Three Peaks Race on for 2002

No 2001 event due to foot and mouth

Organisers of the event that was once known as the Three Peaks Yacht Race are claiming foot and mouth as the reason for the cancellation of this year's race, but have announced that the event will go ahead with sponsor Helly Hansen's support in 2002.
Established in 1977 by adventurer Bill Tilman, the Three Peaks Yacht Race originally combined yacht racing and running up the highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland. Contestants started in Barmouth, Wales, sailed up the coast to Caernarfon, off loaded their two runners who raced up Mount Snowdon and back down again. The boats would then continue on to Ravensglass where again the runners would again be dropped off this time to run up to the top of Scafell Pike. Then it would be back on board and sail north up to Fort William, where - you guessed it - the runners would have to go up Ben Nevis before coming back down and heading for the finish line.

In 2000 the race format changed as did its name to the Helly Hansen Barmouth to Fort William Yacht Race. For many years the event was regularly won by multihulls, which were both faster and able to take the bottom easily in Ravensglass which is a drying harbour. For 2000 multihulls were banned and the middle stop moved up the coast from Ravensglass to Whitehaven and a cycling leg added, giving the event more of a triathlon flavour. Unfortunately with the changes the fleet diminished still further with only 17 boats taking part and eight finishers.

That this event should go into such decline is a great shame and it is hard to know whether there is a problem with the format of the race or if this type of event has had its day and is simply no longer what people want to do. As a sailing event, the course is fantastic passing the Swellies in the Menai Straits and later having to negotiate the powerful tides off the west coast of Scotland, passing some of the best scenery on offer in the UK as anyone who has taken part in the Scottish Series will testify.