The Three Peaks Yacht Race
Described as “The grandfather of all Three Peaks Races”, the Barmouth to Fort William Three Peaks Yacht Race is a unique event combining sailing running and a little cycling that has become one of the toughest distance events in the world.
The adventures of H.W. (Bill) Tilman, the climber and sailor who lived in Barmouth, was the inspiration behind the idea, which was conceived by his doctor, Rob Haworth. Rob spent many hours talking to him about his adventures, and as a result came up with the idea of spending his holidays doing a mini Tilman, sailing from Barmouth to Fort William, en route climb to the top of each of the highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland.
The idea of making it into a race came from Rob Haworth's partner Dr. Merfyn Jones. Sitting around the kitchen table on a winters evening in 1976 Rob recounted his idea for his holidays. Merfyn heard him out and then said "wouldn't it make a wonderful race".
They set out a rough map using kitchen utensils and bottles to represent the mountains, a bottle of Scotch for Ben Nevis of course, and worked out the logistics. Merfyn spent his spring break checking out the course. A committee was formed from local people interested in sailing and Bill Tilman was invited to be the race president, a fortunate choice as when the race rules came up for discussion he said, "Why not just let them get on with it". There were some rules of course, crews were limited to five, using yacht engines was not allowed except when entering or leaving a navigable harbour, boots had to worn on the land sections and no transport was allowed.
The Early Races
In June 1977 seven yachts set out, and there were some epic stories. In bad weather the yacht Aurantes put into Barrow, and the mountaineers, as they were then, took two days to go to the top of Scafell Pike and back, camping overnight. Frank Davis from The Climbers' Shop in Ambleside competing in his Nicholson 30 'Mumascara', realised that this was a race for fell runners and that Ravenglass was the nearest possible landing point to Scafell. He arrived off Ravenglass in pitch darkness and in an horrendous gale, but there was not enough water to get down the channel and into shelter. The runners suffering from seasickness made the decision to take to the dinghy and try to get ashore.
Three of them went, the two runners Alan Evans and Peter Bland, and one of the sailors. After only five minutes an enormous wave capsized them. Unable to right the dinghy two of them lay on top of it, and Peter Bland remained in water being held by the scruff of his neck and hanging onto the dinghy. Huge waves battered them for an hour, after which time they were fortunate to be washed ashore onto the artillery range.
They withdrew from the race never to put to sea again.
Four of the yachts completed the course, and Bill Tilman was in Fort William to present the winning skipper, John Chawner with his trophy. Shortly afterwards, at the age of 79, Tilman left on an expedition for the Antarctic. He was never to return and it is presumed that his boat foundered in an Atlantic storm.
In 1978 another seven yachts entered. Frank Davies, back with different runners, had a neck and neck battle with John Chawner in 'Fair Exchange'. Again the weather was unkind, with four of the entrants retiring due to injured runners or severe weather, but Chawner and Davis raced side by side down Loch Linnhe. Chawner docked first, but Davies' runners Ken Ledwood and Tim Walker took the day on Ben Nevis.
In 1979 the news about the race reached the armed services, who found it a superb initiative exercise. With four service teams the entry increased to 11. Five yachts finished and again a mono-hull won. Two things happened that year which had a profound effect on the race. In a total calm several of the yachts either rowed, towed or kedged their yachts. There were immediate protests but the committee ruled that as long as the yachts were moved manually it was within the spirit of the race. Rowing remains today as an important element in the race.
The second significant thing to happen was that television producer John Mead from HTV followed the race and saw its potential as a documentary. In 1980 with the news of television coverage the entry grew to 25. To accommodate the TV company Ravenglass was adopted as the only harbour for access to Scafell, and the race finish point was altered from Fort William to the entrance to the Caledonian Canal at Corpach.
