Sailors Log - Barmouth to Caernarfon
The day started early with everyone getting up around 0700 and assembling on the quayside for 0830. The runners had to attend their briefing and scruitineering for between 0830 and 0930 and then began the last minute preparations such as getting the remainder of the sails and safety equipment on board. Dan and myself spent the better part of the day getting the boat tidy and all gear stowed away before turning to the tricky job of getting all our sponsor’s stickers on the side. Ben and Chris attended to their nutritional needs and spent a few hours talking tactics and pouring over their maps to ensure that they had picked the best routes. James was about somewhere, or so he assured us, calling in on his mobile from time to time to bark a few orders, promising to be on board within half an hour and then disappearing off our radar for an hour or so.
At around 1400, we finally all made it on board, along with Mark Dodwell and Lydia Clark our intrepid shore crew. Mark, a trained paramedic, was on hand to deal with any medical problems as well as driving our hire van, crammed with every conceivable spare we could think of that we may need. Lydia, James’ girlfriend and world renowned catering expert was driving our other support vehicle, equally crammed full of essential equipment, most important of which was the food which would sustain us for the voyage ahead.
After an excellent meal, we said our goodbyes to the shore crew, cast off from the Barmouth mooring trots and made our way out of the estuary and over the bar escorted by the local lifeboat. The atmosphere was good, helped immensely by the band playing on the outer breakwater and the cheers of the throngs of supporters who had gathered to watch the start.
There were not that many spectator boats out at the start, for good reason as there was a fair swell running, which was both steep and close together making conditions around the start line quite uncomfortable without the sails up.
We opted for a full main with the number 3, whilst may of the other participants had reefs in their mainsails and were generally carrying a lot less sail than ourselves. Hero’s long keel with a fair size bulb on the bottom allows us to carry a sizeable sailplan compared to other boats of a similar size.
A few problems with the genoa prior to the start meant that we were a good 100 metres off the line at the gun, however with over 389 miles to go, a few minutes were not going to bother us that much.
Not knowing the area that well, we had planned to skirt around the southwestern extremity of the Cardigan Bank and set a course sailing higher than the rest of the fleet but attaining speeds of 7 to 7.5 knots. After about 40 minutes, there appeared to be a definite split in the fleet with half the boats sailing a lot freer than ourselves and a mile or more to leeward , however Killary Flyer which carried about the same draft as ourselves was following a similar course as were a good many of the fleet and so we pressed on with our course. As we neared the bank, it was obvious that we were not going to lay the buoy without tacking and so we made the split decision to cross the bar. We has loosely discussed this course of action during our planning and had identified a possible way through and now was the time to put it to the test. As we approached the patch of broken and confused water marking the edge of the bank, everyone’s eyes were glued to the depth sounder which began a dramatic and very rapid countdown!
8..,7..,6..,5..,4..,3..,2..,1..,0.9..,0.8..,0.7…….! Everyone on the boat went quite quiet, but then let out a huge sigh of relief as the sounder almost immediately jumped to 1.5 metres and then 3 metres and before long we were back on 10 metres plus.
We were then able to free off slightly and set a course for Bardsey which came into view within a few hours. Throughout the course of the race, we noticed that the fleet became spread out on the longer stages and it was difficult to fully gauge as to how we were doing against the other boats, that was however, until be came to one of the many pinch points where the fleet came together. Bardsey Sound was the first such pinch point.
Sailing a higher course during the early stages of the first leg had given us the opportunity to free off as we approached Bardsey Sound and we appeared to close in and overhaul those down to leeward which by now were sailing a much tighter close hauled course.
As we passed between Bardsey and the mainland, the only boat ahead of us was Nunatak, however there were a few others closer inshore who were coming up fast.
