Pirate outings in 2014

Barlos - I agree we need a big ticket race for 2014, I agree that Sweden will be ace but I think that the cost of getting there and being there will prohibit a lot of people

If Austria is 2015 then do we need a vote for 2014??

I dont get why Sweden is apparently so expensive?

Just had a look, BA return to Copenhagen in September £104, its 100 miles from Copenhagen to Kalmar, there must be a train?  either that or hire people carriers.  Also the option to take a car if you want to get the Ferry over.

I cant see why it should be more expensive than anywhere else, how much does it cost to get to Barcelona?

Any European event is going to be relatively expensive.

I think its the cost of living once you are out there .. happy to be proven wrong if someone wants to look into it?

100 miles on a train!!  

Recent ave beer prices in Sweden apparently

Think it's more like 200 miles from Copenhagen to Kalmar by road. I visit a factory in Ahus fairly regularly, which is about half way between Copenhagen and Kalmar. No idea if there's a train. It's mostly single carriageway after you get into Sweden and it can be fairly slow going.

The hotel I usually stay in is around £120/night with breakfast and dinner and is nothing special. I think beers are around Kr50-60 for a half litre, so 5 or 6 quid. I'll do a more extensive study next time I go.

 Absolut Vodka is local though

Lol!  I mention the cost of living and Symes looks up beer prices!!   

NV thanks for that, good bit of information there

Just to stick my oar in again, I like the idea of the anniversary race being in 2015 which may or may not be the correct year but I would have thought that the race would therefore be Switzerland (ie the 2005 race) and not Austria (the 2004 race)?

Rafiki wrote (see)

I have access to two apartments 100m from the start line of IM Brazil.......

I realy fancy that one.........

I think we have to chuck out all ideas about Austria............with it filling up in ten minutes then there will only eb a few people abole to go......you would have a much better chance with switzerland in 2015 because it doesn't sell out quickly......

 But then thats the only foreign one shame not to do a diffferent one

takes 2 days to drive from UK to Kalmar - friend did it last year.

and just to chip in on 2014 or 2015

2004 was the 1st outing of Candy, Monique and Rosey at Austria - it's where the pirate ethos was born BUT 2005 in Switzerland was the 1st outing of the pirate kit and PSOF name.

to me - 2015 would make more sense as the 10th anniversary trip - and with the way WTC and Challenge are adding new events, who knows what new ones will be around

AND - I have a suspicion that in 2015 there will be a new UK IM event - a single one to replace Bolton and Wales as licences for both run out either this year or next (Wales was a 3 year agreement with the Welsh government and I think Bolton is only committed to 2014).

and depending on our work commitments in 2015, me and P may come out to play..  

2015 would I guess make more sense as an anniversay, its the first year the Pirates were kind of recognised by themselves, entered an event en mass and first raced in pirate kit.  We could go back to Switzerland for 2015?  it also doesnt fill up so quick as other events, is also cheaper due to good YH accom and direct flights.  Beers a little on the pricey side though.

IMCH is damn expensive these days though - over €600 entry fee - maybe one of the reasons it doesn't fill up so quickly!

to me - IMCH has had mass outings twice - somewhere else deserves a mob visit

I'd agree with FB there, as was said earlier, there are likely to be more long distance events launched for summer 2015 that we can set sail for, failing that Abu Dhabi? That would be an interesting place for the awards do! 

would there be3 enough beer in abu dhabi

2015 for Somewhere then?  

I was just browsing TT for some travel snippets for Sweden:

We were looking at this for 2013, the options I've been looking at are ferry from Harwich to Esjberg (Denmark) then an 8hr drive or fly either to Copenhagen or Stockholm and a 4/5hr drive. We were however thinking of it as part of a week or so holiday rather than for a long weekend.

You can fly to Kalmar changing at Stockholm
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We came up with fly to either Copenhagen or Stockholm and rent a car or take the ferry to Denmark and drive. Has an airport so probably possible to fly to somewhere like Stockholm and get a connection. Equally may well have a railway station but not great at lugging a bike around
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Looks nice, 440 euro's +5% which makes it about the same as IM UK\Wales, but I suspect getting there won't be easy and will there be much accomodation.

Some of these IM races aren't exactly the easiest places to get to, the 70.3 in Norway being another, probably easier for me to hire a trawler to get to that one!

Tritalk Link

I would love to do the IM in Western Australia

We've got an open invitation from Kanga to visit him if we race in Oz, im not sure if he's Western though?

On cost:  Im aware im not so cost sensative as some (and do appreciate these difficulties), but we cant always make a decision on cost.  Last year and this year the main races are in UK, mainly chosen on the basis of cost. 

Ive said before that I think there is a good reason to choose different races, new experiences, location etc.  The annual pirate outing shouldnt always be chosen on the lowest common denominator else we'd never get further than Outlaw these days.  Hopefully we'll choose somewhere thats as excessable as possible but that shouldnt mean we dont go to the likes of Sweden and yet further afield.

Im certainly keen to race beyond Europe again (circumstances allowing), Australia, North America, South Africa and Brazil all hold an appeal.

Iron Pingu wrote (see)

I would love to do the IM in Western Australia

Iron Pingu wrote (see)

I would love to do the IM in Western Australia

Could swim to that one!

Surely if we were going for Austria in 2015, thats enough time for everyone to be prewarned about entry filling up fast, and for people to save up? I think the 10th anniversary "ought" to be somewhere European, but Switzerland wasnt that long ago, so my vote would be for somewhere else.
Its true there might be several new races in 2015, but in general, we've tending not to go for the first running of an event, to give the organisers time to work out the teething issues.
Also, 2015 just about gives the people who will wibble about it being non wetsuit enough time to learn how to swim...