But as I’m learning with time, you can find World Class conditions right on your doorstep here in the UK – if you want it bad enough. When I say right on your doorstep, you actually still need to put in a 10-hour plus drive, followed by a 4-hour ferry ride, then tough it out sleeping in a tent, doing your toilet business in the wild, not showering or changing clothes while all the time Mother Nature throws a cocktail of sunshine and wintery rain and hail at you for 3 or 4 days.
Thank God I had my nice warm van and I could watch Timo and Ian (our photographer) go through this from my little portable shell of happiness. I was seriously impressed with the way the Ian, an award-winning Getty images professional, put up with this with no word of a complaint.
He didn’t need to be there and might have second thoughts the next time Timo gives him a ring out-of-the-blue. In the end I think we all really enjoyed the experience of going out into the extremes at the far end of the Kingdom. The banter from the lads was legendary and the sailing was challenging, but rewarding. I personally would happily jump at another opportunity to go back with all the boys again and stay longer.