Nunatak appeared to be taking a wide course around the headland and at first we had contemplated following the more experienced boat, however we opted for the more direct course to the Caernarfon Bar by sailing parallel to the coast. A brief look around the rest of the fleet showed there to be a possible initial reluctance to set spinnakers, however we got ours set up on the deck and were ready to hoist just as we entered a patch of water known as ‘The Tripods’. It was here that caution set in as the first big wave that gripped us catapulted us forward at over 14 knots into a very confused sea which made the boat difficult to keep on a steady course. This patch didn’t last long however and after a few minutes, we hoisted the spinnaker and started to pull away from the rest of the fleet.
Very quickly, spinnakers started to go up on the other boats, the majority of which were following the same course as ourselves, with the only noticeable exception being Nunatak who with her huge asymmetric kite reached off into the sunset and virtually disappeared over the horizon.
Despite the speeds we were attaining down this very broad reach and the fact that the tide appeared to be relatively slack, it seemed an age before we reached the Caernarfon Bar. A few miles out, we decided to gybe and head in, just as it was getting really dark. In the distance behind us, we could just make out the masthead lights of the chasing boats and suddenly down to leeward Nunatak came out of nowhere and ended up about 50 metres in front of us.
The Bar was our first big obstacle and the tidal data indicated that the chances of getting over were marginal. We had two choices! Play safe and wait for the incoming tide in about five hours when we knew that we had plenty of under keel clearance or go for it and get our runners ashore with the leaders. The former would have been both frustrating and uncomfortable waiting all that time whilst the shallower drafted boats sailed past, however get it wrong and the result might well have been the same as the dropping tide would have meant that once aground we would have had little chance of getting off until the flood tide.
Our close proximity to Nunatak probably tempered our decision to ‘go for it’. With charts, handheld GPS and the Caernarfon Harbour Board latest Notice to Mariners on deck, we set about picking our way through the narrow channel. Nunatak was following the course that we had mapped out and so it seemed that we must be on the right track. Ben and Dan were given instructions as to which colour lights and flashing characteristics to look for and we kept close to each bouy as we approached it. We had dropped our spinnaker a few hundred metres before entering the channel and were coming in just under mainsail, the thought process being that better to approach at slow speed if there was the very real possibility of running aground. Ironically however we appeared to be going faster. It could have been the tide against us or the rapid changes of direction as we followed the convoluted channel, we don’t really know as all eyes were fixed rigidly on the depth sounder once more. The 8 metres we had outside rapidly became 6 then 5 and then once again that disconcerting descent 4..,3..,2..,1..,0.9, 0.8..,0.7..,0.6..,0.5..,0.4…! It was then that James was heard to shout ‘Adopt the brace position Dodds….we’re doing over 10 knots and it’s getting shallow!’ Just one further drop to 0.3 of a metre and the depth suddenly jumped back to a metre. There was welcome relief on board, we had successfully negotiated the outer bar and our thoughts once more turned to overhauling Nunatak. We spotted C3 then C4 and C5 and set a course in that direction. But suddenly things didn’t appear right. Nunatak who we had read so much about appeared to be missing out C5 and heading straight for Mussel Bank. It was then that we momentarily lost confidence in our route planning and decided to follow the more experienced boat. Our decision however was short lived as we saw Nunatak go hard aground and screw up to windward. The depth by now was reducing rapidly and with just 0.3 under the keel, we luffed up, heeled her over as far as we could and sailed hard for C6. After this it was Mussel Bank and pretty soon we were within the area where we were allowed to motor from. Still travelling at over 9 knots just under the main we elected to sail on to find deeper water and a wider channel before dropping the main.
With the sails down, we started to motor for the drop off point, however we had become disorientated slightly and made the split decision to go right when we should have gone left to stay in the channel and we very gently touched bottom. The time aground was minor, however it enable another competitor (White Cloud?) to just draw level with us. We could have cut in front of them with feet to spare, however as they still had their mainsail up it didn’t seem the gentlemanly thing to do and so we passed round their stern and asked their permission to pass inside at the next buoy to which they agreed.
