Alan1
Well-Known Member
Has anyone out there competed in this race, any comments, advice for a first timer.
Thanks for any help
Thanks for any help
Three Peaks race
- Thread starter Alan1
- Start date
zlod
Well-Known Member
Yes. I've done it the last three years. It's a fantastic race.
I don't really know where to start. It's a hard race as it is so long and basically shorthanded for the sailors (I've always done it as a runner!). There are some significant navigational and tactical issues to deal with (getting over sand bars, navigating the Swellies and between the Scottish Islands, getting in the right place at the right time for the tides - though I guess you're going as hard as possible all the time,making the most of tidal eddies etc. etc.).
2009 was absolutely magical. Conditions were pretty calm. We were sailing across flat seas in the sunshine with the expected amazing scenery. We sailed past the top of the Sound of Jura with these massive dolphins plopping about around the bows. We saw a whale astern of us as we crossed the Firth of Clyde with an orange sky in the west (it never truly went dark). The otters by Oban were really cool as were the seals that would come out of the water, clap their flippers and then dive: being cheered on by the seals was something special.
You're going to need to find a way of attaching oars to your boat (we just made do with rowlocks attached to the stanchions, but had the quasi-obligatory rowing oars - the sort you'd find on a rowing eight / four). They're definitely needed for when the wind drops.
The other thing you'll need is a pair of good runners. What you really need is some ultra-distance runners. Leave the adventure racers and marathon runners behind if you're planning on doing well overall. If you're just up for the adventure, take some mates, but make sure that they're happy running for about 30 miles off road (though none of the running legs are that long: it does mean they're made of the right stuff though).
You're also going to need to arrange delivering the boat up to Barmouth and getting her back. For many crews, this is probably part of the whole adventure. You do need to have some sort of plan for this though.
There were maybe 10 or more boats that came up from the south coast this year (one of which won: EADS Innovation Works, based in Cowes).
First timers do win. Starship from Cardiff won the prestigious Tilman Trophy this year (at least four of the crew members need to have summited at least one of the mountains).
There's loads of blog entries about our race this year on the Team Vasque blog (you'll need to scroll down past the out and out running stuff to get to the sailing bit that you'd be most interested in). There's also an article in Cowes online. These might give you some idea about what the race is like.
There are 4 running / sailing races in the UK that I know of:
I don't really know where to start. It's a hard race as it is so long and basically shorthanded for the sailors (I've always done it as a runner!). There are some significant navigational and tactical issues to deal with (getting over sand bars, navigating the Swellies and between the Scottish Islands, getting in the right place at the right time for the tides - though I guess you're going as hard as possible all the time,making the most of tidal eddies etc. etc.).
2009 was absolutely magical. Conditions were pretty calm. We were sailing across flat seas in the sunshine with the expected amazing scenery. We sailed past the top of the Sound of Jura with these massive dolphins plopping about around the bows. We saw a whale astern of us as we crossed the Firth of Clyde with an orange sky in the west (it never truly went dark). The otters by Oban were really cool as were the seals that would come out of the water, clap their flippers and then dive: being cheered on by the seals was something special.
You're going to need to find a way of attaching oars to your boat (we just made do with rowlocks attached to the stanchions, but had the quasi-obligatory rowing oars - the sort you'd find on a rowing eight / four). They're definitely needed for when the wind drops.
The other thing you'll need is a pair of good runners. What you really need is some ultra-distance runners. Leave the adventure racers and marathon runners behind if you're planning on doing well overall. If you're just up for the adventure, take some mates, but make sure that they're happy running for about 30 miles off road (though none of the running legs are that long: it does mean they're made of the right stuff though).
You're also going to need to arrange delivering the boat up to Barmouth and getting her back. For many crews, this is probably part of the whole adventure. You do need to have some sort of plan for this though.
There were maybe 10 or more boats that came up from the south coast this year (one of which won: EADS Innovation Works, based in Cowes).
First timers do win. Starship from Cardiff won the prestigious Tilman Trophy this year (at least four of the crew members need to have summited at least one of the mountains).
There's loads of blog entries about our race this year on the Team Vasque blog (you'll need to scroll down past the out and out running stuff to get to the sailing bit that you'd be most interested in). There's also an article in Cowes online. These might give you some idea about what the race is like.
There are 4 running / sailing races in the UK that I know of:
- Three Peaks Yacht Race
- Scottish Islands Peaks Race
- Castles and Islands Challenge. Navigate the bar in the top left of the webpage.
- ExLogs 500. This was just a sprint round the Solent this year, but will hopefully be the full race next year: get involved!
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