The Three Peaks Yacht Race
Waiting for an Indian Summer
Rob Howard / 23.06.2006
Some of the runners and supporters, mainly off Vlad the Impaler, were so twitchy at having a whole day off they decided to have a race up Ben Nevis for the fun of it. Rob Smith even decided to go for a swim in the river on the way. Confusion’s runners had also arrived earlier (to collect their trailer and get it back to Whitehaven) and run up and down the final mountain even though the boat never made it here.
Some of the runners were taking a rest … but only because they have other races this coming weekend. John Cameron from Blondie was in Fort William looking for bike pedals as he’s off to 24 hour mountain bike race and Tim Fairbrother from Abbeydale Moonshine went straight home to rest up for a 2 day adventure race. (The ACE Race in the Lake District.)
All of that pales into insignificance with the effort made by the supporters from Abbeydale Moonshine, and some friends from Sheffield University. On Wednesday they carried a full firkin of Abbeydale beer up the mountain! Gryf Rees-Jones and a BBC film crew appeared out of the mist to interview them on the way. (It’s true, you couldn’t make this up.)
Tactix caused some alarm in more ways than one, firstly when they set fire to their galley (safely put out), and later when skipper Dave Bird was kept in hospital after going for a check up on his bashed ribs. The medical staff didn’t understand that missing the race party wasn’t an option and he escaped and found the free Abbeydale beer eased the pain.
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