Wilfire got away at 7.42 and Alastair and I are pondering their time - 6 hours 35, the second quickest of the day. Amazing considering the trouble they reported having! Carey Hire wrapped up the day at Lady dBarron, leaving at 8.25pm coincidentally having run a time of 8hrs 25mins. Longest run of the day went to Community Carbon, a truly marathon effort of 9hrs 48.
This blooger update comes to you from Coles Bay. The committee has split in 2 and half have return to “mainland” Tasmania and made their way to Coles Bay to await the arrival of the competitors. However, upon finding out from the Marshalls camped out on top of Mt Freycinet that there was NO wind on top of the mountain. This does not bode well for a speedy trip to Coles Bay! There is plenty of wind for the leading boat at this time off Eddystone Point but the further south they travel the less wind that they will get. Thats this race for you!!!
Tristan and James from Carey Hire are just about lacing up the runners for Freycinet, as by the sounds of it their runners Ian and Adrian have suffered from sea sickness and are dehydrated and lacking in energy. Their tracker also appears to have a battery problem and may be swapped before they set off for Coles Bay. They are anticipating a couple of hours wait yet.
Wildfire's runners have actually passed Carey Hire's and both are being well looked after by local ground crews. I have also found out more about the Wildfire team, which I will pass on soon. Have another date with the Furneaux Tavern for now.
It sounds like Gerry from Wildfire has made a great recovery and the pair are running back strongly - about 15km out of Lady Barron now. Excellent news.
The volunteers here do a fantastic job of timekeeping, organising, providing fuel and water for the runners and keeping us all fed and watered. Michael Sherriff and his sister Maree have been summit marshalls on Strzelecki for the last two years.
The distance between base camp and the summit is only 2.5km, so runners like we're dealing with here are taking between an hour and a half and two hours to run 5km, that gives you some idea of how tough that track actually is.
Wildfire runner Karl has radioed in to skipper Malcolm Robinson. They have hit the summit but Karl says Gerry is dizzy and disorientated and is not sure if they should continue. Malcolm has suggested they come down together and use the radio at base camp to let him know whether or not they can continue. If not Karl said he could re-start with another member of the crew - that would be a fair run - nearly 100km in one day!
Community Carbon has radioed in to report that they had run aground but are now free.
Peccadillo's runners really took the marshalls here by surprise, timekeeper Robyn wasn't even outside and Gareth and Karl had to run into race control to let her know they'd arrived. They spent eight hours and seven minutes on the course. So now just Carey Hire and Wildfire's runners are still on the course.
Stuart and Travis made it and Community Carbon has left! Wildfire's runners have reached the base at 3.30 and are on their way up the mountain. Carey Hire's runners also reached the base at 3pm.
John and John from VisitFlindersIsland got back to Lady Barron at 3.24 after a run of 8hrs14. The cat departed at a rate of knots with at least 15 knots now blowing from the SE. Slucey has flown over the fleet and reports that Terry is ahead and inshore of the fleet, followed by Deguello which was further offshore on port tack and Nick, inshore and slightly behind Deguello, on starboard tack. Whistler took on the pot boil while Don't Panic chose the Vansittart channel. He said there is a good 15-20 knots on the nose and it will be a hard slog south. Alastair and I went to see where the runners from Community Carbon were and found them about 10km away. I was right with my guess earlier - Travis was sick last night and Stuart today. But both are now in good spirits - see below.
The boats that have left seem to be making good headway. Terry's tracker went on the blink so he'll be a silent assassin on this leg, but Deguello and Haphazard look to be having a good duel from what I can tell on the yacht tracker. The cat seems to be a couple of miles ahead but due to the time lapse on the trackers it really could be anyone's game! They must have a bit of breeze out there though as it says Deguello is making over 11 knots. Forecast is for SE to southerly winds 10 to 20 knots and 1-2m seas for the rest of the day, and about the same tomorrow although easing later. It will be on the nose but at least they'll have some wind.
As promised yesterday I did find out some more about one of our visiting Victorian teams, Community Carbon. Skipper Jeff Dusting bought the boat from Northern Tassie where he saw a Three Peaks sign and decided he'd like to have a go at it. Luckily one of his former employees at his own business, Community Carbon, was a runner, and so the team started to take shape.
Jeff has sailed in everything from dinghies to offshore yachts since the age of four and said "when you're out sailing in it so much, the environment becomes something that's pretty important to you".
So he started the business that helps local communities reduce their carbon footprint by installing carbon emmission-reducing systems such as solar power to buildings like surf clubs and schools. Community Carbon raises the money so the communities don't have to pay for the renewable energy infrastructure.
