ITERA Ireland
The Wild West
Rob Howard / 17.08.2016
The forecast for stage one of ITERA may not have been too alarming, but the weather itself, well that was another matter.
Teams set off in fairly calm conditions though the low cloud and drizzle sadly meant they were denied some spectacular views of the mighty Croagh Patrick and across the islands of Clew Bay. (Croagh Patrick is a famous pilgrimage, made barefoot by some.)
As the afternoon went on however the conditions got worse and worse with the waves rising, the wind increasing and rain getting heavier. Not that the paddlers could get any wetter. Progress against the tide and wind was hard in the choppy seas and by the time the leaders came out of Clew Bay and around the low cliffs and outlying rocks of Roonah Point it was clear that was as far as they could safely paddle.
First to arrive just before 5pm were SWECO of Sweden – and they wanted to carry on paddling! “I thought it might be more sheltered in the bay,” said Mattias Carling, “but it was quite rough and difficult even in there. We think we can continue and would like to do so but I think the decision is we cannot.” They wanted to carry on as they are the strongest paddlers and not so quick on foot. They said the boats were very stable but the decision of the water safety officer was firm so they had to get ashore and prepare to trek down the coast.
Carling was shivering violently and wasn’t going to stop to argue – he needed to move to keep warm, one way or another, and the team set off after being shown the trek route by Ivan Park. This stays close to the coast, much of it on beaches, so it is going to be exposed.
Second to arrive were Godzone Mountain Hardwear, with Nick Gracie and Kevin Stephens struggling to get into the small pier, which is for the ferry to Clare Island. “That was challenging,” said Gracie, “and I think it’s the right decision. We would not have finished in daylight and the slower teams are already finding difficult.” He’s just come back from a visit to the Olympics and as the wind lashed the rain into him and the team struggled to change by the roadside he said, “It’s not exactly Rio is it!”
Unfortunately there is no shelter here so teams are having to change and sort out themselves out in the open before continuing.
If you are watching the race trackers you might be wondering what happened to French team FMR. They came ashore from Clew Bay quite early and this was the result of badly holed and leaking boat. The race decided the best thing to do was to move them forward to the take out point and reinsert them in the race in the position they were when they pulled out. As a result they left Roonah Point in 6th place.
I spoke to one of the team who was philosophical saying, “No one can win. Others will say we missed a tough and tiring paddle, but we think we could have finished higher up on the paddle, especially as the boat was leaking from the start. It’s probably the best option but no one will really be happy. That’s just how it is.”
The rest of the teams are now gradually struggling into the Clare Island ferry pier, tired, shivering and glad to get ashore, and it looks like they should all arrive in daylight.
It’s been a tough start to ITERA Ireland.
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