Jaywick.

The young man is grateful for Ray’s invitation to drinks at the pub later. He brushes his teeth in the vandalised public toilets and with his little silver camera takes pictures. He walks the deserted streets and photographs the run-down huts with evocative names like ‘Y Worry’, ‘Dun Roamin’, ‘Osocosy’, ‘Rest Awhile’, and ‘Denise n Babs’. Between the rainstorms, when there’s a glimmer of light, he takes photographs and then shelters under the awnings of closed seaside shops when it’s wet, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his old army jacket, the rough horse-hair lining pricking his hands. He has tea in a cafe, all red plastic and wood, the windows steamed over. There is no one else. Joan watches him from a crack in the lace curtains and in her living room her china animals stay silent. Ray goes to buy bread and Brillo pads and he watches the young man down the road from afar. The wind picks up and the rain comes down and it’s bad weather in Jaywick.

The young man can hear the noise even before he has entered the ‘Never Say Die’ public house but as the doors close behind him there is silence. The bar is full of elderly men watching him, mostly smoking, playing dominoes, sitting on crimson velour chairs around tables full of ashtrays. It’s very smoky blue and it stings the young man’s eyes. Ray hobbles over and greets him with foaming beer. The old men gather round and ask the young man questions, leaning closer to hear him better. They buy him beer, he buys them beer. Time passes and then it is dark. The young man worries about sleeping out there in the beach wind and cold under the boat but soon he is invited to stay at Ray and Joan’s home. The two men bend into the wind and rain, in the darkness, the sodium lights glow orange reflecting on the wet ground in the beer light and the bad weather in Jaywick.

Joan, wearing her pink Terylene house coat and purple chiffon scarf greets them as they crowd into the comfortably small hut. They sit on the sofa in front of the orangey fiery fire effect fire and Ray kindly demands bacon sandwiches. Joan toasts Sunblest bread and fries up bacon in a bit of lard. She brings them bottles of Bass beer and they smoke and joke. Ray smokes Players No6 and the young man still has half a pack of St Michel which he bought just across the choppy channel in Belgium. The little party, warm and cosy-cosy in the hut, rises in noise and drunken friendliness until they run out of things to say. The room is full of souvenirs and bric-à-brac which looks on silently. Ray is working himself up to asking something. The beer and pleasant conversation has given him courage and when Joan is out of the room he leans close to the young man. His breath smelling of fags and beer is hot in the young man’s ear and his speech is slightly slurred. Ray asks if he could do him a favour of a personal nature, he’s having a bit of trouble, you know, in the bed department with Joan and could the young man do it for him? Joan returns to the room and starts to wash the dishes, her back to them, unaware, humming. The young man gazes towards her. The bric-à-brac looks on silently. The young man doesn’t want to offend anyone and politely refuses. After a few moments Ray is not offended in any way, standing, smiling he jumps up, snapping his braces and patting Joan’s pink Terylene behind he exclaims defiantly that, well then, he’d just have to do it himself. The young man is relieved, and thinking of the dark beach, makes his bed on the sofa. He looks out of the window at the dancing stormy branches and the rain drops streaking the glass because it’s bad weather in Jaywick.

The young man lies on the uncomfy uncomfortable sofa in the semi-darkness, he’s not very tired. Soon he can hear a rhythmical banging against the wall next to the sofa. In the gloom he sees the pictures on the wall moving and then on the shelf the bric-à-brac begins to dance around to the vibration. The trees form jumping shadows on the wall in orange and the wind whoops and roars. Then there’s the sound of dustbin lids and small dogs barking in the distance. The rain rattles the windows and it’s bad weather in Jaywick.

Later, in the orange glow the bric-à-brac is now still. The young man watches them with interest. On the shelf above the radiogram are a large collection of souvenirs and amongst them are: a model seal made of real seal fur, a goldfish held forever in a block of perspex, a red and blue glass Murano style Bambi frozen in a Bambi pose, a black china Manx cat from the Isle of Man, just one china 101 Dalmatians dalmatian, a shiny Jersey cow from Jersey, a china spaniel, an Amari tea cup, a bowls trophy and a dog completely made from Woodbine packets. They talk happily to each other, quiet at first then louder, about the days of summer, blue on blue skies, sunshine, seagulls, fish and chips, the smell of vinegar, visitors. The young man smiles and agrees, closes his eyes, dreams of better days while outside it’s bad weather in Jaywick.

