22nd April 2026: Shipwreck in Ramsey! Also Guy Martin — once the fastest tractor in Christendom, now just a pedestrian 😽

Afternoon, yessirs. This week:

Kettle on. Let's go.

The Ramsey shoreline gave the Strait of Hormuz a run for its money today, after a private boat was blown ashore in the strong winds. By 3pm half of Ramsey had gathered for the unplanned community event, watching to see if the high tide could free the unfortunate vessel.

The tension was palpable and it seemed like the sea might do the hard work for a moment, with the boat shifting in the waves and skipper cranking the engine. Alas, in the end it stayed stuck. The sea giveth, the Manx shoreline taketh away.

The coastguard attended to make sure no one tried to get in and give it a push, and at least one local fisherman offered to give the thing a tow, but the owner — perhaps unwisely — declined.

The big question: does Ramsey now have a new permanent beach feature to sit alongside the S.T. Cevic wreck, which has been a rusty part of Ramsey beach since 1924? Or will our mysterious vessel make a break for it on the next tide?

That was the highest tide for the next three weeks, mind. Get Aquaman on the phone.

Spare a thought this week for Guy Martin, TT legend, telly face, and current holder of the world records for fastest tractor, fastest soapbox and fastest gravity-powered snow sledge — who has just been banned from driving for six months. Northamptonshire and Leicestershire police caught him on speed cameras twice: once doing 46mph in a 40 zone on the A50, and once doing 78mph in a temporary 50 zone on the A43. That was enough to tot him up to 12 penalty points. He copped it on the chin, didn't contest the ban, and was fined £1,329 at Loughborough Magistrates' Court — where he asked for it to be dealt with in private, which is fair enough when you're the country's most famous speed freak and the offence is, well, speeding. The man has broken nearly every land speed record known to man, but he still can't outrun a yellow box on a stick. Catch him on some public transport near you.

Peel Commissioners have stopped arguing about whether or not they voted on a beach stage long enough to actually build one! Get in. Mannin Music Shop has confirmed all the relevant permissions are in place, and the trial has been bumped from six events to twelve. The whole thing costs about £26k, there'll be no seating, so al fresco, lager-fuelled dancing is mandatory. It should be up and running the week before TT, running through to July, and Peel residents are invited to suggest bands and dates. After a year discussing the ontological reality of what a vote is, they've earned a deckchair at the very least.

The government has opened a public consultation on plans to require passengers travelling on the Steam Packet to carry ID when checking in. The official reason is to combat organised crime and bring the Island in line with UK standards. Some exemptions would apply for people without ID, which is handy — hopefully all the drug mules have up-to-date passports. Consultation's live if you've got strong feelings about this one way or the other.

Sobering figures from Tynwald this week: in February, 311 patients — nearly one in ten — waited 12 hours or more in Noble's A&E. The four-hour treatment target was met for just 57% of people. Health Minister Claire Christian defended frontline staff, saying the service level she'd seen was excellent, and stressed that hitting targets mustn't come at the expense of patient care. Fair.

An independent rapid review of bed capacity is underway. The 12-space Emergency Department Clinical Decisions Unit was meant to open this month but has slipped to the end of May because recruiting is taking longer than hoped. Senior doctors reckon the hospital needs roughly 50 more inpatient beds; Manx Care says capacity is broadly within safe thresholds. Just be glad we don’t live in America where your uninsured paracetamol prescription costs you $400,000.

Ramsey Town Commissioners' chief executive Derek Flint has been reinstated and exonerated after a three-month investigation. The saga started last September when North Ward commissioner Elizabeth Shimmin responded to a tribute post about American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, writing that he should "burn in hell." The post was deleted, referred to police (no action taken), referred to the Information Commissioner (no action taken), and somehow resulted in the clerk being suspended over how he handled the fallout. Three months and one investigation later: no wrongdoing found. Mr Flint says he's glad to be back.