"I was frustrated that the government was not doing enough about climate change and people were feeling disempowered. We help people get involved and see that something real can happen even if the government isn't doing anything." They have a facebook page for the cause if you would like to learn more.
The crew has had bad luck with illness today - I believe Travis was sick on the trip over and Stuart during the run - but hopefully they still find the trip worthwhile and return in future years.
Michael McIntyre takes his camera everywhere so he can record the runs.
Yes, another photo of Johnno and Charlie.
And an updated time table, showing that Aub and Doug managed to knock of Johnno and Charlie's fastest time of the day by 15 minutes, posting a super quick 6.29 to send Don't Panic away at 2.30. Let's hope they make it out of Lady Barron unscathed - I don't think their patience could take much more.
What an amazing job for a guy with a torn calf muscle! If it holds up these guys could really look the goods for King of the Mountains.
John Cannell from visitflindersisland checks in with his support crew at base camp. Allan Hood and Mal Grimmett make it back to Lady Barron in second place.
Johnno Claridge and Charles Gunn post the day's fastest time.
Fantastic effort by our sole female competitor Jacqui Guy and her partner Michael McIntyre, of Team Whistler, who just left Lady Barron at 1.35pm, that's a run of 7.15 - even quicker than Allan and Mal from Deguello. It's not hard to see just how many miles they have been putting in in training. Great to see the smaller boat getting ahead of the two much bigger competitors in its division too.
There is still an issue with the automatic tracker unit on Westbury Mersey Pharmacy and as a result her position on the tracking page is not always correct. At this point in time she is leading the fleet out of Lady Barron heading for Coles Bay in fresh easterly winds.
With a flap of sails and a grind of winches Haphazard is away, after Johnno and Charlie happily posted the quickest time of the day so far - six hours 42 minutes. Just six minutes quicker than Tim and Jim but a fantastic run! That's a PB of one hour for Johnno in his seventh race and obviously a PB for first-timer Charlie, who said he was a bit sore, but was still smiling :) Next runners should be Whistler but they're probably a couple of hours away.
Thanks Tricia, who is obviously more on the ball than I am, if you click on the above graph you can read it! This is the updated version after the first runners - WMP's Tim and Jim - arrived back at Lady Barron. Good run of 6.48 guys. They're off and away already and we are anticipating Haphazard's runners any minute.
Don't Panic has made it to the jetty to stop their sailing time; meanwhile their runners, who were taken to shore in a runabout early this morning, set a blistering time up and down the mountain of 1hr29 - equal fastest with Haphazard's runners. Aub's torn calf must be holding up well.
Community Carbon's runners made the summit at 11.15am. The mountain marshall repeated by radio that "one of the runners was a bit fatigued" - I'm sorry I still don't know which one though.
Peccadillo has made it to Lady Barron by refloating itself using a kedge.
I have made the above table to help keep people up to date on the runners times/locations but can anyone help me - I don't know how to upload it big enough to read!
Peccadillo's runners Gareth Parker and Karl Miller, both from NSW, were brought ashore and started their run at 8.33am, going clockwise. Summit times for Whistler 10.10am and visitflinders 10.53am. They reported that the runners from Community Carbon were not far away. Still waiting on the two boats aground and Wildfire and Carey Hire still sailing. Forecast for sail down to Coles Bay looking better: still on the nose but about 15 knots. Should suit Haphazard, the boys did blow out their big asymmetric last night but were happy with their run across.
In response to blogger ST - Community Carbon went clockwise and they were looking strong and fresh at the base. I'm not sure which was sick because I don't know which is which! It was the taller of the two I think - is that Travis?
Base times for Whistler 9.08am Community Carbon 9.24am and VisitFlindersIsland 9.39am. Return times for Deguello 9am (1hr43) Haphazard 9.33 (1hr29) and WMP 9.36 (1hr42). WMP took the coastal route first so although it does look like they have been caught, they have run slightly further. Sun has disappeared so a nice cool day for our runners. Locals doing a fantastic job as support crew!
Travis and Stuart from Community Carbon reached base camp at a walking pace at 9.25. Said they are loving their first Three Peaks... kind of. But they haven't had to use the map yet.
At base camp there is a cool southerly blowing... Deguello's Alan and Mal have made it to the top and back down, setting out on the return trek at 9am. Haphazard's Johnno and Charlie pulled out 35 minutes on Tim and Jim from Westbury-Mersey, following them up the mountain five minutes behind and reaching the summit just one minute behind at 8.55am. Very patchy coverage out here. Jacqui and Michael on their way up now and 2 other teams en route to the mountain via the road. Road is long straight stretches of white gravel, "mind numbing" according to Jacqui. Coastal route is undulating with lots of roots.
