The Three Peaks Yacht Race 2016
Race Day!
Rob Howard / 11.06.2016
With a slightly earlier start than usual there is a lot to get done the morning so the harbour side is a hive of activity! Teams still have to return much of their paperwork, in some cases the runners have just arrived and they all need to have their kit check, and there are briefings for team captains and support crews as well.
On the seafront the programme sellers are out and the entertainers are setting up, cables are being run to help show the live broadcast from the start – a first for the race using technology developed by Dream Team T.V.
Just before 9am there was a queue outside the nearby boathouse which is used for the runners kit check. All the runners were lined up holding their small backpacks and chatting as they waited. All 4 of the ABF Soldiers charity team were there as they all intend to run and there were several other Tilman Trophy teams with more than 2 runners, sizing each other up and wondering who will do which mountain.
I spoke to the team on Gertha 4, who have now renamed to the LifeinMotion Team 2016. They are a Tilman team and their latest recruit is Wyatt Warner from the USA, who at 18 is the youngest in the race. He told me,” I’m here for a few months doing a boat building apprenticeship in Lymington and wanted to see as much as I could of the country. I’m a keen runner/sailor/cyclist and when I heard about the race and the team needed a runner I was in. It seems like a very intense race! And that is perfect! I’m excited to see what lies ahead.”
The Sea Camals team are another with 4 runners and two of them come off a recent win at the Scottish Islands Peaks Race. They said there was plenty of rowing in that race, and given the flat calm here there will be more of that today. They are in a different boat however, they won the Scottish race in North Star, which is being used by another team here!
The skippers briefing is now taking place and the seafront cafes are busy with the other team members getting a last coffee and breakfast before moving onto the boats. They have a few hours to complete their preparations before the boats are lead out of the harbour by the Barmouth Lifeboat at 13.00.
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