J/122 into the lead

As light airs PowerBar Three Peaks Yacht Race reaches its halfway stage

The 32nd PowerBar Three Peaks Yacht Race is not only the biggest ever, it is proving to be one of the slowest with light airs forcing teams to row for long periods!

The race began off Barmouth with 32 entries ranging from a 30ft J/92 to a Beneteau First 50. There was even a a reproduction Isles of Scilly Pilot Cutter taking part. The race is open to yachts conforming to off-shore racing catgegory 3, with no handicaps in use (although there is handicap competion for those who want to enter it) and was inspired by sailor/mountaineer HW Tilman who lived in Barmouth.

The aim is to sail up the west coast of the UK from Barmouth, via the ports of Caernarfon, Whitehaven and Fort William, with each yacht carrying a crew of 3 plus two mountain runners who disembark to run to the tops of the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland. (Mounts Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis.)

This year’s race began with northerly force 4-5 winds, but is the best conditions the racers have had so far - since then there has been little or no wind at all. All the yachts struggled to round the turbulent tidal surges at Bardsey Head, where teams reported whirl pools and large standing waves and made many attempts to force a passage. All safely crossed Caernafron Bar at the entrance to the Menai Strait (a hazard which has ended many races), although there were a few bumps on the bar. The leaders arrived at Caernarfon early on Sunday morning, dropping their runners for the 24 mile to the summit of Snowdon and back, but with the tide in the narrow strait against they could not much progress when the runners did return.

The fleet regrouped in the strait before passing through ‘the swellies’, the area between the two bridges to the Isle of Anglesey, which is dotted with small islands and hazardous rocks and has a fierce tidal surge. It is the part of the route the skippers fear most, and with 4 knots of tide against and the wind dying away to nothing frequently there was good reason to worry.

First to pass through was GFT Adventure (Beneteau 40.7), followed by Nunatak (J/120) and Topsham Toe in the Water (Jeanneau Sunshine) and all were rowing as hard as they could to gain that vital extra knot. This is a common practice in the race and the oars do make a significant difference! Soon the leading boats were regrouped again, becalmed off Puffin Island, and it was here that the J/122 Ulula (Liverpool Yacht Club) gained a significant advantage, allowing them to lead into Whitehaven, where they are currently waiting for their athletes to complete the longest mountain climb. This involves 30 miles of cycling to reach Ennerdale, then a 5,000ft climb over a pass and up Scafell Pike ... and then back again. This takes from 6 to 12 hours, and give the crews a chance to rest, before leaving for the final sail to Fort William.

This is the longest sailing leg, taking the yachts up the west coast of Northern England and Southern Scotland, round the Mulls of Galloway and Kintyre, and through the inner Hebridean island chain. All the leading boats will be setting off from Whitehaven together this evening (Monday) as they must wait to exit via the tidal lock gates on the harbour. There will be many tactical choices to be made and the race will be fiercely, but slowly, contested in the coming few days.