Colne Point and Three Piers Races
Marconi Sailing Club, Essex: Sunday June 30th, 2013
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The Three Piers/Colne Point Race is
the first of two long-distance races ideal for Catapult in the
south-east. It is hosted by the Marconi Club, and now a fixture in
the fast catamaran calendar. Paul Ellis is the local Catapult sailor
and regular competitor.
I did it in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and it was very interesting and enjoyable (see 2008 Report and 2009 Report and 2010 Report. The large fleet of bigger cats (60 odd) sails the Three Piers race (map below) up to Walton Pier For Catapults the course is shorter, 29 miles, with a mixed fleet (mainly Dart 16s and 18s, and Sprints last year) with some of the bigger boats electing to join the shorter course. It starts higher up the Estuary than the Club, off Osea Island (the first of the Piers) and runs down past the club with the tide, along the estuary until it crosses the wide mouth of the Colne Estuary to the Colne Point mark, and returns. It is effectively four legs with different characteristics. The big cats fleet sets off first, and are retuning from their longer course (up to Clacton and Walton Piers) by the time the Colne Point Race is returning. Their big fleet gives an exciting atmosphere on shore and on the water before they vanish up the coast Alastair |
