Toga Toga

Starting the morning with 7:30am training as they always do here in Tylosand, we were in wetsuits and heading right out to the point. The basis of todays training was, how to enter the water off the rocks when there is some big wind swells. The waves weren't quite up but the older crew showed the younger guys where the little secret spot is to get out in case you ever had to in a rescue situation. Once everyone jumped in as a team we swam the 400m back around to the beach. One of the guys said, "if you're lucky we might see some seals" I said "I hope I don't see what eats seals" !

Gonzo and myself decided to have a little ironman race with some of the lifeguards. The guys and girls here compete in the surf lifesaving world champs so they love a bit of friendly competition. We started with 200m sand run, 500m ocean swim, 500m sand run, 1.6km board paddle (with 20 push ups on the island at halfway), 200m sand run and then the Swedes paddled their ski's about 3km around the island and Troy and I did the 1.6km board paddle with push ups again. It was really good to get the heart rate up and give the muscles a good flogging. Gonzo was flying with the best time overall but being fit and healthy was the real winner for all on the day. (sorry the video isn't finished, the lovely Jenny that was filming had to rush off for something)

Going out with a bang for our last night in Tylosand would be an understatement. The crew there definitely know how to put on a party. The nights theme was Toga and it was filled with fun and games. Everyone was give the a task earlier on in the day to write a poem or a song they would read out at some point during the night. Also included were games we had to play if your name came out of the hat. They also had a cruel little initiation for some of us newbies, a tablespoon of cinnamon. Probably one of the heaviest things I've ever done in my life. The night was bloody awesome with loads of grapes, cheese, wine and laughs. Have to say a special thank you mention to Jenny our friend and also our lift to the airport at 5am. You're a superstar, if you didn't come in and wake us up I'm certain I'd still be in Tylosand sleeping like a bear !

It took us a 2 hour train, 1.5 hour flight and 5 hour car ride but we finally arrived in super sunny North Devon. Big thanks to the team with the paint brushes, Sky is as blue as far the eye can see. Chris, one of the organisers of The Atlantic Watersports games took one for the team and drove the 10 hour round trip to pick us up from Heathrow. Thanks mate you're a bloody legend. We stopped into his parents pretty little cottage at Lopen, Somerset for "CUPPA TEA AND A BICCIE" on our way down. The English countryside really takes your breath away. Rolling green hills and awesome old brick houses, there were so many lovely photo opportunities, including Stonehenge. It was a shame we were travelling to quick to get any good photos. The Atlantic Watersports games, which is in its 17th year, is a big event that showcases the best water sports athletes, aged between 10 and 21 years of age from over 5 different countries along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the events are Surfing, Rowing, Kite surfing, Surf lifesaving just to name a few. Competition has been going for the last couple of days and from all reports its been fierce. Looking forward to seeing these super kids in action and also getting involved over the next couple of days.

Off to Dublin on Friday.....then Anglesey…then Manchester.....then London

The lovely people at the The Exchequer ( http://www.facebook.com/theexchequer  http://www.theexchequer.ie/) are looking after us in Dublin. Apparently it’s the coolest place to hang out in Dublin day, night and weekends and the DJs rock the decks ‘til late on Fridays and Saturdays. The Exchequer have created a special cocktail for our visit – check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m75SFBhfoZ0 And keep an eye on The Exchequer for your chance to meet us between 6pm and 7pm on Friday.

We are also off to the Guinness Storehouse (https://www.facebook.com/guinnessstorehouse

on Friday arvo to see how the black stuff is made.

Friday night we are off to The Olympia Theatre to see Keith Barry – and get our minds bent.

We hear Dublin nightlife rocks to we will be checking it out after the show and having a major lie in on Saturday before heading out to Dundrun Town Centre (link to FB) for some shopping.

Thanks to Presence PR (@PresencePR) for all their help on the Dublin visit.

On Sunday we get the ferry over to Holyhead and go meet the RNLI crew at Trearddur Bay. We hear Anglesey is beautiful so might just kick back on the beach for the arvo. Come say hello.

Sunday evening we are off to Manchester, home of Owl Marketing. We are going to be checking out the city and the countryside for a couple of days before heading down to London for more stuff. There is so much to see and do in the UK!!! We’ll keep you posted of where we will be when.