In a superbly close race the one tonner 'Samphire', with a Royal Marines crew commanded by Sam Poole, won by just 8 minutes from 'Black Arrow' an RAF entry. The win was even more memorable since it was the last time for some years that the overall race would be won by a mono-hull. The TV film generated so much interest that throughout the 1980s there was competition for the 35 race places and an annual ballot had to be held to choose the competitors.
The Runners
One of the reasons for the success of the event is that in the late 1970's fell running started to become more popular. In this masochistic sport it did not take long for the runners to realise that the race offered a new dimension in pain. The race offered the new and sometimes stomach wrenching experience of sailing and they had to accomplish 73 miles of running and 12,000 feet of climbing, a lot it in darkness, with the additional pressure of tidal deadlines constantly urging them on.
After the first few races, when the land sections were done mainly by mountaineers in boots and breeches, the lean and mean fell shoes took over, and the competition between the runners was as furious as that between the sailors. Legendary names took part, Billy Bland, Joss Naylor, Martin Stone, and Royal Marine John Rye. Famous pairs got together. Davies and Woods, who set the Snowdon record (3 hours and 6 minutes) as far back as 1983. Belton and Rigby who in the continual struggle to get the yachts in and out of Ravenglass on the same tide ran the 32 mile course in a phenomenal 4 hours 30 minutes. Lady runners also made their mark, Helene Diamantides and Alison Wright later ran Snowdon in 3 hours 56 minutes, and Roz Coats and Helen Smith still hold the aggregate time record for the ladies race of 13 hours 14 minute set in 1982.
The overall aggregate of 10 hours 32 minutes was set in 1985 by Ken Taylor and Peter Irwin. We have lost count of the number of times Ken has competed, sufficient to say that in 1996, running with Jack Holt, he was still able to put up the fastest overall time, and win the veterans trophy.
The Multi-Hulls
There had been the odd cruising multihued entering the early races, but they were no real competition for the mono's. The first indication we had of the suitability of multi-hulls for the race was in 1981 when the race founder and myself, competing in a Sadler 32, arrived off Ravenglass well up with the mono-hull fleet. We were just in time to see Mike Whipp's Simpson designed trimaran 'Daytripper', coming out of the harbour en route for Scotland a compete tide ahead of us. It was pursued by Sam Poole in the Catamaran 'Presto', but went on to win the race.
The next year, renamed 'Signaller' and skippered by Barry Rowe from the Royal Corps of Signals it won again, and yet again in 1983 under John Chaundy's command as 'Memec and Chips'. By this time the message had gone home, and a whole gaggle of fast multi's started to enter the race. The Simpson Trimaran never won again but it is doubtful if its record, 3 wins, 2 second places, 2 third places and a fourth will ever be equalled. As the speed stakes rose, specially adapted yachts emerged, the two formula 40's Mark Gatehouse's Queen Anne's Battery Marina, and Ross Hobson's 'Fingers Crossed', and then the yacht primarily built for Three Peaks racing, Dick Skipworth's 'Severalles Challenge'.
In 1994 by John Fowler sailing the Trimaran 'Shockwave', set an incredible new record of 2 days 8 hours and 12 minutes, but even that was not to last. In 1998 the new Corsair F31R trimaran 'Pwllheli Partnership', skippered by Richard Tudor and carrying the Welsh lady fell runners Angela Brand-Barker and Menna Angharad, moved the all time record to 2 days 3 hours and 4 minutes. For the number of wins, Gareth Owen's record of winning 3 races outright will take some beating. The last two were won in the F27 'Merseybeat', a yacht which proved very suitable for Three Peaks racing.
The Mono-Hulls
Part of the appeal of the race is that the course is a challenge on its own, just to complete it is a major victory, and since there are no rules regarding the type of yacht, you can compete in just about anything. Due to the effectiveness of the Multi-hulls the race has been divided into two classes, with the Multis being started ahead of the mono-hull fleet.
It was in 1983 that the Beneteau 'First Class' made its mark, Doug Barr finished first mono in overall second place just 54 minutes behind 'Memec and Chips', and then the next year Jeremy Heal did it again. Since then the ULDB with lifting keel has featured prominently throughout the races.
