The woman standing next to me is shouting just inches from my ear but I can't
hear what she's saying.
Her hair is tangled like a birds nest on the side of her head and tears run
from her eyes and dry to salty streaks on her cheeks, as we're both battered
by the force of an unrelenting southeasterly wind.
From what I can gather she's from Ayreshire, and has come to watch a friend
competing in the annual Tiree Wave Classic, a week-long windsurfing contest
on the Inner Hebridean Island.
But right now we're watching her teenage daughter whip across the largest of
Tiree's powdery white beaches in Gott Bay at around 20 miles per hour on a
sail-powered buggy.
The windsurfing competition comes every October to Tiree, and this year it has
attracted 50 windsurfers, or sailors as they're known, mostly from the south
of England. Today the sailors far outnumber the spectators, but Jean from
Ayreshire tells me that she's never seen the beach this busy. I count 23
people on the three-mile arc of sand that lines Gott Bay, although I'm told
there will be 100 spectators coming tomorrow when Caledonian MacBrayne runs
a special day return ferry service from Oban, four hours away.
The sail-powered buggy, or blow kart, is one of a host of wind and sea-powered
distractions intended to keep the spectators happy when they've had enough
of windsurfing, or when the competition is suspended, should Britain's
windiest island not come up with the goods.
Today the wind is pushing 6 on the Beaufort scale, and the competing sailors
easily get "plaining" from a running start off the beach, so the
competition favourite, Chris Audsley tells me. From what I can gather this
means there's enough wind to catch the sail and get the rider skimming
across the water at a decent speed.
The running start is unique to the Supercross competition, one of three
disciplines that make up the Tiree Wave Classic. They call it the
windsurfing equivalent of the Grand National, where sailors jump their
boards over sausage-shaped inflatable boys with mixed success.
Audsley, at 25, is something of a windsurfing pin-up, his sun bleached hair
and tan evidence of windsurfing exploits in Hawaii and South Africa,
although he says today's conditions match Hawaii. "October is a great
time of year to windsurf here because there's plenty of low pressure systems
coming in, which means strong winds," he says, "and Tiree has
always been popular [with windsurfers] because, with beaches on every coast
you get the best of winds from any direction."
The wind direction determines the location for the competition each day, and
after a morning meeting, organisers and judges announce the location, and
the roving cavalcade of vans and trucks momentarily jams Tiree's single
track roads as the sailors race across the 10-mile long island.
The judges also decide on the day's discipline, the other two being Freestyle,
a Torvil and Dean affair involving acrobatics, or Waves, when sailors get
points for the size of wave surfed, length of ride and intensity of turns.
The announcement starts the competition every morning, except on Wednesdays,
which more often than not is declared a day off owing to the fact it follows "Big
Tuesday", the most riotous of party nights during the Wave Classic.
And this year even the weather obliges, with head-sore sailors waking up to an
eerily still day, allowing them to see off their hangovers over bottomless
cups of tea and re-runs of the previous day's sausage-jumping efforts, but
more on Big Tuesday later.
()
Windless days are a good chance for spectators to enjoy some of Tiree's other
pursuits. While the diminutive, flat and treeless island may offer few
tourist attractions beyond a sprinkling of potteries, art galleries and a
token museum, Tiree's landscape is an adrenalin junkies delight.
On an island where the windsurfing instructors outnumber the police force,
it's clear how young people spend their time. Kiting, kitesurfing, sailing,
fishing and of course windsurfing are all popular, with special taster
courses run during the Wave Classic so visitors can have a go.
But shunning these pursuits, I head off with Mark, a Tiree local, for an
afternoon of cliff jumping, swimming and scrambling over rocks. It's
something ten year-old's have been doing on holiday for decades, but has now
been given the official name "coasteering", to legitimise it as a
sport for not-quite-grown-ups, like Andy Spink, our guide for the day.
Andy's battered Land Rover drops us in a remote field near one of the island's
characteristic white stone cottages. I feel a bit of a burk crossing the
mossy fields sending sheep scattering, wearing a wetsuit, luminous buoyancy
aid and white plastic helmet, but embarrassment soon turns to fear when Andy
presents our first challenge - jumping into a narrow inlet of dark swirling
seawater.
After some safety tips he jumps in and emerges among the slimy kelp tendrils,
encouraging us to follow, and it's only after I jump (arms in to prevent
shoulder dislocation, not holding nose to avoid blood shot eyes and tucking
up legs to avoid contacts with rocks) that I realise I've plunged into the
North Atlantic in October. And it feels great.