A few hundred yards more and we were alongside the pier at Caernarfon at just before midnight. As we approached the pier, it was good to see a few friendly faces, ie Mark and Lydia.
With the runners safely ashore, we set about tidying the boat and finding a suitable place to drop anchor. Already the other boats are starting to come in and we wonder what lies ahead for the runners during the next 5-6 hours. Anchor down, Dan and myself try to get some sleep with James taking the first watch. The night is not uneventful however. A few hours after dropping anchor there is a shout from another of the anchor boats ‘Is there anyone awake on Hero?’ As we drift past everyone. Looks like someone fell asleep!!!
Runners Log - Snowdon
With Hero being first into Caernarfon the pressure was on Chris and Ben to ensure they held as many positions as possible against the more experienced runners. The two runners jumped down from the boat and checked in with the scrutineers. Once the five minute kit check was over they began the first part of the Snowdon leg, a 13k road run. Along the way the film crew interviewed the pair as they ran with Chris finding the energy to partake in some healthy banter with the driver. It probably did nothing for their speed but it did wonders for morale and kept the film crew entertained.
Nearing the end of the first road run two pairs of runners began to catch the Hero pair but rather than try to match them Chris and Ben continued at their own pace knowing they would need to conserve their energy for the rest of this epic race.
Half way along Llyn Cwellyn it was time to head north and begin the ascent of Wales’ highest peak. The gradient soon took its toll and the run changed to a fast walk with Ben beginning to suffer with cramp. With Chris’s encouragement and a quick snack they continued on at a good pace and before long the Hero pair soon regained a position from the White Cloud team.
Near the summit another pair of runners began to catch the Hero pair but as the gradient was levelling out Chris fired Ben on to pick up the pace and hold their position. After a while the strength of the pursuing team was just too much for the runners so reluctantly they let them pass and eased off the pace to conserve some energy.
Within a short distance of the summit the two leading teams passed Chris and Ben on their descent giving them renewed hope as they were only minutes behind. Visibility was poor at this stage and the path was becoming hard to follow. Fortunately a group of late night walkers, probably race spectators, were up ahead so the runners scrambled up the steep embankment in the direction of their head torches and rediscovered the footpath to the summit. On reaching the summit the pair were confronted with the blinding spotlight of a lone cameraman intent on interviewing them and reluctant to show them where the check-in scanner was. Eventually after a very ill tempered interview he relented, probably knowing that if he messed them around much longer he’d be taking the fast way down, and pointed them in the direction of the scanner.
On beginning the descent the footpath seemed to suddenly stop but a quick glance at the map showed the train track roughly followed the same route and given the dense mist and poor visibility the runners decided they were more likely to find this than the footpath. A quick scramble back down the embankment and the pair were soon back on track (no pun intended).
In hindsight the railway was perhaps not the best option as it was riddled with holes and all manner of obstacles and steep drops presented themselves along the way. A sprain or worse at this stage would probably end the team’s hopes of finishing at all let alone placing in the top five.
Ben came into his own on the descent and ran ahead shouting encouragement to Chris cloaked in the mist and darkness behind. Finally it began to brighten as dawn approached and the runners could make out the footpath and where the railway line crossed it over a bridge. Chris and Ben climbed down from the bridge and back onto the footpath leading down in to Llanberis.
It wasn’t until the pair reached Llanberis that they realised just how fatigued they were. Every joint and muscle ached and given they had been awake for over 20 hours they were also exhausted. Spirits were really low at this point and having two teams pass them on the 13k road run back didn’t do anything to lift them. It seemed never ending and seeing three road signs, all well spread out, each reading four miles to Caernarfon only emphasised this. The run back wasn’t pretty but with the boost of seeing the support team, Mark and Lydia, along the way and some strategic tabbing an exhausted Chris and Ben eventually caught sight of Caernarfon and picked up the pace back to the welcome sight of Hero, her crew and the bunks below deck.
