The PowerBar Three Peaks Yacht Race
All Arrived in Barmouth
Rob Howard / 22.06.2007
Their deadline was to get here 24 hours before the race start (i.e. by16.00 Friday) and had they failed time penalties would have applied. Usually there are some last minute dramas/storms/broken engines … but today has been trouble free. Indian Summer were the last to arrive, motoring in to complete the race fleet.
The panorama across Barmouth estuary, with its backdrop of mount Cader Idris, is surely one of the best views in Wales, and with the harbour full of boats it is a perfect setting for the race start.
The town and harbour side have been busy all day, crews dressed in their team kit have been getting in final supplies, and the area around the Merioneth Yacht Club is decked out with race and sponsor flags. A band stand has been prepared for performances tomorrow, the RNLI and Coastguard are setting up stands, and BBC Wales have arrived in their satellite truck to broadcast the national weather live from the race.
This evening race sponsors Powerbar will welcome the teams at the local leisure centre. (There was a minor scare when fire engines arrived at the centre earlier today, but it was an overheating boiler and not a fire!) Then tomorrow the giant TV screen will be set up on the harbour side, to show the helicopter shots of the race start out at sea, and footage of race starter Max Boyce.
After a final skippers briefing in the morning the boats will leave the harbour at 15.00, and the race will begin at 16.00.
[The SAT Trackers will be switched on shortly before midday.]
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