Ray coughs, takes his tablets at the kitchen sink and puts the kettle on. Soon it starts to sing and then there’s the clink of teaspoons and the pouring. He takes a cup to Joan. He takes a cup to the young man who cradles it in his hands to warm them. Ray wonders if the weather will be any better today and the steam rises from the brew. The young man packs his things into an old rucksack and explains it’s time to leave. Ray says kind and happy words, there is some back slapping. The young man steps out into the rain, he doesn’t look back and walks down the street to the sea wall. Ray stands at the door watching as the hunched figure becomes more and more distant, Joan pulls back the net curtains and watches as he walks away. The young man walks south towards the estuary and Brightlingsea, he passes ‘Las Vegas’, ‘Club Morocco’ and the Martello tower, striding out onto the wild lands. The clouds part and the sun beams down on him warming his soul, the skylarks rise up and chatter above his head. He feels happy and purposeful in the sun. He turns to look back at the town and there the clouded horizon is still dark and black blue with rain and it’s bad weather in Jaywick.

Some time later and far to the north another young man is hitch hiking along the A133. He’s been waiting a while and he’s come a long way but now an old white delivery van is slowing down to pick him up. The driver is a big burly bloke delivering bacon from Colchester and asks the young man, where he is going. The cab is cluttered full of paper work and sweet wrappers, thermos flasks, Playboy magazines and a bunch of plastic flowers. The radio is tuned to BBC Radio One but it’s too noisy to hear it. The young man replies that he’s going to Jaywick. After a while in the noisy cab, travelling east towards the sea, the burly bloke shouts over the roar that he’d better wrap up warm because it looks like it’s bad weather in Jaywick.

The End

Editing: John Coombes, Georgia Rakusen

See the second set of images: https://montyrakusen.tumblr.com/post/622628454211485696/bad-weather-in-jaywick-part-2-in-progress

[ybohadi]

Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch Volunteer Opportunity

Marine Research and Outreach Assistant

Volunteer role

Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch is a charity based on the Isle of Man

dedicated to the conservation of cetaceans in Manx waters. We are

recruiting full-time volunteer Research and Outreach Assistants for the

2020 season. The placement runs for 6 months from 1st April until 1st

October and you must be available for the entire duration. This is a unique

opportunity to join our small but active team and become involved in all

areas of our research and outreach work, alongside running our Visitor's

Centre.

We have 5 regular species of cetacean in Manx waters *Phocoena phocoena,

Tursiops truncatus, Delphis delphis, Balaenoptera acutorostrata* and our

key species *Grampus griseus.* We have one of the largest inshore

populations of Grampus in Europe (and our waters are very shallow).

The majority of your time here will be split between five core activities:

land-based surveys, boat-based surveys, manning the visitor's centre,

office work, and public outreach events. You will be working alongside

MWDW's three operational staff and local volunteers on a rota of indoor

tasks and outdoor fieldwork. The placement offers a 50:50 balance of

research collection/analysis and public outreach.

Land and vessel-based surveys will take place when the weather and other

factors allow. Land-surveys can occur from first to last light for many

consecutive days. Vessel-based surveying is more dependent on weather and

we will not guarantee you a certain number of trips. You will, however,

have regular opportunities to conduct guiding on local tourist boats and

survey on board the government fisheries protection vessel.

The principal office activities you will participate in are data entry and

photo-identification analysis. QGIS is used to map sightings and you will

be taught how to use the software, should you not have prior experience.

Public outreach and awareness-raising is a key element of our work and we

run frequent public watch events through the summer. Although our primary

focus is on cetaceans, we will also see basking sharks and two species of

seal at these events. We also attend numerous small events such as

carnivals and fun-days with our travelling information stall.

We operate from our headquarters, The Manx Whale and Dolphin Visitor's

Centre, which is in the heart of Peel, attracting many locals and tourists.

We offer information about local species, recent sightings, how and where

to spot them, general cetacean facts and sell merchandise. The Young

Scientist's Area features a collection of locally found bones and offers

games and quizzes for the young enthusiast. Craft and educational workshops

for children will be organised for the summer months.

Another highlight of 2020 will be the running of the 2nd Manx Whale and

Dolphin Watch Show, which takes place in August. Andy Peters from the Whale

Workshop will be bringing several realistic and life-size models of marine

species over to the Island for display in a large venue in our capital

city. You will assist us with the organising, setting up and running of the

event. The 1st show in 2018 saw over 2,000 visitors through the doors over

one weekend.

As a volunteer for Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch, you will be spending the

summer in the tiny but beautiful ?city? of Peel, on the Isle of Man. Peel

is a fantastic place to live with two beaches, an impressive castle,

entertaining pubs and the chance of seeing basking sharks from the

breakwater.

We do not have a typical working week as we must take advantage of good

weather when it is available. You will be expected to work 5 days a week,

including most weekends.

Experience is not essential but a strong desire to further a career in

conservation, marine mammal science or environmental education is integral.

You will be managed and trained by 3 full time staff, but you are expected

to have a strong work ethic and be able to think proactively, learning from

the role and using your own initiative to develop new projects over the

course of the summer.