Sailors Log - Caernarfon to Whitehaven
Early hours of the morning, we get a call to say that the runners are less than half an hour away. They had lost a few places, but have put in a tremendous run and have kept us very much in contention. We set about getting ready to pull up the anchor and whilst getting ready we catch the tail end of a conversation between Nunatak and the Coastguard. About ten minutes later as we’re on deck making final preparations, Nunatak comes into view and motors off up the Straits, a sad end to their race. This was the boat that we were looking forward to racing against as they were a close match to us boat for boat. Their crew must have been gutted, particularly the runners who had obviously trained hard in the months leading up to the race all of which effort was now wasted as they hadn’t been able to put all of that preparation into practice.
A few of the boats had already set off, by the time that our runners returned, but we could still see most of them as we left the pier and knew that they were all catchable. Ben and Chris got down below and collapsed onto the bunks. Both appeared a little dejected at the fact that a few of the other teams had passed them on the mountain, however we all believed that they were underestimating the immense contribution they had made. Both had been up in excess of 24 hours, despite their total lack of sailing experience they had given a good account of themselves on the leg from Barmouth and then they had got off the boat at midnight and had run up a mountain, in near total darkness and in lousy weather.
Within minutes we had the spinnaker up and appeared to be making good progress in the fickle winds of the Menai Straits. That was, until we entered The Swellies!
We’d put a fair degree of preparation into the passage through the Swellies and had opted for the favoured passage on the south shore. We had read about the north route through but decided to go for the most documented route. Our planning had centred mainly on avoiding the numerous rocks that peppered this revered stretch of water, however at just past high tide, our main enemy was the tide. It was frustrating to sit there with 6 knots showing on the log, main and spinnaker pulling and yet we were only just stemming the tide and at times were even going backwards. It was frustrating to watch the chasing pack slowly catch up on as we just sat virtually stationary. The force of the tidal stream was perhaps most evident when looking back at Killary Flyer stationary under the first bridge, yet it had a sizeable bow wave. At one stage, Killary and another boat caught us right up at the second bridge. The second boat had cut across to the Anglesey side and appeared to get a tidal advantage by coming up in the lee of one of the bridge pillars, attaining maximum speed and then shhoting out using their boatspeed to get them through and back into slacker waters. Killary and ourselves were not so lucky, but after a few minutes we were lucky enough to catch just enough wind to get us through and back into the race. We calculated that James and Dan had gybed the spinnaker in excess of 40 times, an immense feat by both of them with not one collapse or wrap the entire time.
In no time at all, we are back out in the open sea and surfing along at between 14 to 17 knots on times. Following a brief overcast period, we are soon in bright sunshine and after a few hours the runners join us on deck.
The fleet is again well spread out, but we appear to be overhauling or pulling away from most. The trip passes without any real incident, apart from a minor navigational error at St Bee’s Head. We arrive in the lock along with White Cloud in third and fourth positions.
Our next minor hiccup was the bikes! Lydia and Mark were fighting horrendous traffic queues on the way to Whitehaven. Despite leaving Caernarfon, with theoretically hours to spare, no-one could have predicted the ensuing traffic chaos. We weren’t the only team to who’s bikes arrived late either. One other team had to wait an agonising 60 minutes. Our guys only waited for 20 minutes, 5 minutes of which was taken up with scruitineering before setting off. In reality, this gave them a few more minutes to familiarise themselves with the route.
With the runners safely off, we began the task of tidying up and drying out the boat. The showers at Whitehaven were a welcome luxury and once back on the boat our thoughts turned to food before we turned in for the night. Fish and chips on the deck in the evening sun seemed an excellent idea! Unfortunately in the cold light of dawn the following morning our opinions had changed!
Conditions on Hero are cramped at the best of times and so James, Dan and myself turned in, in relative comfort leaving Lydia and Mark to rough it in the support vehicles.