I'm pussy-catting out of a political deep dive of this one, but for context, here's Charlie Kirk in his own words: "You should be allowed to say outrageous things."

All civilised people should agree that murder is never an appropriate political tool. But should you be allowed to say something negative about someone you despise on social media after they die? Charlie Kirk certainly thought so, calling George Floyd — a man whose killer was convicted of murder and sentenced to 22 years — "a scumbag" who "should not be celebrated." Draw your own conclusions.

A bad Tuesday for Mannin Pressure Washing Limited: one of their vans burst into flames outside the main entrance at Noble's Hospital, closing the entrance temporarily and forcing a one-way system. No patients, staff or members of the public were hurt, which is the most important thing — props to the Fire Service, the Ambulance Service and the Constabulary for getting there quickly. The owner has since said online that he's "devastated beyond belief" — it was the original van he started the company with, and everything in the back (mounted system, gutter vac, lances, the lot) went up with it. Insurance will help eventually, but the timing is brutal: it's peak season, and they'll be scaling back while they replace kit and a vehicle. If you've got a job booked, expect a call. Let’s keep an eye out for their comeback and help a local business get back on its feet, shall we?

A small and respectful note: the Andreas Racing Association has confirmed that Ed Poole of Rhencullen, 79, has passed away following an incident at an ACU test day at Jurby Motordrome on 11 April. Ed had been racing the Mountain Course since 1994 — a quarter of a century in the Manx Grand Prix, TT and Classic TT, including a fifth-place finish in the 2000 Singles TT. His paddock community describes him as a valued and hugely experienced competitor who will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with his wife Sheila and his family.

In the quiet heroism category this week: a new peat restoration scheme is trialling the use of UK wool as part of the restoration process, and if it works, Manx wool could end up being the ingredient of choice in future. It's a nice little circular story — a product the island produces in quantity, doing something useful for land the island is trying to protect, rather than just sitting in a barn while global wool prices quietly cry into their fleece. Not to be confused with the new Pete restoration scheme.

The 2026 cruise season officially kicked off this week with the first ship pulling in, and there's a chance the Island sees a busier-than-usual year. With ongoing uncertainty around some Baltic destinations, cruise operators are looking for steady alternatives in western waters, and we're right on the route. Expect the usual mixture of delighted visitors admiring the promenade, slightly dazed groups wandering into the wrong café, and taxi drivers trying to remember all the stops on the Heritage Railway schedule. Say hello. They've come a long way.

🎙️ The TT Podcast Live: John McGuinness — Celebrating 30 Years (Fri 24 Apr, Gaiety Theatre) — The Morecambe Missile sits down for a live chat about three decades on the Mountain Course. A proper warm-up for TT fortnight. Tonight, if you're reading this on release day.

🎶 Johnny Cash Roadshow: Prison Years Tour (Sat 25 Apr, Gaiety Theatre) — The hits from Folsom, San Quentin, and all points guilty. If you've been waiting for a man in black to turn up and sing "Ring of Fire", this is your night.

🎭 The Great Gatsby (Thu 30 Apr, Gaiety Theatre) — F. Scott Fitzgerald's Jazz Age classic on stage. Green lights, old sport.

🎤 Live music in town this weekend — Jaks, Frank Matcham's, the Mitre, the Manor and the British are all putting on live acts Friday and Saturday. IOM Today's full gig guide drops on Thursday with the detailed list.

🦉 Census Sunday (Sun 26 Apr) — Not exactly a night out, but if you haven't filled out your census form by now, this is your last call. Government wants your data more than Netflix does.

Do you have a gripe, some hot off the press goss, or a funny story? Drop us a line at [email protected]

That's your lot for today, yessirs. Mind your speed, keep your ID handy, and if you're heading to A&E, pack a sandwich. If you didn't like this week's newsletter, there's a boat on Ramsey beach in the morning.

See you next time.

— The Daily Tail 😽