If you can bring a car, this would open much more flexibility in terms of

exploring the island and conducting surveys without a member of staff. Work

related fuel costs will be reimbursed.

You will be living in shared accommodation in the centre of Old Peel.

Accommodation is currently being finalised and is reasonably priced and

will not be more than ?75 per week. Local pub work in the evenings has been

a popular option for previous volunteers to help with living costs, and

this work can almost be guaranteed.

You can get to the Isle of Man easily from the UK or Ireland via the ferry (

Steam-Packet <https://www.steam-packet.com/>) or a flight to our airport

(Ronaldsway).

To apply, please email info@mwdw.net with a copy of your CV and a covering

letter explaining why you would like to come and volunteer with us.

Applications deadline is Sunday 16th February and telephone or video

interviews will be held week beginning 17th

Contact details: Jen Adams 07624 393496 info@mwdw.net www.mwdw.net

[ttracetalk]

Michael Dunlop confirms Southern 100 entry

Michael Dunlop has confirmed his entry for the 2019 Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Southern 100 Road Races. The races take place between the 8th and 11th of July in the Isle of Man. The three-time Southern 100 Solo Champion in (2011, 2012 & 2016) co ... http://dlvr.it/R7KJWF

[sbknews]

Honda Racing UK confirms its 2023 rider line-up for the roads

Honda Racing UK is delighted to confirm its 2023 rider line-up for the International Road Racing season with the team looking forward to returning to the NW200 and Isle of Man TT once again. Returning to ride for the manufacturer, with whom he has amassed 16 of his 23 total TT wins, road racing royalty John McGuinness MBE will line up again in Honda Racing colours aboard the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Joining him for the 2023 campaign will be Manxman Nathan Harrison, a rising star of the roads. As the most successful manufacturer to have raced at the TT, Honda is thrilled to continue its relationship with the ‘Morecambe Missile’ after their history-making year together in 2022 saw Honda celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Fireblade, whilst John recorded his 100th TT start. The two combined are a proven winning combination and are now set to continue writing history together for another year. Lining up alongside his childhood idol, Nathan enters the team fresh from his first outing at the Senior TT in 2022 where he recorded a 128.087 MPH lap and placed 10th aboard the Isle of Man Steam Packet Fireblade. Although last year was Nathan’s first time riding in the Senior race, he is no stranger to racing on the island, amassing wins and podiums at the Manx Grand Prix. With full support from the Honda team and the guidance and mentorship of his vastly experienced teammate, 2023 will be an exciting year on the roads for Nathan lining up beside his hero at both the NW200 and TT. The Honda Racing UK team once again reaffirms its commitment to the International Road Racing programme and will participate at the NW200 and Isle of Man TT in both the Superstock and Superbike classes during this year's season.

John McGuinness MBE Riding a Fireblade again at the TT last year was something special so it only felt right to continue for another year. I couldn't feel more at home with the Honda team so I need to say a massive thank you to Harv and Neil. Celebrating 100 TT starts with the team and riding with that one-off livery and all of the history that we have was really something else. We also managed to crack the top 5 last year on the superbike, which was great, but I'm hungry for more. I just want to get started now and go racing again!

Nathan Harrison To race alongside John and to ride in the Honda Racing UK team has always been a dream of mine. Coming from a Manx family that has always been involved in motorcycling, the TT has always been in my blood. Watching the TT as a child with John & Honda dominating, it made me want to be the next ‘John McGuinness’ and that was my full focus. I can’t thank Havier & Honda Racing UK enough for the opportunity. It’s only my second ever TT, so to be going into it on a great bike, with the best teammate I could ask for, will be an incredible experience. Hopefully, the long-term plan of where John can teach me things I may not know, learning from the team with the experience they have on the Fireblade and then my own progression, we can make small steps on last year to hopefully get me to that top step in the years to come. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my Mum and Dad for all their support and sacrifice over the years, my sponsors and supporters for sticking by me and helping me to get to this position where I have been given the fantastic opportunity.

Havier Beltran - Team Manager, Honda Racing UK I’m extremely pleased that we have been able to retain John’s services for another year of racing on the roads at the NW200 and TT where we have such a strong history at both events. Welcoming him back into the fold in 2022 was fantastic and to witness John celebrating 100 TT starts and be a part of that history was brilliant for everyone involved. Continuing that relationship for another season and building on last year shows Honda’s commitment to international Road Racing. It also gives me great pleasure to welcome Nathan to the team. He had a remarkable breakthrough year in 2022 and has impressed me with the attitude that he has toward his racing. It will be great for him to learn from John and utilise all of his experience and expertise to build step by step. I’m excited to see what we can all achieve together in 2023.