Peccadillo has just radioed in to report that it has run aground off Adelaide Bay and is requesting a runabout to collect its runners. Aub and Doug from Don't Panic have left race control and their sailors have hoisted the spinnaker in an attempt to float off the bottom. Tide is going out.
A boat has been despatched to collect Aub and Doug from Don't Panic... I stand corrected - they are not in exactly the same place as last year, they are in the same place Elphinstone ran aground last year. We have just watched a lovely sunrise at Lady Barron and after egg & bacon and coffee, feeling ready to go and chase some runners around the island.
Big cheers for the local boat VisitFlindersIsland.com.au, which has just arrived at Lady Barron. I think the runners' departure will signal time to test the local egg and bacon sandwiches once again. Runners John Wilson and John Cannell are running up to race control. Another boat is in sight in the sound.
Haphazard's Johnno and Charlie have just set out, following Allan and Mal on the road first. They're about 1 hour 15 behind the first crew and 45 minutes behind second-placed Tim and Jim (who they will pass going the opposite direction at some stage). First-timer Charlie looked nervous but Johnno looked like an old hand (race number 7 - first time he has gone anticlockwise though). Said the trip was quite rough but they weren't sick. Community Carbon has just docked at the jetty - as predicted a close race.
More technical issues, blog playing up so sorry that last post was a bit delayed. Haphazard runners left at 6am shortly followed by Community Carbon's Stuart jacobson and Travis Tremayne. Team Whistler ran in literally as Stuart and Travis were leaving. Some bumpy conditions caused by easterly breezes and an outgoing tide have caused a bit of sickness amongst the runners, hitting one from Community Carbon and also Michael McIntyre from Team Whistler. Jacqui has set off with her lucky 12-year-old mocha flavoured powerbar as her emergency ration - it's lasted through 11 races so far so she's not game to replace it with something within its use-by date. Whistler's crew are off to finish the shepherd's pie, pack up the boat then head to the pub for a few rounds of 8-ball.
Jim and Tim from Terry's Westbury-Mersey have just set off clockwise, about half an hour behind the first crew. They had a rough crossing, "chucking their guts up". Not a good way to start the run!
Terry said he didn't know the boys were sick, but suggested a give-away could have been when Tim said: I can't wait to get off this %^*($& boat!
Deguello arrived first at about 4.45am; Allan and Mal have set off anti-clockwise around the island. They seem to have had a restful trip across despite the crew dealing with a "stuck centreboard".
Technology! Our live web tracking of the race competitors appears to have suffered its first minor glitch with Westbury Mersey Pharmacy having not moved since 8pm last night! A simple reset of the hardware should result in a warp factor update of their position. It can be reported that Westbury Mersey Pharmacy is indeed inside Franklin Sound on the approaches to Lady Barron.
And for those interested, plenty of other stuff goes into those packs too - about 4 kilos in all, plus water. Water is provided around the Mt Strzelecki run and if the day-trippers don't get to it first, at Freycinet. There is also a base camp at Mt Strz where volunteers provide tea, coffee, milo, bananas, chocolate and more to the runners. Some lucky crews have a set of locals who follow them around the island on everything from utes to four-wheel motorbikes offering them food and drink every few k's - and Flinders Islanders are renowned for their hospitality, so this is no small feat. Ady Lees provides support to Charlie and Johnno (above) and brings a moveable feast (literally) in the tray of his ute. This includes quiches, sandwiches, cake, slice, biccies and even a basin and cloth for them to wash themselves! Unfortunately for Tristan, Johnno's partner last year, the buffet didn't include bundy or cigarettes.
A blogger who shall remain anonymous, and is not in any way related to the Haphazard crew, has asked what the runners carry in their packs... well here's the evidence. Kerry Finch MLC holds a pair of lacy's that he did not bring along to the wharf himself... these were found in the packs of Haphazard runners John Claridge and Charles Gunn during their pack demonstration yesterday.
Good morning! At the 4am sked we have five boats in Franklin Sound (entrance to Lady Barron), about five miles apart. Leading is Deguello from Westbury-Mersey Pharmacy and Haphazard together and then Team Whistler. W-M P's yacht tracker is not updating for some reason - sorry for technical issue!
The Hydro Tasmania Three Peaks Race is a non-stop four day sailing and endurance mountain running event conducted around the eastern half of Tasmania - Australia's island state.
The race starts at 2pm on Good Friday 22nd April 2011.
It's The Ultimate Endurance Challenge.
