Open24

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Mid Wales Magic

Rob Howard / 30.07.2008

“I’m really surprised this area is not a National Park,� said James Thurlow as we looked over the course for the 2008 Open24. “It is so beautiful and has such remote and little visited countryside that it really should be.� He’d obviously fallen under the spell of mid-Wales as he planned the course, which was lucky for the competitors who arrived in Aberystwyth to prepare for the race – his aim was to show them the best parts of a region previously used for very few races.

After negotiating the fiendish local one-way system the 60 competing pairs registered at a community centre not far from the sea front promenade, and this year there was a little more preparation involved, especially for those using their own kayaks. James had taken the brave step of allowing this and insisting on a BCU 2-star qualification for those wanting to paddle anything but a Malibu sit-on-top. (There were Necky Amaruks for hire also.)

The competitors had responded, some even buying their own kayaks, and hopefully this move will lead to a general improvement in paddling standards in UK racing, and more races where strong paddlers can benefit from using their skills. The better paddlers, and those with faster boats last raced at the World Champs, were certainly looking forward to the stage one, a long sea paddle northwards up the coast.

The start was just offshore, in the bay between the old pier, the promenade and Constitution Hill, and everyone was lined up between two bright orange buoys on time for 11.00 on Saturday. A large fleet of safety boats was on hand and James Thurlow started the race from the largest of these, setting the fleet off on 24 hours of non-stop racing.

The quicker boats quickly disappeared into the distance, followed by fleet of Malibus which made up about 50% of the fleet. Some of these had bravely opted for the long route, which included a paddle along the Dovey Estuary and back out to a transition at Tywyn on the northern shore. They had to keep in mind the tide, which turned against them as they paddled back after 14.25.

Everyone was racing the same course for the first 3 checkpoints, which were set along the coast, and in hot, sunny weather the conditions were near perfect. The sea was calm and where competitors came ashore to punch the controls there was just enough surf to be entertaining ... but not too worrying! There were a few capsizes. See All Event Posts