Honda Racing UK announce 2023 BSB line-up Neil Fletcher – Head of Motorcycles, Honda UK We’re really excited to be competing once more in the international road racing programme. Returning to the NW200 and TT last year after a short absence reminded us all of just how important these events are to the motorcycle racing community. Having John, with whom we have shared so much success over the years, to return to the team in 2022 and celebrate his 100th TT start, as well as the Fireblade’s 30th anniversary, was something truly special as he is such a valued member of the team. It was therefore an easy decision to continue that relationship as his status and experience are second to none. It also gives me great pleasure to welcome Nathan to the team for 2023. He clearly has the talent and hunger to push on to bigger and better things after a strong first Senior TT last year and it represents our continued commitment to help support and nurture future talent on the Roads. Now that our plans are all complete, I for one, simply cannot wait to get started! Read the full article

[ebsfashunblog]

THE WELL KNOWN STEAM PACKET

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, having been founded in 1830.

The Manx people felt it was essential they should have their own dedicated service. A meeting was held in Douglas in 1829, from which was formed a committee charged investigating the cost of acquiring a steam packet.

On 30 June 1830, the forerunner of today's Isle of Man Steam Packet Company was born when the brand new vessel, Mona's Isle, built at a cost of £7,250, sailed from Douglas to Liverpool on its very first sailing. From the inauguration of the service until January 1832, the company was known as the Mona's Isle Company. Briefly the company then traded as the Isle of Man United Steam Packet, before assuming its present name in July 1832.

By the turn of the 20th century, the company was serving numerous ports in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Ports served included Liverpool, Silloth, Whitehaven, Holyhead, Ardrossan, Blackpool, Belfast and Dublin.

[mechanicalcurator]

Image from 'The Little Man Island. Scenes and specimen days in the Isle of Man', 000567601

Author: CAINE, Thomas Henry Hall Sir, K.B.E

Page: 104

Year: 1894

Place: Douglas

Publisher: Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.

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View all the images from this book

Following the link above will take you to the British Library's integrated catalogue. You will be able to download a PDF of the book this image is taken from, as well as view the pages up close with the 'itemViewer'. Click on the 'related items' to search for the electronic version of this work.

[shamelessflowerhideout-blog]

John Banks Family - Miracles on the Ship Argo

Many Saints from the British Isles chose to join their fellow Saints in Utah.  Their first leg of the journey was to board a ship.  One such ship, the Argo set sail from Liverpool to New Orleans on January 10, 1850.  Among the passengers were 402 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Jeter Clinton was their captain and he appointed five counselors to assist him. Of the five counselors, two of them were our ancestors:  John Banks and Harrison Burgess.  John was the great-great grandfather of Merril Burgess.  He and his wife Ellen, and two living children – a daughter named Merab and a son named Franklin - and were immigrating to the States.  Harrison Burgess was finishing a mission to the British Isles and was returning home. We are indebted to him as he swung by Winter Quarters and picked up his young nephew George Martin Burgess, another of Merril’s great-great grandfathers, and took him to Utah.  The Banks and the Burgess lines finally joined many years later when Merril’s parents, Myron Herbert Burgess and Margaret Banks married.

Like most voyages, the journey was wrought with difficulties and blessings.  Passengers ranged from an infant who was born the night before the voyage to elderly men and women.  During the voyage babies were born, sickness and seasickness abounded, and a few passengers passed away. However, this particular passage was also blessed with miracles.

Harrison Burgess, one of the counselors, recorded one such miracle. “We sailed along quite comfortably until the twenty-sixth of the month [January] when a terrible storm arose. About two o'clock in the afternoon the sea began to swell and show its power, and the vessel lay first on one side and then on the other. Water came in upon us on both sides of our ship. We lost our sails and yard-arms, and the chains in the rigging of the ship broke.  In the evening, when everything looked most dismal, our president called together his counselors and all joined in prayer to the Lord to cause the winds to cease. Scarcely had the brethren ceased their supplications when there was a calm, so sudden in fact that the captain and the officers of the ship were greatly surprised, and they came and inquired of us how it was that we felt so happy and gay amid the great danger through which we had just passed. They could not realize that the Lord removed all fear from the hearts of his faithful Saints when they were endeavoring to do their duty.”1

The storm was just a minor incident compared to what happened on the evening of Saturday, March 2nd. The day had been beautiful as the ship sailed towards the Gulf of Mexico.  “The sun set at 7 o’clock, the night dark, though by times the stars shone in their countless numbers in the heavens, about 9 o’clock the wind arose, and blew us 9 knots.”2

Since the weather was hot, “the Saints were on the captain’s deck, or poop, for cool air.”3  The captain was “spinning yarns”4 and thus entertaining the passengers.

