As seen in issue 221 of 100% Biker
Photos in 399 of Back Street Heroes
On my little wish list has for a while been the Bum in the Mud Rally which from days of forums and the like, friends have extolled the virtues of this rally and piglet and her small band of helpers have often told me how cool it is, but somehow it has always clashed with other events so how has it crept up to being the 13th year without a Bosun attending?.
So this year I made it a goal to attend, sited on Mersea Island about 100 miles from home it’s an adventure in itself to find in deepest Essex (yes I got very lost after hunting another windmill) , and has to be said riding over a causeway, that can flood at high tide, to reach the island is a cool way to make it feel even more of an adventure.
Now I have been to the island before for an owners club rally many, many years ago, so I knew from experience not to camp near the sea as the wind does howl off the sea. So I found a nice spot further back and started wandering around the site once my pit had been arranged. You always know a rally will be good when those on site give a cheery hello to complete strangers. Even nicer bumping into some friends I haven’t seen in a good 10 years and some of my followers of my photo website, now this then makes me wonder should I call them Bosunettes, Bosunites or Bosuneers?.
Being a youth camp the site gives rally goers the treat of a good bar, entertainment area, toilet/shower block and a cafeteria serving main meals, and accommodation if needed . Add in the huge marquee which had real ales and we are sorted. But if you didn’t want that there was also a doughnut van, decent coffee and woodfired pizzas, I sampled all of these, well rude not too.
With two distinct music styles in different areas I settled down for a pleasant evening chatting to old friends and listening to Waxies Dargle, a Pogues tribute band that almost had me dancing, but the world is not ready for a Bosun bouncing around yet.
The morning came around too soon with some enthusiastic birds on the dawn chorus, I found my first coffee and looked at the guys doing the bike wash looking lonely. I counted the few coins in my pocket and £8 later my least favourite job done and a shiny bike result.
I had considered exploring the island, but got waylaid by doughnuts and more coffee while chatting more as more friends arrived. And ever helpful I offered assistance to a guy with a dead VFR, amazingly imperial tools can fit.
On the main field there was a small bike show too and we came up with the term “Hipster Rats” for any bike, usually small, which has been” ratted” by spraying black and adding an inappropriate seat but keeping reliable. Bring back real rats. Though it has to be said there were some amazing bikes on the site of almost every genre. Randomly for me the bike I would have loved was the big Suzuki with classical Barry Sheen paintwork, not really my style but loved it.
Thinking back though on the whole event, the fact I spent ages chatting to folk hence less photos , shows quite how relaxed and chilled out an event this is, well done to piglet and her team. They are now looking at bumtoberfest for a bijou end of season event hmm sounds good
