Day 2

03 July 2007 - South Harris looks like the Caribbean, its beaches at their most golden, its seas turquoise in the shallows, its mountains magnificent.

This was always going to be action-packed as we have a ferry crossing positioned right in the middle of it! Actually, it works better than we’d anticipated. I belt to the ferry early on, as I have pledged to collect Davy Broni’s runner and take her back to where she should be! Davy’s team ‘Rusty Snails’ have an American kayaker, Ciro de la Vega (a super guy, soon a firm favourite with everyone). The snooty UK van hire company dislike his respectable International Driving licence, so he can’t drive the van to the ferry as all the other team kayakers are doing. I do owe Davy a favour –or ten million- so I happily volunteer to go taxi! Kayakers are enjoying probably my favourite paddle of all: islands of the Sound of Harris, as we cross on a calm sea, in sunshine, to Leverburgh after the inevitable –van-loading-on-ferry trauma (let us not go there!). The sun is shining and everyone is happy. South Harris looks like the Caribbean, its beaches at their most golden, its seas turquoise in the shallows, its mountains magnificent. All seems to be going well though once again there is some vehicle-sorting to be done on the tiny Northton road. It only accommodates 25ish Transit Vans and sundry cars once a year, when we are here! Thank heaven for the MacGillivary Centre and its loos and car park! As I arrive at Borvemore studios, a victorious Bennie steams in off the hill and attempts to give me a hug. It is not a pleasant experience –he is running with sweat from tip to toe and slimy as a sea snake! Also, grinning ear-to-ear. He crossed on the next ferry to ours, and his kayaker paddled. I head on up to Sir E Scott School, where the canteen is in full swing. YES yet again they are cooking up wonderful racer-fare. Kiddy plates but piled so high no-one could complain (and they don’t, they trough appreciatively!). The ladies here have never done this before, but we’ll be back! I, too, am starving and ‘real food’ is a pleasant change. Only Day 2 and I cannot look another muesli bar or can of rice pudding in the face. Evening pales into night and still Victoria and I work on the Results. John and Martin have unhelpfully vanished. No point in putting these out minus points and penalties –they will be meaningless. The racers will not like not getting the low-down on how their hard work is placing them… Bed really is a bed tonight! Rockview Bunkhouse does a very comfortable one. It is midnight when we crawl in and Steve super-pairs is lecturing Hollie and Meli in an avuncular manner on the evils of girlie chatter at the midnight hour, in a large and packed dormitory, during an AR event…Do I care?