“At past 9 o'clock…it seemed as if the Lord had respect for his people, for the heavens seemed to open, and a chain of fire descended on to the earth, as some sort of a token. It took the attention of the Saints and as they stood gazing on the heavens Lo! another star shot forth…”5

Other passengers described the light as “ something like a large ball of fire [that] seemed to fall from the clouds”6 “a flash of lightning bright as day,” 7“a heavenly light, which for few seconds illuminated the surroundings”8 and “a most remarkable phenomena that was a light shining in the air.”9

Three passengers recorded that this miraculous light caused the captain to become aware of the fact that they were on a collision course with land.

Thanks to this light the captain’s “attention was drawn to notice land which lay directly before the ship & in less than 10 minutes the [ship] would have dashed to pieces.”10

“Some of our passengers eyes followed the ball of fire until it fell and that ball of fire showed the our passengers the land; Had it not been for that circumstance we must have ran onto the shore as the ship was standing head on to the land... I then thought I could have thrown a stone from off the ship onto shore and I could plainly see the terrible white breakers on the shore although it was a dark night.”11

Lo! another star shot forth To the surprise of all, we found ourselves running aground against the Rocks of the Pine Isles.”12

Note: The Isle of Pines, as it was called in 1850, was a Cuban Island just south of Cuba.13  

Upon seeing the land the captain took immediate control of the situation.

“He ran to the wheel, turned the ship long side, & then called the seamen from their berths. With great perseverance they managed to clear the land but only to find out that he was again deceived for instead of our having cleared the Cape, we found ourselves about (12 o'clock) running into another point of land which struck into the sea. The ship had immediately turned round and it was found that we were in 27 feet of water & ship taking 17 feet, found it very difficult to keep out from the land as the wind blew directly onto the shore. When we turned ship the storm appeared to be but a short stone throw from land the moon shining we could see the breakers dashing against the shore many yards high which formed a snow white ridge as for as the eye could trace. They turned the ship several times to clear the point, but could not succeed till towards day break when we cleared & sailed gaily around. (Thanks be to our God) it was a most miraculous escape.

Most of the brethren were on deck & found plenty to do in turning the sails & getting the anchor ready. Several sisters came up but was soon ordered down again. About 9 a.m. Sunday morning, we lost sight of land that part of Cuba to be very low which accounts for their not seeing it before dark.”14

Harrison Burgess described the event as following:

“All hands were called on deck and soon the Saints like brave sailors, hauled at the ropes &c to get ourselves clear from this awful situation, soon was the yardarms squared and on we rode, …but, we found ourselves running into the Cape St. Antonio, on the Isle of Cuba, and the danger was so great that we were obliged to haul out our cable, ready for the last extremity but through the prayers of the Saints, mixed with their works, we once more rode through the waters of the Lord.”15

Just 4 days before their arrival on March 8th, Harrison Burgess wrote a couple of interesting tidbits in his journal.

“Tues. 4th Elder John Banks withdrew himself from the office of counselor, but did not give any particular reason for so doing, and Elder John Haliday was elected in his place. At night the ship  hailed us take back a stowed away nigger age 21 a fine young man, run away from the Saxon, a steam packet New Orleans.”16

In a few days more we landed at the mouth of the Mississippi River, where we had a busy time in fishing up buckets of fresh water…The tug steamers came down the Mississippi to look for vessels that wanted to be tugged up to New Orleans. One came along and took us in tow. We got along for sometime until we came to a place I think they call the bar. The old ship Argo went aground and all the steaming and tugging she could do had no effect. There we stuck and had to wait until the tide came in. When it came in, we got off the bar amidst the cheering of all hands.17

1Burgess, Harrison, Sketch of a Well-Spent Life. http://forefamilies.blogspot.com/p/of-well-spent-life-by-harrison-burgess.html

2Burgess, Harrison, A SHORT SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF HARRISON BURGESS, THE SON OF WILLIAM AND VIOLATY BURGESS, http://burgess.forefamilies.com/harrison.html

3Ibid.

4McKell, Robert, Autobiography of Robert McKell, https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/mii/account/71

5Burgess, Harrison, A Short Sketch.

6Dunford, George,  Reminiscences and Journal of George Dunford, https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/mii/account/70?scandinavia=on&europe=on&keywords=george+dunford&sweden=on&netherlands=on&mii=on

7McKell, Robert, Autobiography.

8Sister Jackson, quoted by Junius F. Wells, The Contributor: Representing the Young Men's and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations of the Latter-day Saints, Volume 13

9Margetts, Richard Bishop, Diary of Richard Bishop Margetts, https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/mii/account/73

10Ibid.

11Dunford, George, Reminiscences.

12Burgess, Harrison, A Short Sketch.

13Isla de la Juventud, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isla_de_la_Juventud  Wikipedia

This island’s name was changed to Isla de la Juventud in 1978.

14Margetts, Richard Bishop, Diary.

15Burgess, Harrison, A Short Sketch.

16Ibid.