In 1994 Hugh Clay arrived in Barmouth to compete in 'Aratapu', a steel hulled 38 foot cutter built in Tasmania which he had sailed to Britain. No yacht could have looked less competitive but Hugh confounded everyone, and was first to round the Mull of Kintyre. Seen in the distance in the Sound of Jura, there was so much sail crammed on the yacht it looked like an ancient tea clipper. Hugh won the mono-hull race with almost four hours to spare over the Everitt 43 'Backlash', which just goes to show that just about anyone, providing you get the logistics worked out and the right crew, can win the Three Peaks Yacht race.
The Mono-Hulls and the Years Ahead.
Part of the appeal of the race is that the course is a challenge on its own, just to complete it is a major victory; the course itself is left to dictate the size and type of boat competing Although in 1983 and 1984 Beneteau First Class boats came second overall it was decided in 1994 to run two separate but concurrent races for the monos and multis. That year Hugh Clay arrived in Barmouth to compete in 'Aratabu', a steel hulled 38 foot cutter built in Tasmania which he had sailed to Britain round the Horn. No yacht could have looked less competitive, indeed Hugh said he was after the Last Inn trophy to go with the one he had won in the Australian race.
In 1999 the race changed again and became one for mono-hulls only, and the year after a really more significant change was made when the port for Scafell became Whitehaven, which had been the optional port for the first three years of the race. Some put the changes down to the closure of the Pennington Arms at Ravenglass!, but perhaps insurance had something to do with it. At any event the removal of the major tidal restriction, which, itself had both good and bad results, not only made the average entry a larger boat: it also made a big change for runners who now went via Ennerdale to Scafell and had to climb an extra 2000 ft pass each way and cover another 13 miles. To ease their burden they are now allowed to cycle both ways for the first 13 miles from Whitehaven. A small task set against Bill Tilman achievements in 1933 when he cycled 3000 miles across Africa as part of his journey home from Kenya.
The 2000 race proved to be the slowest race ever, the winner taking 5 Days 14 hrs and 4 minutes in a Reflex 38. The next race in 2002, foot & mouth cancelled the 01 race, was won by Geoff West in a similar boat in a record time almost 3 days quicker at 2 days 14 hrs and 4 minutes. An excellent result for the 25th Anniversary race; and a reminder of that well known phrase " it all depends on the weather".
For the sailors the race includes many seamanship problems not normally associated with yacht races; the crossing of Caernarfon bar, the treacherous Swellies in the Menai Strait, the rounding of the Mulls of Galloway and Kintyre, the whirlpools of the Gulf of Corryvreckan and the Sound of Luing and finally the Corran Narrows where the ebb will stop the boat dead in the water. Thus a well found boat is needed and meticulous planning and preparations are required.
Generally marathon runners don’t like mountains and fell runners don’t like running on roads and both have problems with changes from running to cycling in the same race. The mountains present their own problems with snow on Ben Nevis with wind, rain and mist making conditions atrocious and navigation difficult. Added to which many have to run in the dark after suffering sea sickness. The faster the yachts sail the quicker the runs come round, usually with the first two runs, 24 miles and 52 miles during the first 24 hours.
The race is a journey through much of the finest scenery in Great Britain. Barmouth itself lies at the mouth of the Mawddach estuary described by Wordsworth as “sublime”. The race has attracted competitors from all over the UK, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Eire, Norway, United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel and Australia; and has spawned other three peaks yacht races in Scotland, Australia, Hong Kong and other parts of the world so that today three peaks yacht racing has become a genre of its own.
One should not mention the history of the race without remarking on the thousands of pounds raised for charities over the years. The sums have reached six figures in a single year. The race organisers in their Memorandum of Association are required to encourage teams to raise money for charity and are themselves required to promote the teaching of sailing to young people of Barmouth.
Over Thirty trophies await the starters of the Race in June.
Ron Isles
