39th Three Peaks Yacht Race Prize Giving

Three Peaks Yacht Race Prize Giving © Three Peaks Yacht Race

Three Peaks Yacht Race Prize Giving © Three Peaks Yacht Race

Three Peaks Yacht Race Prize Giving © Three Peaks Yacht Race

Three Peaks Yacht Race celebrates 2016 and looks forward to the 40th anniversary of this historic event

Under the shadow of Snowdon on what was officially the last day of summer, competitors from this year's race along with family, friends, organisers and dignitaries, gathered at the Celtic Royal Hotel in Caernarfon to celebrate their achievements in June. Along with many famous names associated with the race for decades, VIPs included Liz Saville-Roberts the current Parliamentary Minister for the region and the Edmund Bailey, who as the Lord Lieutenant of Merioneth is the Queen's representative in the region.

Proceedings were opened by Dr Rob Haworth the co-founder of the race, who addressed those present at the prize giving and explained how this now legendary event was conceived. In 1976 he struck upon the idea that it would be possible to set sail from Barmouth and climb the three highest peaks in the UK. With support from his practice partner, Dr Merfyn Jones, they decided to organise a race, a committee of volunteers was assembled and the rest is history!

One of the original committee members and Barmouth resident, was Major Harold William "Bill" Tilman CBE, an English mountaineer and explorer renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages. Major Tilman was a leading figure in the development of the race and a strong advocate of 'loose' rules. The race's most famous trophy, the Tilman Cup requires 4 of the 5 team members to run at least one mountain and is usually the focus for most competitors.

As with any race that has such a long, rich and varied history, the one thing that the race is certainly not short of, is trophies to compete for! The Barmouth Publicity Cup awarded to the overall winner (IRC Handicap + running) went to Pure Attitude skippered by Fergus McDonald. The Daily Telegraph Cup for the first team to finish went to the Pip Hare skippered team Aparito Digital Health and the much coveted Tilman Cup was won by Southampton University OTC skippered by George Jorgensen.

Three Peaks Yacht Race Prize Giving - photo © Three Peaks Yacht Race

The Kings of the Mountains and winners of The Damart Cup for the shortest aggregate time on all 3 mountains were Alex Pilkington & Pavel Paloncy from the Geoff West skippered Wight Rose crew, which was also the first yacht under 35 feet to finish and winner of The Honey Pot. Dee Caffari and her team on Sail 4 Cancer not only competed strongly on and off the water but also raised the largest sum for charity and were awarded the Karrimor Trophy for their efforts. For a full list of prize winners please visit www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk/results-2016.

Although a team of 5 is 'standard', in recent years some crews have entered with a team of 4 and the race committee are looking forward to welcoming back multihulls into the event to help celebrate the 40th anniversary. There are also rumours of teams looking to compete two handed although the race committee are yet to confirm this; 400 nautical miles and 3 mountain marathons in just over 3 or 4 days is a huge task with a full crew! For further information on the race itself, visit www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk and follow the event's Facebook and Twitter pages at www.facebook.com/ThreePeaksYachtRace and twitter.com/3peaksyacht.

Finally, the race management are very pleased to confirm that after a successful partnership in the build up to the 2016 race, Sophie Bubb will continue her role as the Marketing Manager for the 2017 Three Peaks Yacht Race. Sophie, a lifelong sailor, former Three Peaks Yacht Race IRC and Tilman Cup winner and one of the best amateur Ironman triathletes in the world, is uniquely qualified for this crucial role. She describes promoting such an iconic race as a dream job and is determined to get it back on every offshore sailors bucket list, and to introduce a few trail runners to a new sport!

Sophie will not only help build & support your team but will also share her passion for the race, it's idiosyncrasies and ultimately aims to ensure that as many people as possible can experience this historic and legendary event. If you are considering competing in 2017, either with you own team or looking to join forces with other adventurers, then get in touch with Sophie at 07525 043884. She is also actively seeking commercial partners for the race at a range of levels.