17McKell, Robert, Autobiography

[iomartistdpcowley]

6” x 4” Line and Watercolour Wash The Tower of Refuge is a stone-built castellated structure which was erected on St Mary's Isle (also known as the Conister Rock) in Douglas Bay, Isle of Man, in order to afford shelter to mariners wrecked on the rock. The tower was constructed through the endeavours of Sir William Hillary, who had been instrumental in several rescues of sailors stranded on the rock, and which culminated in the heroic rescue of the crew of the Saint George Steam Packet Company steamer RMS St George, when it foundered on the rock in the early hours of November 20, 1830. Sir William personally contributed a high proportion of the costs and secured a substantial number of public contributions for funding the structure. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHMNZckpxee/?igshid=1wmkn1e3pc3ho

[timehasbeenbusy]

Paris

Friday 13 May 1831

7¼

1¼

Fahrenheit 56½º and very fine morning at 8¼ - Out at 8 55/.. (having written little note to Madame Contant and given several commissions for George to do) walked to the Muette gate bois de Boulogne - and back at 10 55/.. – dressed – breakfast – nice, long, kind, letter from Miss Hobart a sheet full – rather better account of herself – giving account of what I should see in the Isle of Wight – (had my hair done and had 20 minutes nap).

 Then at 12½ letter from Mariana.   Had written about a page to her, when about 1½ Mr John Lister of Swansea called (Hotel du Rhone 7 rue de Grenelle St Honoré) had given orders for him to be shewn up to my aunt – said I was very sorry I was particularly engaged writing letters for the post – he stayed about ¼ hour – asked him to come on Sunday evening – It seems he is in the East India company’s naval service as surgeon – a tall stout big  young man – not gentlemanly but perhaps as little the contrary as could be expected.

 Wrote three pages and the ends to ‘Mrs Lawton Lawt[o]n Hall Lawton Cheshire Angleterre’and sent it at 2¾ - said her pages contained on the subject of my aunt  and Shibden de quoi à pauser but that now, whether her counsel was good or not, it was too late to be of any use, had it come while our plans were unsettled it might have had weight.  I did not despair so much, as she seemed to do, of its answering for my aunt to go to Shibden – the uncertainty of continental politics, then itself would seem

declining state of my father’s health, and the hope that now Shibden, even in winter, would do as well for my aunt as here, were the 3 considerations which had determined us.

 Begged Mariana not to say any thing discouraging when she saw us, my aunt low enough at the thought of leaving here, tho’she was the courageous one before we had decided. Said I had been all along anxious to delay the journey as little as possible, wished to catch them at Lawton, meant to be off from here on Sunday week and sleep at Chantilly and get to Calais in time for the London steam packet from Calais at 11pm on Wednesday 25th instant and reach London the 26th – 3 or 4 days in London would be enough – might be at Lawton by the 2nd June instead of July. Mentioned leaving donné congé of my little apartment nº 7, and taken a larger, that would accommodate me any time for a few weeks, nº 27 rue St Victor – Mariana’s the most proper and kind interest–taking letter I have received from her for long.

Then wrote small sized half sheet full to Lady Stuart ‘Paris Friday 13 May 1831’ their ‘last accounts, dear Lady Stuart, of poor dear Vere ‘are so much better, I ‘really begin to ‘be in good spirits about her – besides I have had a nice long ‘letter from her this morning, ‘which has done me a great deal of good – I can ‘well imagine what your anxiety must ‘have been, and in fact, must still be, but I ‘have great confidence in Doctor Clarke and ‘feel satisfied that all alarming ‘symptoms are subdueed, or your strengthening plan would ‘not have been ‘ventureed  upon – I hear good accounts of yours, or it would quite grieve ‘me ‘that you do not say one word how you are - but - I hope to judge for myself very ‘soon, so soon that I fear that it is quite out of the question to think of finding you ‘at the ‘Lodge, where I should be really delighted to spend 3 or four quiet happy ‘days.

 ‘On my aunt’s account, I am anxious to delay the journey as little as possible;  ‘and it is ‘only this morning that we have fixed to ‘be off from here tomorrow ‘week – we hope to ‘leave Calais by the London steam packet on the ‘Wednesday night following ‘and reach ‘London on the 26th – I dare not hope ‘you will be at the Lodge so soon, and, if you are ‘not I shall look forward to ‘seeing you on my return to the continent – but if there was a ‘little note for me at ‘Warren’s hotel Regent Street (nº 1 or 2) saying where and what hour ‘I should ‘find you at home on Friday 27th or Saturday the 28th, I should not fail to see ‘you ‘How melancholy the loss of Sir Joseph Yorke!

