Monday, May 28, 2007
Between Heaven and Hell
27 May, 2000hrs GMT – Loch Morar
Buff/lakedistrictoutdoors.co.uk had a harrowing opening stage to their ARWC 2007 campaign. Using relatively tippy downriver racing doubles with a pole between the both of them, they attempted their journey from Rum to the mainland as a makeshift catamaran. The Buff racers were reasonable paddlers, but the boats they chose were clearly unsuited to the open water conditions they were facing. As soon as the stabilizing pole linking their craft together snapped, Buff was left fighting to stay upright in the freshening choppy conditions. Officials came to the aid of the distressed team, which faced the ignominy of being the only squad to be made unranked within sight of the start line.
After Buff were plucked from the waters off the Isle of Rum, they were whisked by fishing boat to the Inverie (TA1), start of the arduous trek through the Noydart region. As luck would have it, the main feature of Inverie was the local food and beverage joint. Buff was unranked as a result of their sea-borne misadventure, but was allowed to continue on the rest of the full course. They would be let loose only after the four leadings teams has passed TA1.
Interestingly enough, Noydart is situated between Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn. With ‘Nevis’ translated as ‘heaven’ and ‘Hourn’ translated as ‘hell’ respectively in Scottish, Buff had literally gone from a hellish start, to a brief period of utter bliss languishing in the warmth of the pub, surrounded by food and drink. And it would soon face the ordeal of hitting the race trail once more - in the middle of the night, with a high northerly wind blowing and several top teams breathing down its neck – before reaching the next transition 44km away. Buff’s altercation between pleasure and pain would continue amidst the ranges of Noydart, widely considered as the most remote peaks of the British Isles.
Buff/lakedistrictoutdoors.co.uk had a harrowing opening stage to their ARWC 2007 campaign. Using relatively tippy downriver racing doubles with a pole between the both of them, they attempted their journey from Rum to the mainland as a makeshift catamaran. The Buff racers were reasonable paddlers, but the boats they chose were clearly unsuited to the open water conditions they were facing. As soon as the stabilizing pole linking their craft together snapped, Buff was left fighting to stay upright in the freshening choppy conditions. Officials came to the aid of the distressed team, which faced the ignominy of being the only squad to be made unranked within sight of the start line.
After Buff were plucked from the waters off the Isle of Rum, they were whisked by fishing boat to the Inverie (TA1), start of the arduous trek through the Noydart region. As luck would have it, the main feature of Inverie was the local food and beverage joint. Buff was unranked as a result of their sea-borne misadventure, but was allowed to continue on the rest of the full course. They would be let loose only after the four leadings teams has passed TA1.
Interestingly enough, Noydart is situated between Loch Nevis and Loch Hourn. With ‘Nevis’ translated as ‘heaven’ and ‘Hourn’ translated as ‘hell’ respectively in Scottish, Buff had literally gone from a hellish start, to a brief period of utter bliss languishing in the warmth of the pub, surrounded by food and drink. And it would soon face the ordeal of hitting the race trail once more - in the middle of the night, with a high northerly wind blowing and several top teams breathing down its neck – before reaching the next transition 44km away. Buff’s altercation between pleasure and pain would continue amidst the ranges of Noydart, widely considered as the most remote peaks of the British Isles.
