The Tide Turns at the Last

Rob / 02.10.2002

When the tide turned against the teams approaching the finish line it stopped some of them getting there at all. The final morning of the race had started once again with clear skies and sunshine as teams prepared for the long final paddle, putting into the Conwy river at 8.00 am on a turning tide. Some of them had only recently arrived, like The Polar Travel Company, who turned up at 05.47, and they’d taken a direct route to camp from the previous PC, and not climbed Carnedd Llwelwyn in the night as the leaders did.

Progress upriver was swift and teams soon passed the imposing walls of Conwy Castle before heading out to sea and along the coast to Llanfairfechan. At this stage Team Wales had reduced Lythgoes lead by a few minutes, but not enough to worry the leaders who were the first to strike out across the Lavan Sands on a falling tide. (Where they nearly ran aground and had to pull the boats into deeper water.) A struggling Salomon X-a came ashore at Llanfairfechan, fuming that the rudders on their kayaks were causing major steering problems. They’d lost an hour already and took different kayaks to continue, making good time after the switch.

The sea was mill-pond calm and the sun was still shining as teams pressed on into the Menai Strait. As the leaders went under the Menai Bridge they were still making good progress but very swiftly dark clouds appeared and a strong headwind sprang up. Suddenly things were not so sunny, the temperature dropped and, crucially, the tide turned. In the narrow confines of the Straits the tidal flow is fierce and it was all the leaders could do to keep making forward progress. Only the strongest paddlers could get through and those at the back were trapped the wrong side of the fastest tide, flowing at 5 knots through an area known as ‘The Swellies’.

The head wind was whipping up the waves, competitors were cold and exhausted and the teams at the back couldn’t make any forward progress and were forced ashore, dispirited and temporarily stranded. It was a hard decision for some, especially Phil Humphreys of ACE Races. “I wanted to go on, but it was too much for the others and we came ashore. I was totally gutted and in tears.� Dynamic Adventures had made the same choice but they managed to find a friendly local who sat them around her range and made tea who while they warmed up.

Other teams left their kayaks and were picked up by the rescue boats and in the end all were collected by their support crews to be brought back to the finish. Here they ran through the Queen’s Gate and were cheered into the finish, where they collected their medals. By now it was pouring with rain and everyone was very cold, so they didn’t wait around too long, but went on in search of showers and somewhere to stay.

Seven teams did have the strength to force a way through the Swellies and down the Straits despite the conditions. Team Wales finished second (a position they’re all too familiar with), to be followed by Last Minute, who crossed the line ahead of Salomon X-a, but finished behind them in the final rankings. The North Face were next, then came a jubilant Thomas Cook with a tearfully happy Debbie Smit and the last team to complete the final kayak stage were Sealskinz High Five, looking totally exhausted by their effort – Keith Read’s hands were shaking so much he could hardly open the champagne.

[The remaining teams who came off the water and cut the stage short received a time penalty of the slowest time plus 2 hours.]

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