 Reference SH:7/ML/E/14/0059

[wasalwaysagreatpickle]

Sunday 3 April 1825

6 1/4

0

Slept well – the French beds always comfortable – In paying the bill this morning of 21 francs 90 cents inadvertently let them take it away and forgot to ask for it again – but I think my views were changed. 5 francs and my little coal in my salon from 2 to 9 1/4 yesterday and my wood fire in my room at night (a few sticks to light it and 3 split buches brought up of which I only burnt 2) were charged 4 francs – my breakfasts “Lait sucré du pain and du beurre” were charged 1 franc 90 cents each – my dinner (pot à la julienne, a roast fowl, spinach, potatoes, and cauliflower – dessert of prunes, apples, 2 sweet biscuits and cheese) about 3 1/2 francs – but this Hotel de France tenu par Dambron veuve, is but a very [?] second-rate house, and the change was quite enough – the people were clean – the French people in general cordially said about their cooking – and they were civil – but another time try the Hotel de Londres, if not the hotel Des bains – 

Breakfast this morning at 7 20/60 – on board the Britannia steam packet, captain Bush (the best and swiftest, they say, that crosses the channel) at 8 1/2 – sat under weigh at 9 1/4, having waited 20 mins for a Mr Ledsham from the Isle of Thanet the captain thought – made the voyage in 3 1/4 hours – the sea quite smooth – a very cold air and very cold – 27 miles from Boulogne to Dover and 24 francs from Calais to Dover – said the captain much better to cross from Boulogne in the summer – government knows this but they send the mails by Calais because it is better to go from Dover to Calais than from Dover to Boulogne, and they care not about the packets returning; for having landed the mail it matters not whether [they] return an hour sooner or later – sometimes in winter packets cannot get out of Boulogne, a North East wind prevents – but no danger of this in summer – Prince [Esterlary] was at Boulogne last night generally sails from there, but his new courier persuaded him to go forward to Calais and he arrived here about an hour after us -  the Duke of Devonshire crossed by Calais on Friday night – asked the captain about hotels in Dover he said himself were he going to one, should go to the Union – it was here where my aunt and I were 5 years ago and here I am again very comfortable – the people very civil – I like it better than the London hotel where my father and I came on the [Podevius] where I slept 7 months ago and shall come here the next time I go this road –

Got here a little before 1 – went to the custom house in about 1/2 hour – Detained there perhaps 1/4 hour – the custom house officer very civil. Took great pains in repacking the box of things for which I had to pay duty – the preserved oranges, greyhound, etc and I promised them 1/2 a sovereign. 40 poor foreigners arrived yesterday, and 20 or 30 today – chiefly Italians  – come to get work or by – settled about my luggage by the coach – the general charge from here to London 12 [shillings] a [customer] – mine the man said weighed near 33lbs however I argued with him gave him a Donceur of 2 shillings – the man saying if I would give him a trifle for himself he would manage the matter, to have it taken for 10 shillings – repacked my basket and writing desk and sat down to dinner at 4 1/2 – settled with the commissioner about my things at the custom house (he paid all) gave him 5 shillings for his trouble – 

Wrote the 1st 22 lines of today, and off in the Union coach for London at 6 – in passing the Paris Hotel, took up one of the gents who had come over with us from Boulogne – Sat into conversation with him immediately – he seemed taken me to be Lady Forbes (there was a hat-box on board directed to her ladyship 9 Fitznery square which I happened to have been near all the time I under deceived him saying this accounted, perhaps for my being called my lady at the Inn – speaking of Paris, he said he had left her 2 daughters there (at 17 and I thought 15) with Mrs Foster wife to our ambassador’s chaplain – they would cost £200 a year each, masters and everything included – Mrs Foster he said painted in oils drew like an artist – she had at present 4 young ladies – she introduced them in society, but never if she could and it let them know any of the garde du corps; for they were all fortune hunters – I merely observed the exception seemed hard as I believed all to be alike in this respect – all were glad of an English fortune – speaking of the bad architecture of the peristyle of the Chambre des Deputés, I found he had studied the subject a little going on to speak of travel writers and my determination never to be one, I found and got he had written 2 books – asked if I might be allow[e]d to inquire the subjects of them and the authors name – one on the defence of Portugal hed gone through 3 editions immediately  - the other on gunnery, the gunner’s manual, or some such title, no artillery officer could now do without – the author’s name Eliot Major in the artillery – had a company of horse artillery – lives somewhere near Bedford Square (Fitzroy St?) expects to be sent to Ireland soon – generally stay 4 years – the horse artillery not just about like the foot artillery – Scotland and Ireland the utmost of their distance in time of peace – found he had married a Miss Heywood, relation to the Liverpool banker, and to the Yorkshire (I suppose, Wakefield) Heywoods – I asked if any relation to the major E- [Eliot] of the 6…[?] who married a Miss MacCrea – yes! his elder brother – said his wife’s sister Mrs Barlow was an intimate friend of mine – he did not know her, never that she was in Paris, yet seemed to know her daughter proved to be a pretty girl – never did he seem to know much how his brother was going on in Canada – we talked all the way to Chatham – he got out to [supper] with the other man gentleman who had sat next Cordingley and never uttered – I merely got out for a minute or 2 – and getting in again and setting off about 12 1/2 we all fell asleep – 