Usually one to reserve my briny dips for translucent turquoise waters closer
to the equator, I am surprised by how warm the water is, and as we swim,
scrabble and jump in from gradually higher precipices, I decide this is a
wonderful hobby. But only under the supervision of an expert, like Andy, who
when not coasteering in Tiree, is kayaking, mountaineering and generally
tackling everything nature will throw at him under the auspices of his
outdoor activity company, Hebridean Pursuits.
When we've finished our two-hour jaunt and are chatting over a thermos of hot
lemon I ask Andy about his bandaged fingers. Expecting a story of daredevil
heroism from one of his kayaking trips, I'm amused by his retort: "A
drinking game incident."
He's not the only victim of tomfoolery this week. Terry Luxton, a 31 year-old
windsurfing competitor is airlifted off the island after landing awkwardly
from a somersault on the beach, and cricking his neck. Previous years have
provided other stories, including the lad who, swinging from the chandelier
of the Tiree Lodge Hotel, one of only two hotels on the island, dislocated
his shoulder.
The chandelier is gone, but the party continues at the Lodge. "It's the
same old people at all the competitions," says Jules da Vall, once a
world-class windsurfer and now one of the judges of the Wave Classic. "We're
like a travelling school trip. Everyone parties together and most of the
accidents happen out of the water."
He reminisces about topless "boat race" drinking races and that
chandelier, but also talks of an incident in the 1980s, when a mischievous
gang collected a sizeable hoard of hallucinogenic mushrooms from the
appropriately-named natural source on Tiree, Happy Valley, and spiked the
dinner one Tuesday night - possibly sparking the weeknight's legendary
reputation. "After Big Tuesday sometimes there is no Wednesday,"
says da Vall, and this year is no exception.
Big Tuesday 2005 sees a live band bang out Oasis covers to an enthusiastic
crowd who take to the tables, chairs and bars as the dance floor turns to a
crush. While most of the competitors stick to ground level, Martin Francis,
an early casualty of the competition, is in the centre of the fray playing
air guitar with one of the crutches intended to support his sprained ankle.
The windows fug up and outside it's blowing a gale but inside the steamy
back room of the Lodge the party throbs to the early hours, with echoes of
Wonderwall reverberating across Gott Bay.
The party spirit prevails despite the serious nature of the competition - many
of the sailors are the cream of the crop. John Skye, Audsley's nemesis and
the eventual winner of the 2005 Wave Classic, is ranked 11th worldwide.
But just one winner walks away with the £2,000 top prize, barely enough to
cover the expense of getting to the Hebrides, which for the majority of
competitors who aren't sponsored, is done under their own steam. Audsley
funds his hobby with part-time building work, while Ruth Elliott, one of
only three female competitors works for the Environment Agency in Wales when
she's not competing. "I'm always happy to come up to Tiree because it's
just gorgeous up here," she says.
It's passion that keeps the competition going. The Tiree Wave Classic was once
one of a trio of windsurfing events that included competitions in Devon and
Ireland, but it is the only one that has managed to secure funding and the
support of acclaimed windsurfers, and hence a future. "There's nothing
quite like hitting the Atlantic water in October," says Skye, "it
wakes you up like nothing else, and 'ding' your hangover's gone."
Page 3: How to get active in Scotland()
Need to know
Caledonian MacBryne (www.calmac.com) operates a ferry service between Tiree
and Oban, which is about three hour's drive north of Glasgow. The service
operates daily in the summer and three times a week in winter, although
sailings are subject to weather. The crossing takes four hours, going via
the island of Coll and return tickets cost £17.70 for foot passengers
staying no more than five days, and £103 per car. Call 01879 220337 (Tiree)
or 01631 566688 (Oban).
British Airways/Loganair operates flights from Glasgow to Tiree six days a
week. The flight takes around 45 minutes and return tickets cost from £65
(www.ba.com). There are limited rental cars available from MacLennan Motors
(01879 220555).
Hebridean Pursuits offers a range of activities including sea kayaking,
climbing, trekking, and sailing. Go to www.hebrideanpursuits.com
The Tiree Wave Classic will take place in October 2006 (dates yet to be
confirmed). For details - and more photos of this year's event - go to
www.tireewaveclassic.com.
Tiree Lodge Hotel (01879 220368) is the island's largest hotel, but there are
numerous guesthouses and B&Bs, listed on www.isleoftiree.com. One of the
best is Balephetrish House (01879 220541), which serves hearty breakfasts
and is run by Iain and Anne MacKinnon, knowledgeable and accommodating
hosts.
The local community website also features accommodation and details on what to
do in Tiree, www.isleoftiree.com.
For more information on adventure sports in Scotland go to
www.visitscotland.com/adventure.
