The focus at the moment is on getting well rested, getting the kit together and most of all getting psyched for it. We are having nervous glances at the weather forecast. It looks like we'll be getting some light winds. This should make the seas quite kind for us runners (fingers crossed), but we don't know how well Lightning Reflex will respond. One of my worries is that we'll have to do quite a bit of rowing at times to make up for the lack of winds.
So, what of our preparation for the race? I think we've been doing pretty well. We've won three races together as a team: Wuthering Hike (pairs event), Calderdale Hike and Castles and Islands Challenge (in slightly unusual circumstances described in a previous post). We've had good detailed recces of the Snowdon and Scafell Pike legs and I'm pretty sure that I'll have the navigation wired this year. We've been out doing quite a bit of sailing (the Nab Tower race in Lightning Reflex and the Castles and Islands Challenge) and seem to be able to handle that side of things.
The Three Peaks Yacht Race isn't just about preparation though: you have to ride your luck. We didn't do this in 2008: we lost the race ten times over with little things that went wrong. Hopefully we will be attuned to these problems and avoid them this year (for one, I shall be more careful on my Snowdon navigation and I've got some much warmer sleeping kit).
It's time to get nervous. I think we're running well. I'd like a different result to last time. I guess we've just got to go for it and give it our best shot. I'm looking forward to it: it's a great race. I just need to get some sleep now!
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The race is being tracked on www.sleepmonsters.co.uk and www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk. Team Vasque are racing with EADS Innovation Works.
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