Douglas Isle of Man
Douglas 16 May 23. HM 214. A welcome by the King's representative!
Sir John Lorimer, Lieutenant Governor of the The Isle of Man, and his fantastic wife Philippa, had supper all ready for my crew in Government House when we arrived in Douglas. This set the tone for our visit to the third Crown Dependency of The British Isles.*
Manx, Mann, Mannin, Ellan Vannin is neither part of the UK nor the EU. It is owned by the crown, self governing and has retained an elected parliament for over a 1,000 years. 9/11 shook up the island with increased regulation on how offshore money financed terrorism, however if you listen carefully, you can still hear an estimated £22 billion gently flowing through the investment houses in Douglas.
Michael MacDonald, Mac, is the new very energetic HM. Previously Head Coastguard, he is very experienced in all maritime matters and is in charge of eight harbours each with a "Harbour Keeper", 80 volunteer coastguards and a Marine Operations Centre which coordinates search and rescue.
Despite the wealth of the residents, the infrastructure is not well funded. Mac is overseeing much needed re-development of the harbour with two new ferry berths being built and I expect a bit of a clear out of some very dilapidated "garden shed" boats in Douglas harbour. One boat simply sank in the marina, another abandoned when the crew mutinied!
The TT (Tourist Trophy) motorbike race dominates Manx life, but for a sailor, one thing is bigger. In 1824 resident William Hillary founded the RNLI here and their flag flies proudly over the Tower of Refuge outside the harbour.
Thank you Mac for a fantastic stay.
*Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey
Sir John Lorimer, Lieutenant Governor of the The Isle of Man, and his fantastic wife Philippa, had supper all ready for my crew in Government House when we arrived in Douglas. This set the tone for our visit to the third Crown Dependency of The British Isles.*
Manx, Mann, Mannin, Ellan Vannin is neither part of the UK nor the EU. It is owned by the crown, self governing and has retained an elected parliament for over a 1,000 years. 9/11 shook up the island with increased regulation on how offshore money financed terrorism, however if you listen carefully, you can still hear an estimated £22 billion gently flowing through the investment houses in Douglas.
Michael MacDonald, Mac, is the new very energetic HM. Previously Head Coastguard, he is very experienced in all maritime matters and is in charge of eight harbours each with a "Harbour Keeper", 80 volunteer coastguards and a Marine Operations Centre which coordinates search and rescue.
Despite the wealth of the residents, the infrastructure is not well funded. Mac is overseeing much needed re-development of the harbour with two new ferry berths being built and I expect a bit of a clear out of some very dilapidated "garden shed" boats in Douglas harbour. One boat simply sank in the marina, another abandoned when the crew mutinied!
The TT (Tourist Trophy) motorbike race dominates Manx life, but for a sailor, one thing is bigger. In 1824 resident William Hillary founded the RNLI here and their flag flies proudly over the Tower of Refuge outside the harbour.
Thank you Mac for a fantastic stay.
*Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey