Printable View
Our second runner isn't going to be able to make the race.
Is anyone out there interested in running it or know anyone who might be?
Any sailing experience would be a bonus, but not esential.
If anyone doesnt know about the race this is their web address
www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk
thanks
Joe
great race and well worth doing if you can spare the time, I know there are at least two other forumites doing thisQuote:
Originally Posted by joev
Norfolk & Goode
Zlod (last years king of the mountains) respect!
I'll be available next year but have other commitments this year
Ian Vlad (2005-6)
Fab website, great pictures and articles.
Oh one can but dream!
I think I've got a second runner for our boat now (someone nice and fast from the Vasque series!).
It's a fantastic race and well, well worth doing.
Hey Zlod / Joe,
Me and my running partner are away up to Whitehaven this afternoon for a look at the lakes leg.
Intend spending night on Scafell summit - weather dependent as we're in bivvys :eek:
Will let you know how we get on.
Can't wait for the race.....
can't be doing that in the race, too slow, do it all with out stopping.Quote:
Originally Posted by Norfolk & Goode
Although if you check the press reports for 2006 when the weather was truely appaling esp for the mid placed teams one stayed in the Waswater hotel!!!! On the Ben leg a team bivvied near the half way Lochan as they could hardly stand up, (it was about 2.00am i think) during the night two teams ran past them and they never saw each other. A real epic, I hope you have better weather.
joev I could maybe be up for this but not sure if I'll be quite quick enough I've got bit of sailing experience mostly wayfarers on a two man crew manning the jib or the helm are you still looking for a man ?;)
Ian,
That's one tough leg!!!
Don't worry we don't intend to stop in the race we just thought we'd have a bit of fun and stay in the highest hotel room in the country on the recce!! Part of the plan was to do the leg in the light and the dark.
We cycled in to Ennerdale Saturday evening, dumped the bikes at the YHA and ran over Blacksail to get to the Wasdale Head Inn in time for a couple of shandies before hitting Scafell. Made the summit about 12.45am and bivvied right at the top in a howling gale. We were woken a couple of times by teams of 3 peakers and then broke camp at 5.45am and headed of down at 6.00am in sleety rain, back over Blacksail and on to the YHA where we picked up our bikes and returned to Whitehaven around 10.15am
Couple of questions :-
1 - Is there a checkpoint at the Blacksail hut?
2 - Are you free to choose your route up / down Scafell after checking in at Wasdale Head?
Any other tips would be gratefully received.
N&G> Sounds like you had a good recce.
The race is a "defined course" race, so you have to go where the line is marked on the map (that you will be provided with). There is no checkpoint at Blacksail (but you can't go over Wind Gap between Pillar and Steeple - although that would probably be quicker on the inbound leg).
In terms of going up Scafell Pike, you bascially go up the big path up Lingmell Gill, go to the col between Lingmell and Scafell Pike and then up Scafell Pike from there via the obvious big path.
It's still worth recce-ing the route: there are small scale optimisations that can be made based on terrain.
The conditions you recce-d in sound reminiscent of last year's conditions. There was a howling gale on top of Scafell Pike and fresh snow on the top of Ben Nevis.
We did the whole Scafell Pike leg in the dark last year which was top (got dark at Ennerdale and light again around Blacksail). Should be easier with a Petzl Ultra this year (when I get my hands on one)!
Which yacht are you on? I'm on Flapjack.
Cheers Zlod,
We'll check out the maps when they arrive.
We're on Still Smiling - can't see Flapjack listed - are there more boats to add?
Thanks to everyone who replied, we have filled the last place now.
Good luck to all the other boats and runners!
Yes. I notice that Flapjack isn't listed. There's been a slight hitch there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Norfolk & Goode
So if any boat is looking for a ready made pair of fast runners (one yachtmaster, one day skipper), then please get in touch!
The boat problem has been sorted. We're on Lightning Reflex.
I'm really looking forward to racing on such a fast boat.
What an honour!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Zlod
Have you got Geoff helming or has he just lent you the boat! 'Lightning' holds many records on the Yacht race and was a bit of a protype when first built, It does have the potential to win but it has had a hard life.
Good luck
Ian
We've got the sailing dream team of Geoff and Ken Fitzpatrick. I've got a runner who's pretty well matched to me and who's a good lad, so the running side looks good too.
I think there are a couple of boats that are faster on the water, so that'll make the mountains even more interesting. This is going to be a top race. I'm psyched for this one.
Hi folks - just 4 days to go now before we set off.
For anyone that's interested, the race can be tracked on www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk and www.sleepmonsters.co.uk.
I'm in team Still Smiling and I think Zlod is on EADS Innovation Solutions.
Looking at the runners and boats I think we might be in for some fun and games this year.
Anyone else on the forum doing it?
The forecast looks as if it's going to be a bit breezy:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Norfolk & Goode
Go Zlod :D
All the best to you all taking part :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Norfolk & Goode
Looking forward to watching this. It's a fantastic event. Respect ;)
Have a good one Martin hope you hold on to your King of the Mountains trophy but watch out for Andy (N&G). It's a top race and I'll be watching, you never know if I get that other long thing off my back I might be there next year. Say hi to Greg(ex team Vlad) for me if you see him.
fingers crossed for a nice breezy sail
Feeling pretty nervous about the race now: excited too. I think there's going to be some hard running to be had (not wishing to give the game away about where): especially as there are some pretty well matched sailing boats - the running will make a big difference this year.
We (Lightning Reflex aka EADS Innovation Works) did the delivery from Cowes to Barmouth this week just gone by. It was a fantastic trip over: nice big seas in the Irish Sea, dolphins swimming with the boat, charging along with the spinnaker up: all good stuff. We couldn't get into Barmouth on Wednesday night because of the conditions and joined 3 other 3PYR boats weathering out the gale in Pwllheli. We made it to Barmouth on Thursday lunchtime, but I don't think the other three have made it yet (fingers crossed they make it). We even managed a 14 mile training run round some of West Penwith on the delivery.
N&G> my tips for seasickness are to take anything that has a placebo effect, only eat bland food and to lie down as much as possible. Standing around below decks is a bad job if your stomach is dubious.
Just got to get leg 1 of the Cotswold Way relay out of the way on Saturday morning. Go Nextwave Harriers!
Good luck! I'm envious - I got on a team a few years ago then got injured, so never got to do it :mad:
Hey Zlod...Have a GREAT time!!! It's the trip of a lifetime. Mindyou, you young 'uns have it easy now you don't have to go into Ravenglass. Whats all this poncy cycling stuff from Whitehaven about??!:D
Kill those quads, don't sleep, and remember to keep those damn yachties on their toes!!!
Now that's a real race - none of this messing about in boats business:D!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Zlod
Have a great run Martin - I'm due to run leg 2 so suspect our paths won't cross - shall look forward to keeping up with 3PYR progress, and hope the weather's going to be OK for you all.
Sounds like Martin only just made the start. It already looks 'Bumpy' out there but they are in third place approaching the infamous Caernafon Bar ( the sandy sort now the place that sells beer). It's very narrow here and tricky to sail we hit this a couple years a go and bounced over it , very scarey.
http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/racer...?race_id=6381#
What great race reports - love the googlemaps tracking - and looks like Zlod and the boys are out in front.
Conditions on Snowdon today look awful!
Sounds like Zlod had a storming run over Snowdon last night!
According to the satelitte tracking. one of the yachts (Nunatak) is currently in the back garden of a house in Albany Rd, Stratford-on-Avon - either a cunning route choice or they've gone home and left the transceiver on!
and the route on google earth has them going up Scafell :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Boy Wonder
Does anyone know the current record for the Ben Nevis running leg - someone out there at the moment is getting big ideas!
24seven
It had been a very busy night at the marina with teams coming and going frequently and a new race record for the fastest run/ride on the Scafell leg. Martin Beale (Zlod) and Andy Rankin set a time of 6 hours 47 minutes, finishing at 00.54 to hit the deadline on which their crew said they could get out of the sea lock. It’s reported they made it up and down Scafell Pike from Wasdale in 1 hour 40 minutes. They’d beaten the old record by 10 minutes, but their effort wasn’t rewarded as they’d hoped. EADS Innovation Works did get out of the lock … but then ran aground in the inner harbour … and there they sat for almost 5 hours.
Obviously Zlod is on fire for this... but then having to sit around for 5hrs and lose the lead they'd built up!!
Sounds as though they are going to have a good race on the Ben. Journeymaker had a 35 minute start on the last run but I'm sure that Martin and Andy will do the business on the Ben. Go Zlod!
Oh no, what a shame. Will they be able to make up some time? :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Boy Wonder
Great news they made up most of the time lost.
Not long to go now, looks like it's going to be a close one!
Go Zlod! :)
Seems it was Journeyman after all. 10:44 today. 19 minutes in it!
A very close finish.
The Last Gasp
- Journeymaker 5 2 days 18 hours 34 minutes.
- EADS Inovation Works 2 days 18 hours 53 minites.
So close!! Whoever ran them aground must be kicking themselves!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boy Wonder
I's a difficult call, as you leave the harbour you have to go throgh a gate(tidal loch) you then follow a very narrow channel over a sand bar. The way the report is written they only just got through the gate which on a falling tide would mean they only had inches under the keel. going aground would have been almost predictable but....if they'd have crept over they would have gained a big time advantage.
