What a weekend!

Photo credits: w-w-i.com

Phew what a weekend!

It was one of the busiest of the season for me - well that's before Skandia Cowes Week clashed with the Bristol Balloon Festival, but more of that soon!

This weekend was the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race AND the Gunwharf Quays Waterfront Festival which incorporated their annual Food Festival. As a long time presenter of the Food Festival it was a hard choice as to where to be on Saturday. In the end I had a fantastic team working on the radio syndication on the Isle of Wight and I got up close and personal with the chefs!

The Round the Island race turned out to be a very good one this year, if a little soggy! I arrived on the Island on Saturday night to find Lea Bennett a very happy lady. Lea is Race Secretary at the organisers, the Island Sailing Club.

My team's job was to get some great interviews with interesting people and send them to radio stations right around the country. I am delighted to say that the team caught up with Alan Titchmarsh who started the race, Dame Ellen MacArthur who took line honours, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Dee Caffari as well as a host of competitors and organisers.

One of the interviews we did with double Gold Olympic medallist Shirley Robertson really struck a chord with me. She talked about the race being so special because everyone is up so early and all of competitors experience the same euphoria when they eventually get round the 55 mile course.

That's the one thing I love about events - you all come together as a team, usually pretty early in the day before anyone arrives, you work really hard together and produce, you hope, a great result.

It's the same with filming for Yachting TV. We get together with cameraman, sound man or lady and a producer, guests, the location and a great idea - and hours, sometimes lots of hours, later we have some great footage. Then our clever editors get to work and after more hours we have a feature for the programme. It's fascinating and incredibly rewarding especially as so many people are now telling us what they think of the programmes and what else they would like to see.

I understand Sir Robin Knox-Johnston injured his elbow in the race so my best wishes for a speedy recovery! I am looking foward to sitting down with Robin soon to chat about the race and the Velux 5 Oceans and what next. Hopefully our camera will be there too.

Well it's catching up day today. With the wind howling around and the rain deluging I am pretty glad I am not on the water!

Douglas calms down!

As promised a few words from the Isle of Man!

I have spent today commentating on a great sight, 38 powerboats competing in the Honda Formula 4Stroke Power Boat race series. Thankfully the weather has calmed down - yesterday the waves were breaking over the very substantial commentary truck, leaving seaweed and even the odd fish or two!

Today was pretty overcast and a whole lot calmer. This was perhaps just as well as there are a few new drivers here this weekend. In fact there's a brand new boat here called the White & McKay Earls Court Boat Show! James Brooke, the organiser of the new Boat Show being held at Earls Court this year is racing along with his IT man.

Big crowds turned out to watch the racing which is impressive as the Island has just finished hosting the annual TT races. This year was their Centenary and the talk here is that it was one of the busiest ever. There is a fascinating exhibition of the TT at the Manx Museum and I was lucky enough to be shown some of the exhibits by the Minister of Tourism. Actually he offered me a ride on the back of his bike around the TT course. Now if I was a brave broadcaster.....!

Going Bananas at the Seawork Exhibition!

We had a great day's filming at the Seawork Exhibition in Southampton. We were made really welcome by the great Press team, so thanks to Brian and Aline!

As well as getting to see some seriously good working boats we also found some fascinating products. The next programme will feature some truly awesome liquid!! I won't say too much more but look out for Steve the Producer's mobile phone!

One of the highlights of the SeaWork Show is the Spirit of Innovation award which looks at new products coming into the marine market. Many of these start in the commercial world but soon have an impact on the leisure sailor. We were able to interview some of the people who put all the hard work into these new products and we even picked out the winner!

After the sunny delights of Southampton's Banana terminal (the show was there, I wasn't hanging around looking for a passage to the West Indies!) it's off to the Isle of Man now for some Honda Formula 4Stroke power boat racing. Thankfully I'll be the one on shore talking about the racing! Although having said that I'm getting itchy feet, or should I say webbed feet. It's been some time since I've been out on the water and I can feel a blast across the bay happening soon. Well, in my case perhaps a blast if it's flat calm, a little potter if it's a little choppy!

Just heard that Sir Robin Knox-Johnston will be competing in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. It's amazing really I spoke to him on the radio on the start line of last year's race and he was getting very irritated with his mainsail as he had just taken delivery of the Open 60. Since then he has sailed it around the world solo. He's a remarkable man and a tough one too. I look forward to bringing you an interview with him very soon.

Off to polish up my racing commentator's voice now, more from the water soon

It's Islands all the way!

It's all systems go for this years JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. The famous sailing race takes place on 23 June and already over 1700 boats are entered.

Yesterday the media team covering the event got together for a briefing and left the Island raring to cover what is now the 4th largest participation event in the UK.

We also all left the Island slowly, hoping that before we left someone might press us to stay for the IOW Festival this weekend. Can't say the Rolling Stones would set me alight but the other bands certainly would. Sadly no-one did but I live in hope!!

I'll be covering the Round the Island race for radio stations across the UK but before that it's off to the Isle of Man for a very different kind of racing - the Honda Formula 4Stroke Power Boat Racing. I join the commentary team and produce the live coverage for the crowds. It's an amazing spectacle seeing up to 40 powerboats competing around what seems a very small course. No doubt there will be plenty of thrills and spills!

Next Tuesday Steve and I will be filming at the Seawork Exhibition in Southampton for Yachting TV's next programme. Although primarily a show for the Commercial Marine industry there are some fascinating new products that will interest leisure sailors. Plus we'll be taking at look at careers in the Marine industry. Well at least that's how I managed to lure Steve to the Show. I really wanted to show him the latest Tug being launched. Yes, I know Tugs are boy's things but I have always had a soft spot for the work horses of the sea. Maybe it's cos there big and strong and manly - see I know there would be a girl reason!

Oh and a big thanks to SeaSafe Systems who are planning to make my life in and around the water a whole heap easier. There are making me a fab Sea Trekker jacket which has an intergrated life jacket. And the best news is they are prepared to make it in pink!