I pretended not to awake till we stopt at 5 to change coaches (had the trouble of changing all our luggage) at the Bricklayers arms about 2 miles from the white [man] Piccadilly where we finally quitted our coach – we had talked the whole of those 2 miles – Major E- [Eliot] is gentlemanly and had plenty to say for himself – seems fond of natural history and reading – evidently he thinks he can tell a story well – probably this is his foible – said he had had a most pleasant a journey for which he thanked me – he knows professor Coleman, because he gives veterinary lectures to the artillery at Woolwich every Tuesday (in the [season] I think he said) – he (the professor) is a man who has risen from a low life, but is gentlemanly enough considering – he is clever got out at Webbe’s hotel 220 Piccadilly at 6 – walked about my sitting room till my bedroom was ready – then from about 6 1/2 to 10 settling my things, washing thoroughly, dressing, and 20 mins doing my ha]r. Today very fine –

[ttracetalk]

More Isle of Man Steam Packet sailings on sale for TT 2019

The annual resale of ferry tickets for Isle of Man TT is now underway, releasing a large number of previously unavailable sailings to waiting TT fans. With the growth in demand for crossings to the Isle of Man TT, sailings on the most popular of the Isle ... http://dlvr.it/R0bnp2

[sbknews]

High quality entry for return of the Southern 100.

Davey Todd backing into Cross Four Ways 1096 days since the last chequered flag was shown at the Southern 100 Road Races, on Thursday 11th July 2019, the best meeting on the road racing calendar; the aptly named ‘friendly races’ are set to resume on the evening of Monday 11th July 2022. They will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and conclude with a full day’s racing on Championship Day, Thursday 14th July. Title sponsors since 1999, The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company remain on board with their valuable and much appreciated support, under new Chairman Brian Thomson. Most importantly; the race organisers, Southern 100 Racing welcome back the competitors, including past champions and the current (2019) champion, past race winners, returning regulars and fourteen newcomers.  A warm welcome is guaranteed for all the fans and enthusiasts who line the Colas Billown Course to watch and support the races. The Number 1 plate for 2022, will be on the machinery of the current and latest (2019) Hunt’s Motorcycles Solo Champion Dean Harrison, a three times winner of the prestigious title. He will be riding the DAO Kawasaki machines that he campaigned so impressively in the TT. Hoping to take the coveted Solo Championship title from the Yorkshireman is another three-time holder of the ‘Derek Ennett Trophy;’ Michael Dunlop, who has the use of the Buildbase Suzuki Superbike, prepared for the TT by Hawk Racing, along with his own TT double winning 600 MD Yamaha and a McAdoo Racing Supertwin. Having made his Southern 100 debut in 2018, Davey Todd finished third in the Solo Championship Race behind Dean Harrison and Ivan Lintin, as well as taking other top six placings. He took to the circuit like a duck to water. Now riding for the Milenco by Padgett’s Team, the Saltburn rider will certainly have an eye on standing on the top step of the podium, especially on Championship Day. A close neighbour of, and rival to Dean Harrison, who enjoyed his best TT earlier this month, Jamie Coward has a selection of Yamaha machines prepared by Steadplan Racing and will be out to add to his silverware collection. Leading the local challenge will be Nathan Harrison, the 2019 double Manx Grand Prix winner, who made his TT debut just a month ago with five races, five finishes and five replicas! Nathan will be keen to add some Southern 100 trophies to his MGP and TT replicas. The cream of the ‘road racing family’ will be based in the Billown Paddock, all looking forward to the challenges of the 4.25-mile course, renewing rivalry after three years away and setting their own targets including Sam West; Rob Hodson; Paul Jordan; Michael Sweeney; Ryan Kneen, Jamie Williams, and Joe Yeardsley, Michael Russell, Rhys Hardisty to name but a few. Sadly; a long time friend of the meeting and regular competitor; Davey Morgan lost his life in an accident during the Supersport Race 1 at the TT. His absence will be felt keenly by all in the Southern 100 family. The action commences on Monday evening 11th July with practice sessions between 6.05pm and 9.40pm. Tuesday has the final practice sessions, plus the first two races commencing at 8.00pm. Wednesday evening has four races, whilst on Thursday, Championship Day the morning session between 9.30am and 12.45pm will have four races. The meeting concludes with an afternoon of racing between 1.30pm and 4.45pm. There will be four races including the two feature races, the Solo and Sidecar Championships. The Southern 100 concludes with an Open-Air Prize Presentation in the Market Square from 8.30pm. This is always a memorable event in itself. Read the full article