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Cycle ride for lifeboat charity
CYCLE RIDE: Nine members of Port Erin lifeboats crew, officals and supports starting out on their bike ride. PHOTO: John Maddrell JM121020 (80).
NINE members of Port Erin lifeboat’s crew, officials and supporters went on an epic island-wide bicycle ride on Sunday, October 21, and raised more than £1,000 for the RNLI.
The aim of the ride, known as the ‘boathouse challenge’, is to visit all of the island’s lifeboat stations.
They set off from Port Erin boathouse, near the Raglan pier, at 8.30am, and continued to Port St Mary, which was the easiest leg.
Then they went to Douglas. After this, one of the cyclists got his wheel stuck in a tram track, crashed and cut his leg, but soldiered on and arrived with the others at Ramsey boathouse.
Then they followed the TT course to Kirk Michael, and the coast road to Peel and back – with the help of going the easy way down the Sloc – to Port Erin, arriving at 3.30pm.
There they received a lovely welcome from friends and family – and retired to a local hostelry for a well earned drink.
The challenge first started in 1998, and since then they have completed four challenges.
It is not done every year, said Andrew Buchan, press officer and helmsman, because, ‘we need enough time between each so the memory of how painful it is recedes from the memory … the last one was two years ago, during a gale’.
This year they took just seven hours, which is a record time.
Those who took part thanked all who sponsored them and said every pound raised is greatly appreciated, as the charity relies on donations and fundraising to maintain its service.
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Friday 24 May 2013
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