Up 3 Creeks with Several Paddles
The 3 Creeks Race, organised by the Yealm Yacht Club, is a down-sized and somewhat more chilled version of the 3 Peaks Yacht Race. Teams of 4 or 5 take part in a combination of running and sailing over 2 days from Dartmouth to the Yealm. Each of the running legs must be completed by at least two of the team. Transitions from the boat to the shore must be self-propelled. And paddling/rowing is permitted on the sailing leg in the absence of sufficient wind! Saturday night is spent on a mooring buoy in Salcombe Harbour with a social event organised ashore.
This year's event was held over the weekend of 16/17 May with generally bright weather but a rather cold westerly F3 to F4 - so thankfully no rowing needed. This was the second time I had entered with our boat Peccadilllo (a Sun Odyssey 36i) having previously competed in 2024. This year's team included 3 from 2024 plus a couple of newbies:
- Rob - a very experienced cruiser/racer friend from whom I have mainly learnt that owning a big boat means as much (or more) time maintaining and fixing things as it does sailing (he declined to run)
- Simon - a (now ex-) colleague and also experienced racer from Poole YC (he also declined to run although was very happy to row the runners ashore)
- Ben - also an ex-colleague with a significant age advantage over most of us and a bit of a racing snake (definitely a runner and not a sailor as we found out on the passage down)
- Mike - the veteran of the team but also happens to be an ultra runner with age group wins in the Lakeland 100 (unsurprisingly also on the running team)
- Gareth (me) - boat owner and some time runner but pleading an Achilles injury this year sadly.
I also persuaded a fellow CCSC team to enter with Sea Terrier (a Contessa 28). I did try to explain to them what they were letting themselves in for, but may have left a few details out so as not to discourage them!
Thursday (preparation)
After a slightly emotional day on Wednesday, having finished work for a senior gap year or 20 (trying to avoid the "R" word), Thursday was spent shopping and preparing the boat for the passage from Portland to Dartmouth. It's surprising how much food you need to supply for a team of 5 for 4 days.
Friday (heading west)
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| Inshore passage at Portland Bill heading west |
My log records a fairly uneventful passage, rounding the Bill just after slack tide, sailing until about 4 pm when we decided that with the wind becoming more on the nose, some assistance was necessary from the engine to avoid too late an arrival.
I'd managed to book a "free" night at Premier's Noss on Dart marina (as an annual berth holder at Weymouth). With the tide ebbing strongly past the pontoons, we were very grateful for the member of staff who came down to catch our lines. Thankfully we avoided any contact with the rather expensive looking neighbours.
We were all tied up by 8.30 pm with just time to warm up the pre-cooked curry for tea, have a small beer and discuss the plans for the morning. All credit to Ben, who recovered remarkably well from a couple of queasy periods with his head over the lower rail and managed to refuel for the next day's running. A brief call with our other CCSC team confirmed that they had also arrived, albeit in the early hours of Friday morning. Strong-ish winds had delayed their planned early departure on Thursday and dictated a longer offshore passage.
Saturday (Race Day 1)
An early rise was worth it to ensure time for a shower in definitely the poshest washrooms I have experienced so far in my relatively short cruising career. After breakfast, the whole team wandered down to the race briefing at the Dartmouth Yacht Club. Race numbers issued and kit checked, the runners headed off to catch the Kingswear ferry for their first leg - approximately 11 km with 580 m of ascent - taking them inland behind the prominent Day Mark and returning on the coast path via Outer and Inner Froward Points.
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| Run1: Kingswear to Inner Froward Point |
Meanwhile, the sailors returned to Noss and after a quick play lowering the boat off the finger jetty (no collisions), brought Peccadillo downstream to tie up at Kingswear, inflate the dinghy for later use and await the return of the runners.
Although tracking their progress, we were somewhat caught out when they were first back, having reported that they thought they were 3rd. It transpired later that some of the other runners added a few extra km to their route for no apparent reason. We were, therefore, the first boat to depart from the pontoon and motor out to the sailing start line at the entrance to the harbour. Closely followed by some of the other boats, there was only one way to go from such giddy heights!
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| Hard to keep pace with the cats! |
After much debate the previous day about which way to go round the Skerries bank, our route was more or less dictated by the wind - there seemed little point tacking to come inshore and it looked like no one else was considering it. Unsurprisingly, we were gradually overhauled by the two catamarans (Easy Tiger and Belladonna).