I know all this from experience as we tried to creep over in 2005, and ended up on our side for 5 hours waiting for the tide to lift us off. we were trying to get in on that occasion and had we done so the race would virtually have been over as we would have had a minimum 8 hour advantage. It's the risk you take;)
Well done to Greg Marsh though who now has won all the major trophies in the race. Hard luck Martin it was a good fight back.
Wow - that's some adventure!!!
We were in touch up to Scafell and I think we matched Zlod on the bike leg but then threw it all away on the run.
I blew going up Scafell then the weather turned really nasty and we got lost coming off the summit. Glad I did Borrowdale a couple of years ago as it suddenly dawned on me we were coming down the scree slope towards the corridor route rather than back off to Wasdale!!! If we'd have carried on we'd have been still out today!
We eventually got back then lost our main sail and kite whilst trying too hard at 1.30am Monday on the run to Scotland. This left us with 2 tiny sails in a windless Loch Linnie resulting in a 10 hour crawl to Corpach - mental torture!!
We pottered back from the Ben to finish 9th and can report that we were all 'Still Smiling'.
What a race!!
Well done to Zlod and team - top performance matey - you deserved the top pot!
Firstly, I have to congratulate Journeymaker on winning the race. They raced well and pushed us hard and at the end of the day, they did what they needed to do on Ben Nevis. They rode their luck (good and bad) and deserved to win at the end of the day. Well done.
But I can't help like feeling that we threw it all away. If any one of about 10 things hadn't gone wrong, then we might have won the overall trophy instead:
- if I hadn't run leg 1 of the Cotswold Way relay on the morning of the race...
- if we'd had our sails up on the start line (rather than the mainsail twisted round the boom and the genoa falling out of the luff groove)...
- if the spinnaker hadn't unclipped from its halyard between Bardsey and Caernarfon...
- if the spinnakker hadn't ripped before Caernarfon ....
- if we hadn't run aground 300m before Caernarfon ....
- if we hadn't gone for an inadvertant tourist trip to Caernarfon castle....
- if we hadn't got slightly lost on the zig-zags up the Snowdon Ranger path ...
- if we could have got to Whitehaven 20 minutes earlier ....
- if I'd bought that flashy cyclocross bike rather than borrowing the skipper's old mountain bike (we'd have cut off 15 minutes of cycling time overall) ....
- if we hadn't run aground getting out of Whitehaven....
- if we hadn't had a spinnaker halyard snap on the way to Corpach ....
- if I hadn't felt so rubbish on the run up Ben Nevis ....
The one stroke of luck we had was that when we grounded coming out of Whitehaven, we grounded in the main channel. This meant that when Journeymaker came out (5 hours later - on the next tide), they had to go round us and also grounded in the shallower water.
There was a moment of absolute elation when we got back to Whitehaven (after the Scafell Pike run) when it looked like we would get out on the same tide (which would have given us a 5 hour advantage and killed the race off). We had gone so well up Scafell Pike and given it absolutely everything: everything. We went out of the lock gates and I was just praying that we would get out of the outer harbour (as Reeds almanac predicted we would: I checked the tidal predictions afterwards too). It was a totally sickening feeling as I felt the keel ground on the mud (in the deepest water: the sailors did the best they could). It was a total head in the hands job. To go from absolute elation to total dejection in 10 minutes was awful. It was heartbreaking.
After Whitehaven it was going to be uphill all the way. We were tired. Journeymaker were going to be faster downwind. I thought we could overhaul them on the Ben even though they were 36 minutes ahead of us. I stepped off the boat at Corpach and started running and just thought "oh no, this doesn't feel right". It was then a total battle up the Ben. I could tell how frustrated my running partner, Andy Rankin, was but I couldn't do anything about it. I was looking at the altimeter and just knew that the ascent rate wasn't enough but couldn't do anything about it. We caught up about 17 minutes on the Ben, but that wasn't enough. Journeymaker ran their hearts out on the Ben and we (more to the point, I) did too, but we weren't able to run to our full potential. We should have been a good 30 minutes quicker on the Ben (based at least on our time last year).
I slept for 20 hours after the race. I was cold and shivering until I had a hot shower and under a warm duvet. I felt so under the weather that I couldn't even manage beer. I've felt totally knackered for the last 4 days and am still under the weather. I think something went medically wrong for me before the Ben: either something I ate, I got cold on the boat or I got exhausted. I'm going to do whatever I can now to recover in time for the other big adventures of the year that lie ahead.
So it was so near yet so far. It seemed like we snatched "defeat" from the claws of victory. We defended the King of the Mountains trophy, won the mountain sections and think we won legs 1 and 2 overall, so we did really well. It was just so tantalisingly close to the prize that really mattered most to us.
It was great to be part of such a fantastic race.
Next year I'm having a fancy cyclocross bike.
Well done N&G: you got some good mountain times.
Well done to Journeymaker: deserved winners.
Great write-up Zlod - hope you're recovering at last - there's always another year!