After a relatively undisturbed night, we woke at around 0500 and started getting the boat ready. The runners were on the way and the timing was perfect as any earlier and we would have had the agonising wait for enough depth of water in the lock approach channel. We later learnt that one of the leaders had already fallen foul of the shallow water on the approach. EADS Innovation Works had left at 0100 in the morning with the intention of leaving on a flyer as Vlad The Impaler had done the previous year. Unfortunately for EADS, it was not to be and she ran aground and was stuck fast on the falling tide and could only watch helplessly as Journeymaker left on the 0500 lock and sailed past her.
Runners Log - Scafell Pike
On arriving at Whitehaven several of the places lost on the first run had been clawed back by the expert sailing of the crew and Team Hero remained in contention for a podium finish. Unfortunately on arrival at scrutineering at around 19:00, due to heavy traffic, the support crew and bikes were nowhere to be seen and several teams passed a frustrated Chris and Ben. James was getting regular updates on the support team’s progress into Whitehaven and after 20 minutes the welcome sight of the Vospers van pulled up and the bikes were frantically unloaded and Chris and Ben were finally sent on their way.
Initially the cycle route was relatively easy to follow but once the track along the railway line ran out they soon got lost and found themselves on a farm track following the lakeside which marked the start of the valley. Not the ideal terrain for road bikes. Fortunately after half an hour of uncomfortable off roading the runners managed to find the right route. Things were looking up until 1k from the bike drop off Ben got a puncture. The delay enabled yet another team to pass the pair but after some colourful language from Ben, mainly cursing James for recommending road bikes, and a rushed inner tube change the pair were finally back on route to the youth hostel where they ditched the bikes and were back on foot.
To start with the runners intermittently ran and walked along the track which followed the valley bottom to the black sail pass. The black sail pass was no more than a sheep track up the side of the steep valley to the ridge. On ascent of the ridge the runners saw the Irish team, Killary Flier, in the distance and immediately picked up the pace as much as possible given their tiredness. On the descent from the pass the Killary runners caught and passed the Hero pair but knowing there was a long way to go on the longest of the runs Chris and Ben continued as they were.
Arriving in Wasdale at the next checkpoint the welcome sight of marshals bearing food and drink picked the pair up and Chris took full advantage of the flapjacks on offer. Literally a hundred yards further on, at the foot of Scarfell Pike, the runners passed the Irish pair to regain a place. At first the path was easy to follow and Chris and Ben soon passed the struggling White Cloud runners and caught sight of another team further up the mountain. The light was fading fast now and the mist was setting in so visibility was rapidly decreasing. The track just seemed to run out and a field of boulders stood in the runner’s path. Judging by the number of lights slowly moving around in the darkness, the other teams were having as much trouble finding the correct route as the Hero duo. What should have been a relatively quick ascent was taking forever, due to the poor visibility, with little progress being made. As the cliché goes ‘many hands make light work’ and the Hero pair put this into practice by joining forces with the runners from White Cloud and another boat and together they spread out and slowly worked their way up to the summit.
It was hard to believe it was July on the top of the Pike with a wind chill of close to freezing and as conditions forced the runners to move slowly they really felt the chill. It soon became apparent why each runner is obliged to carry such an extensive kit list. Everyone had layered up and balaclavas were out in force. Eventually the runners came across the check point on the summit and all six scanned their tags before starting the descent. Finding the route down proved to be even more difficult than the ascent and the group was soon lost. Out came the map and compass and a bearing was taken. The group scrambled over the boulders for what seemed like hours but there was no sign of the path so it was soon evident that the bearing was wrong. The other teams were looking downbeat and there was even mention of getting the sleeping bags and survival bags out and bedding down until first light. The Hero runners weren’t having any of this so Ben set about trying to get some feeling back in his hands and pulled out the GPS unit with its flat batteries. After a few minutes of fumbling around with a new pair of batteries the GPS unit came back to life and as luck would have it, it had died just before the summit so Ben was confident he could track back onto the footpath and get the group down safely without having to wait until dawn.