Approaching Salcombe, we failed to heed our own advice about it being better to sail higher than have to regain it later. We decided we could foot off a little and still make it to the finish line. Even watching Moonstorm overtake to windward didn't prompt a rethink. Only when the inevitable flukey winds in the approach to the entrance dictated that we tack several times before we crossed the sailing finish line did it belatedly click! After too long, we were able to motor over the Salcombe Bar into South Sands - a 17 nautical mile sail in just under 3 hours.
A relatively efficient deployment of the tender, a short row ashore and the runners were off for their second leg stretch - 11.7 km and 460 m ascent.
It would be rude not to report that a short while later, Sea Terrier anchored up nearby, but were unable to inflate their tender due to not having the correct adaptor. We figured we'd do the sporting thing and lend them ours so that their runners could get ashore!
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| Selfie evidence for Run 1 |
We were 4th overnight (out of 7) but allegedly very close with all to play for - read still only one way to go!
Sunday (Race Day 2)
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| Early morning Salcombe sunrise |
A very peaceful night was spent on the mooring with a beautiful morning ensuing. A welcome cooked breakfast was consumed before recovering our tender from Sea Terrier and heading down river for the "Le Mans style" beach start to Day 2's excitement.
Simon and I headed ashore with the dinghy to await the starting gun, then ran down the beach (maybe as much as 50 m) and paddled out to the boat. After acquiring an adaptor from another kind competitor, Sea Terrier showed their gratitude for the loan of our tender the previous day by helpfully pushing us back to the beach at one point. Cries of "protest" went unheard - or at least unheeded.
Roughly 15 miles and 3 1/4 hours later, we approached the Yealm with an increasing wind, the tide at its lowest, and knowing that the entrance channel is disconcertingly narrow. To compound things, we had to avoid a dive boat just outside the entrance, and lost a shackle on the kicker as we gybed just before the finish! Seeing 0.2 m under the keel on the depth gauge as we proceeded to Cellar beach was a little disconcerting, but from my perspective, the skipper remained calm at all times with only minimal shouting...the team are permitted alternative views!
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| Run 3: Cellar Beach to YYC |
With the runners ashore, we proceeded to the visitors' pontoon and waited there to help Sea Terrier who had had a storming run over the last few miles. By the time we had made it to the Harbour Master's office, registered and walked to the YYC, our runners had long since finished the last run - another 11.75 km and 285 m of ascent.
After some deliberation the organisers decreed that we had dropped a place to 5th overall. Sadly, it would appear that the sailors let the runners down as they were 2nd on the combined running and transition time. Congratulations to the winners - Contessa Annabel.
Another cheer was raised for Sea Terrier, who were awarded a well-deserved special prize for being the smallest boat that had travelled the furthest.
With beer and food from the YYC duly consumed, it was back to the boat for a planned 0430 reveille - except for Ben who decided that a taxi and train home was preferable to extended views over the leeward rail on the return passage. In hindsight, probably a wise move!
Monday (returning east)
The forecast westerly Force 4 to 5 backing south-westerly turned out to be accurate and almost perfect for what is quite a long sail back to Portland. 70 miles to the Bill in 12 hours averaging just under 6 knots...a reasonably quick passage that delivered us back in good time for the 8 pm bridge lift and a rapid departure with boat cleaning postponed to the following day (thank you Mike)!
Some reflections
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| Sea Terrier showing true Corinthian Spirit |
Firstly, thanks to the Yealm YC team for organising a cracking weekend again. We do appreciate the hard work that goes in behind the scenes to make these events happen. Also thanks to my team for indulging my whims and joining in with the spirit of the event!
It was great to have some CCSC company this year. I think Sea Terrier's crew enjoyed most of the weekend? Maybe we can encourage a few more from the club (or even Poole YC Simon) to join in next time?
I'm not sure my 1.5 m shoal keel helps when we are close-hauled and the wind picks up. Perhaps we can try Rob's Bavaria 38 next time, although I suspect he may not be so keen on the entrance to the Yealm with his 2.2 m keel - I'm pretty sure it's only sand though!
I keep idly wondering about a "Dorset 3 Peaks Yacht Race" or maybe a "Dorset 3 Rocks Yacht Race" - Old Harry, Durdle Door and Portland - from Poole YC to CCSC? Food for thought with all the extra time I now have.
And apparently the full 3 Peaks Yacht Race is running again next year - anyone up for it?
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