Wetter than an Otter’s Pocket

Posted from Graz, Steiermark, Austria.

We were given the most encouraging send off from the Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Friday 13^th, and the sun even shone for a few moments.  A big thanks to everyone who was there, it was a great moral boost for us.  After 11 months’ planning we were finally off!

Never mind Après nous le deluge, for the last two days the rain’s been right on top of us.  Big time.  It’s tipped it down from the moment we left the Hospital, through the Rally start at Goodwood, and until we arrived in Höchberg (near Wurzburg) in Germany on Sunday night.  I was wetter than an otter’s pocket, and that’s about as moist as a man who’s cocooned in his one-piece oversuit can get.  (Memo to self: do NOT over tighten the leg straps otherwise the rain will run into your boot)

Some statistics to follow, but for now, one bike repair, one accident and one breakdown.

1. On the Sunday morning at the Formule 1 hotel in Calais, Kevin had to remove the supplementary inline fuel filter on Nick’s bike to eliminate the petrol leak that had started in the night.
2. Kevin then accidentally knocked the bike over onto the wing of the car parked alongside (see picture below).
3. In putting the bike back together, the vacuum hose became kinked, and on Monday the engine cut out without warning on the German autobahn.  Very hairy with Audis and Mercs flying past at 155!