One of the group seemed in a bad way so everyone agreed that, given the hellish conditions, they would all stick together until the track became safer. This actually meant that Chris and Ben were constantly waiting for all but one of the others who all appeared to be broken men. Eventually everyone involved reached the main track down and the mist began to lift. Thanks and good wishes were exchanged and the teams all set off individually. Chris and Ben opened up a gap on the remainder of the descent but after another inadvertent detour a pair from the group passed them on the flat back to Wasdale.
After a quick stop to check in and take some food and drink onboard the pair began the ascent back up Black Sail Pass with the other team just ahead but there was no sign of the White Cloud runners which meant there was no threat from behind and the runners could settle down into a comfortable pace.
As the ascent became steeper the epic run began to take its toll on Ben with his legs really struggling to move. With regular encouragement from Chris he managed to keep the pace up and eventually they hit the last summit of this stage and began the slippery descent towards the youth hostel.
Once back on the flat back to the hostel (again signposted as four miles!) the ten hours they had been on the move, and lack of sleep, began to take its toll. Chris suggested tabbing back (intermittent running and walking) and this seemed to make it more bearable and before long they arrived back at the bikes.
After a steady and tentative first 4k along the dirt track, to avoid any more punctures, the pair caught sight of Mark and Lydia which really lifted them. After a quick refreshment stop the pair said their thanks and set off at a blistering pace (Ben was extremely grateful that James recommended the road bikes at this stage!). Hitting speeds in excess of 40km/h it didn’t take long to get back to Whitehaven now the guys knew the way. If they hadn’t needed to be so cautious on the dirt track the record would certainly have been challenged. As it was they checked in at around 07:30 meaning this leg took the best part of 12 hours. The bikes were left with Mark and the runners made their way back to the boat for the long sail up to Fort William.
Sailors Log - Whitehaven to Fort William
This was perhaps the most eventful of all of the three legs. We started with a close fetch out of Whitehaven heading for Galloway Head. It was a pretty mundane affair and we slowly started reeling in those boats which had left just in front of us. We left Whitehaven in 7th position, however by Galloway Head we had clawed back two places and the 3rd and 4th place boats were within our sights. Despite the windspeed one boat appeared to be struggling close inshore and so we chose to stand off by a few hundred metres. This is where the fun began. As we rounded the headland, we encountered a dramatic increase in windspeed and a very steep chop which threatened to wash the headsail that was flaked on the deck overboard. James went forward to try and retrieve it but he quickly got into trouble and had to call on Dan to help him as the sail was now in the water and getting pulled away from the boat. It was a worrying time trying to navigate through the confused sea, especially so as both James and Dan disappeared on two occasions under huge waves which broke over the foredeck. Sail recovered, we sailed high out of the chop until such time that we could set the spinnaker. Almost on queue, the sun broke out, waterproofs came off and were hung out to dry and we settled down to a brisk spinnaker leg and gradually started to work our way into 3rd place.
My turn to grab some sleep now and I went below, slipped out of my waterproofs and into the bunk. In no time at all I could feel myself drifting off although as most sailors will testify, you always stay attuned to the sounds that the boat is making and the activity on deck. I was aware that James was hailing another boat was asking for permission to pass around their stern and pass them to windward. Permission apparently granted because I could feel the boat heel and hear the sound of the pole being eased forward and the water rushing faster past the hull.
After no more than a minute, I could hear James shouting for me to get on deck. There was a new urgency in his voice which I hadn’t heard before and so there was no time for waterproofs. There was a slight moment of uncertainty as I came on deck. James was not back aft steering and Dan was struggling with a spinnaker sheet and holding the tiller. It turned out that our spinnaker halyard had snapped and James had run forward instinctively to retrieve the spinnaker before it end up in the water or worse still around our keel and rudder. Ben and Chris were up in a flash to assist and pretty soon the spinnaker was in and our genoa was up and poled out.
