Ellen MacArthur was spotted enjoying an ice cream and a stroll along East Cowes Esplanade this afternoon;  very wise Ellen, given the hustle and bustle of Cowes.  There’s nothing like a breath of fresh air and the wonderful Solent views, so if you’re in need of some relative calm, but also want a good view of Cowes Week racing, amble down to East Cowes seafront!

Did anyone else witness some rather heavy handed security at Cowes Yacht Haven today?  I saw something taking place at approximately 17:45 as I was heading homewards due to heavy showers disrupting Cowes Week festivities.  Wighteye was so concerned that he reported the matter at the local Police station and will be following this up with a letter.

Island residents are indeed fortunate to have the opportunity to meet monks from Tashi-Lhunpo, exiled from Tibet and now in southern India.  A group of these monks are touring the country, sharing some of their culture and Quay Arts is their base this week.  Yesterday saw an opening ceremony of chant preceding the commencement of a mandala painstakingly constructed with small coloured grains of marble.  Progress can be viewed throughout the day, with completion expected late Friday prior to a destruction ceremony and concert on Saturday.  Wighteye enjoyed participating in a workshop attempting to learn some Tibetan language and having a go at a sand mandala;  both were exceedingly difficult!  Pop in if you have the opportunity!

It seems an age since I was watching the IW Gold Cup Final between East Cowes Vics and Cowes Sports. Now comes the bad news in today’s County Press that Lee Dixon, Vics Manager has resigned his position in response to a mass exodus from the club by players, many of whom seem to be heading for the Port, playing a division above. The merry-go-round that is island football is a little bizarre, but if the reports are correct and that players did not have the decency to let Lee know that they were moving on, then what price loyalty? Come on you Vics!

This poem was written following an unsavoury experience at the cafe of Newport Nursery,Pets & Aquatics in Watergate Road. Be warned, you go there on their terms!

Watergate

Not Nixon but Newport

cafe without the culture

you chose macaroni cheese

I said “Quiche and chips, please”

Mine was quite tasty

yours came with a spoon

“Is it out of a tin?” (“I’ll have what he’s got”)

the waitress took it back in

Out came the cook

lacking in grace

“We’ve no quiche left” she declared

so it was mine that we shared

You paid for the quiche

the chips and the drinks

but the manager said he wanted more money

when you refused he got quite funny

Out in the car park

he enquired of me

“Are you from the island?”

I edged carwards, key in hand

“Don’t bother coming back!”

“We won’t!” I said (nor will our friends)

“You’ve got a stuck up bitch of a Mrs”

I thought, that’s service, meeting the customers’ wishes!

A 5 a.m. start yesterday found me queueing for the floating bridge as it tried to dodge the many yachts making their way out into the Solent for the Round the Island Race 2008.  I could see Hugo Boss and others readying for the start as I drove past The Parade and a few minutes later I watched the race leaders pass Gurnard as I enjoyed an Americano at the Outlook (well done for opening at 6 specially for the occasion).  The weather was very overcast, but much worse at Fort Victoria, just outside Yarmouth where I again caught the leaders.  The first boat through, with ICAP emblazoned on it’s hull had the top of it’s mast disappearing into the mist.  There was quite a bit of wind at this point and the water was quite choppy.  The trimarans were particularly impressive over this stretch, I believe it was one skippered by olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson that I saw come flying past, with very little of the hull in the water at all.  Later in the day I was at the Shoreside Cafe in East Cowes, where there was an excellent view of the finishers streaming in for literally hours.  This afternoon I saw Ellen MacArthur in B&Q (the store) wearing her B&Q t-shirt and looking very relaxed.  Presumably she had some diy to do on her own craft following her experiences yesterday.  Both photos were taken at Fort Victoria.

Well, it’s Friday night, with the Round the Island Race kicking off from 6 a.m. tomorrow, but it’s overcast and very blustery.  Here in Cowes Yacht Haven there are a fair few people in the beer tent, and the pubs around town are packed, but very few seem up for a pre-race party.  Mind you, who can blame them with such an early start.  There were a hardy score or so of us that had the great pleasure of experiencing a highly entertaining al fresco set by the Dance Preachers, an island band and one of several formed around the nucleus of JC & Angelina Grimshaw.  With considerable musical prowess and a vast array of instruments from mandolin through to horn and jar, the band were worth the trip out on a miserable evening.  Jake Rodriguez provided much of the comedy, but beneath this was a quality gig.  I particularly liked the number where Paul Armitage took the lead on vocals and double bass, as shown in the photo.  I guess the mariners will be more ready to party after the race!

If the second little pig had chosen willow sticks, he may well have been safe when visited by the big bad wolf.  Such a house has been constructed at Chessell Pottery, just the right size for young children to enjoy whilst parents have a cuppa and a delicious scone!

Despite being on holiday in Shorwell, I made the effort to visit Freeloader’s Bay to catch Iggy and the Stooges and the Sex Pistols.  On my arrival I heard the Zutons, they were ok, but I thought they were a bit lightweight, can’t see them being around in 30 years time!  Iggy and the Stooges produced a wall of sound, with Iggy bounding around like a teenager (despite being in his sixties), humping the amplifiers and crowd surfing.  Favourites were ‘Search and Destroy’ and ‘No Fun’.  Ian Brown had the misfortune to be the filling between the sandwich of Iggy and the Pistols and as far as I’m concerned, he’s Marmite - I hated him!  All poncing about and instantly forgettable songs.  Fortunately the entertainment that was the Sex Pistols recovered the situation and they were received well by those remaining on Freeloader’s Bay (some families had left as it got dark).  Their set started with a hilarious reggae cum nursery rhyme version of ‘Pretty Vacant’ before Johnny Rotten bade the crowd goodnight, only for the band to launch into the punk version of the same song, followed by many tracks from their studio album.  I enjoyed their version of ‘Stepping Stone’ which I remember being covered by The Monkees back in the 60s and had a good laugh at their final encore of Hawkwind’s ‘Silver Machine’.  I saw the Pistols in December 1977 at Brunel University when Sid Vicious was on bass, but musically they are so much more capable now and Glen Matlock, the band’s original bassist laid down some great lines.  Thought it was taking the piss when Johnny was getting the crowd to sing ‘Anarchy’ - since when was anarchy the result of group participation?  However he made a good job of lecturing the teenage crowd about the need to remain vigilant and not let what we have be eroded by the powers that be.  All in all, an entertaining evening - better programming would have had Iggy and the Pistols playing one after the other, though I’d hate to say which should headline.

Wighteye’s eldest son attended the festival (purchasing a ticket) and says that Iggy’s set was the best of the weekend - chip off the old block or what?!

First there was a sycophantic session with John Giddings in the studio and then the next time I turned on Alex Dyke’s Isle of Wight Radio show, he was still going on about freeloaders watching the Isle of Wight Festival from across the Medina.  Well done Council for standing firm and protecting the public’s right of access, after all, the riverbank is a public right of way.  Having watched selected acts from this bank each year since 2003, I’d hate to see the whinging of a wealthy few spoil the enjoyment of local revellers on bank or water.  This year the bank was patrolled not just by the Police but also by security guards provided by the Council.  I saw no trouble on the Saturday night when I attended, if anything the numbers attending were fewer.  The cynical part of my nature wonders whether there is a hidden agenda to try and get the festival moved to another site, allowing larger ticket sales - after all, there appeared to be little fuss in the media in previous years.