On this week's Open Country Helen Mark explores the Isle Of Man.

As an Island race the Sea holds a place in every Britons heart. The experience may be
almost mystical or even miserable but few of us remain unmoved by the sound and sight of the waves. This week's programme explores our relationship with the sea through the eyes of a distinct set of islanders, people who live on a distinctive island - the Isle Of Man.

David McWilliams is blind. He lost his sight in an accident as a young boy forty years ago. He loves the sea and sails regularly with "Sailing for the Disabled ". They have a beautiful yacht the "Pride of Mann" moored in Douglas harbour and take disabled people of all ages sailing out into the Irish sea.

David has sailed for years and has been out in all weathers, even crossing over to Cumbria and Scotland. He feels perfectly safe attached by a harness to the safety rail and has even piloted the yacht. He says sailing is a great "leveller" and he gets an enormous sense of satisfaction from competing against able bodied people on an equal footing. It isn't just the competitive streak that attracts David to the sea, he says the sound and smell of the sea as well as the feel of the wind on his cheek enables him to enjoy the sea in a special and fulfilling way.

Sport in the Isle Of Man

The west coast of the island is especially good for spotting basking sharks and Helen joins Pauline Oliver and Maura Mitchell on the coast at Niarbyl , a natural harbour between Peel and Port Erin.

Basking sharks use the waters off the coast for feeding and breeding. Sharks up to forty feet are quite common although when Helen was there, they proved to be illusive. Maura has been diving off the coast regularly since nineteen sixty seven and often swims with the sharks. They feed off plankton and so are benign creatures which are harmless to people. Maura and Pauline love the sea and would feel incomplete if they could not visit the sea everyday. They point out the beauty and clarity of the sea around the island and eulogise about the diversity of sea life that inhabits the coastal waters.

The Basking Shark Society

Steven Buttery is in his seventies and was born within sight of the coast in a terraced house in Douglas. He has explored every inch of the seas surrounding the town in various craft, first as a small boy in a canoe and later in boats of all shapes and sizes.

He was for years, a crew member of the lifeboat and tells Helen of his experiences, some amusing but some dangerous and life threatening. His matter of fact manner in the face of danger and contained stoicism seems in keeping with a man of the sea but even Steven feels a physical sense of loss if he is deprived of the sea's company for too long.

He tells Helen of his habit of holidaying on other islands and driving all the way around the coast. A strange ritual of feeling his way around, testing the boundaries and defining the edges.

The Tower of the Refuge

Finally back on the "Pride of Mann" Helen meets skipper Arnie Don. Arnie has been skipper for four years and he tells Helen of his morning trip, taking disabled kids for a sail around the bay. He recalls the smiles of their faces as they head out to sea and the sheer exhilaration the kids and Arnie feel
as they share in the special experience of skimming over the waves in a boat under sail.


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