We were now faced with a real dilemma. Without the spinnaker, our race was effectively over, however the spare halyard was up for’ard and putting someone up the mast in these conditions to try to run a new halyard down would be tricky enough in harbour, let alone at sea.
We spent half an hour working out various options, the most favourable of which was to wrap a small sling around the top of the mast with a snap shackle attached, through which we would run the spare halyard. Dan was the only person we could send up the mast and even though he might have been apprehensive, he never voiced any concerns and set about the task with a steely resolve. After swinging round head to wind, we dropped the main and then continued on our previous course just under headsail to maintain some stability. We had Dan up the mast in no time and he worked quickly to rig the jury sheave. After no more than ten minutes aloft, he was back down and with the mainsail back up, we rigged and set the spinnaker dropped the headsail and set about making up for the hour or so that we had lost.
We were now approaching the Mull of Kintyre and the two boats that we had caught previously were well inshore of us as we had probably gone slightly high whilst effecting the repairs to the halyard. We surfed along at between 14 to 16 knots in big seas against a very strong south stream tide which was also boring out of the Firth of Lorn. We carried on with our present course a good time after the other two boats had made their gybe back in, and when we gybed back we were within a mile of Rathlin Island. With the mist and darkness closing in, we made our way up the Firth of Lorn at approximately 14 knots under spinnaker.
After a few hours, James went down below to plot our position and get some rest and it was just after that we suffered our first serious knockdown. Hero is an immensely stable boat in all directions, however a sudden squall caught us unawares and with the spinnaker sheeted off, neither Dan nor myself could react quick enough. We made two attempts to get back on course, however the wind was too strong and made it impossible to bear away. Suddenly, the inner end of the spinnaker pole slipped and ripped off the upper pulley block, leaving us no other option other than to lose the spinnaker and resort to headsail.
Once the headsail was up and set, we powered on, surfing down the waves building behind us, still achieving speeds of 14 knots. Dan and myself stayed on deck giving James the opportunity to dry out once more and get some sleep. James and myself swapped over just around 0100. I was woken up around 0300 by Dan asking if I’d check our position as we were now approaching the last of the tricky stages, the Sound of Jura and then the Sound of Luing. Our last glimpse of any other vessels, land or lights had been at around 2200 in the North Channel and it was only now that we were starting to catch sight of both again.
As we approached the Sound of Jura, speed over the ground was increasing and it became obvious that we were getting the benefit of the north stream tide. Perhaps most disconcerting was the fact that our speed was increasing at the very point where everything narrowed. We sailed on and very soon caught sight of two other boats, one of which appeared to be at anchor.
With less than a mile to go to Luing, we decided to drop our headsail to reduce our speed slightly. We were aware of Killary Flyer close behind us, however we opted for safety over speed. The Sound of Luing passed without event and once past Bono Rock, we put our headsail back up and headed for Fort William. With wind strength was extremely variable at this point and we ended up changing down from the number 4, to the 3, then the 2 and then the 1 and then back to the 2. Tempers at this point were beginning to fray, almost entirely due to lack of sleep.
Despite the larger headsail, the wind strength and angle was ideally suited to the spinnaker and so the inner end of the pole was lashed in place and we hoisted the light spinnaker. Progress was good and the ever looming Killary appeared to be losing ground on us.
Approaching the Corran Narrows, the wind appeared to be funnelling down the channel and just as we gybed, the wind increased from 18-20 knots to 35 knots. It was at this point that we suffered our second knock down. The spinnaker was taken down and we limped through Corran under just the mainsail. Killary was closing fast and so the heavy spinnaker was packed in view of the current wind strength.
The contrast however between one side of the Narrows and the other was huge. Once past the Narrows, the windspeed dropped dramatically to about 8 knots and we endured a hour or more tussle with Killary, only really breaking away on the second to last buoy into Corpach. Engine started, we made it to the pontoon five minutes ahead of Killary and then began the wait for the runners to return. Killary had managed to get past them on the previous two stages, however this was the shortest of the land stages and Chris and Ben had a five minute headstart and were feeling good.
James, Dan and myself showered and changed and then came back to the boat to start tidying up and welcome the runners back. We had the call that they were less than 10 minutes away and made our way to the finish in the pouring rain. Chris and Ben came into view and made their way at speed to the finish. They had put in a tremendous effort on this final stage and had easily maintained our place in the finishing order.
Runners Log - Ben Nevis.
Another solid performance from the Hero crew resulted in Chris and Ben being dropped in Corpach in fifth position with the Killary pair only a minute behind. The closest of the leading teams were over an hour ahead so it was unlikely the Hero runners would catch them. The race was now for fifth place and with the Killary pair having rested since the Snowdon leg the Hero duo were going to have to give it their all.
Chris and Ben knew the pressure they were under and the run to the Ben was a frantic one with regular glances over their shoulders as they half expected to see the Killary pair charging them down. On arriving at the foot of the Ben there was no sign of their rivals but they knew they couldn’t relax just yet. Chris led the way up the slope and set a quick but sustainable pace up the seemingly endless path. Nearer the summit a strong head wind made the going even tougher but as the path zig-zagged its way up the same wind assisted them in their climb. All this time the Killary pair were in the back of their minds but there was no sign of them when they scanned the mountain path below. Just short of the summit a patch of snow still survived and made for an interesting change in terrain as they clumsily scrambled up the ‘travelator’. Knowing they were close to the summit the pair knew the end was in sight and as their excitement increased so did their pace. As the fog parted the summit revealed itself and after a panicked search for the check-in box they both logged in and began their descent with a renewed vigour.
The snow drift proved to be far more fun on the way down as the pair opted to use their sorry arses to slide down rather than walk. The high spirits were short lived with the mood suddenly changing when they passed the Killary runners on their way to the summit. Their rivals must have taken the direct route of scrambling straight up rather than using the zig-zags. Suddenly the pressure was on again and the Hero pair knew they’d have to give it their all to hold off their Killary counterparts. However, one nervous glance back over Chris's shoulder and he was down with a sprained ankle. After a few words to himself and some more painkillers, he was off again.
The run was sustained to the bottom of the Ben where the ever dependable Mark was once again waiting with refreshments. This time the runners opted to leave the refreshments, knowing any delay could result in losing fifth place, and instead gave Mark a quick wave and voiced their thanks as they made their way back to Corpach.
Now back on the flat the toll the mountain had taken really began to show with every joint and muscle willing the runners to stop. The pair knew this was the last slog though and one last push would secure their place in the top five. They managed to sustain the run all the way back with the occasional 60 second fast walk to recover when they were really struggling. Finally the finish line and the rest of Team Hero were in sight and the excitement gave the runners one last burst of energy as they sprinted the last few metres and crossed the line to secure fifth position for the team.
This was our first foray into the realm of the Three Peaks Race and hopefully not our last. It’s a race that gets under your skin and to do well, having a fast boat is really not enough. Detailed planning for both the sea and land stages is essential, you need experienced sailors, committed runners and…,it has to be said just a little bit of luck.
The other crucial element and that which is often not spoken of in the reports we’ve read or the conversations we’ve had with other participants is the value of your shore crew if you’re lucky enough to have one. Lydia and Mark, our shore crew were truly awesome, we owe them a huge debt of gratitude and they truly were instrumental in our success. They worked tirelessly during the four days that we were racing, often getting less sleep or comfort than ourselves. It was reassuring to have a medical professional such as Mark along and as well as this role he also drove one of our support vehicles to every stop off, met the runners at key locations along the way and he was also our unofficial photographer.
Lydia kept us fed throughout and did an amazing job of producing fantastic and varied meals, catering for everyone’s individual needs and generally organising all of us. It was a real tonic to have her on the quayside as we came in or set off, as however cold wet and tired you are, she has one of those smiles that gives you a real lift.
The burning question is “Will we be back?”
WHO KNOWS!!!!