Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 28th May 2007

It is often considered too difficult to put one's mind to recruiting a team for the Three Peaks Race. To help you overcome some of the perceived difficulties we have listed many of the areas potential competitors view as being "too hard to overcome". Answers to many of the often asked questions are listed here.

Our aim is to demonstrate that the race is definitely possible for you to do. Further, don't necessarily take our word for the topics mentioned but check for yourself with past competitors how they have successfully competed in the event. Yes, we can give you contact numbers for past competitors too!

New questions and answers are being regularly added to assist you.

What's it all about?
Our aim is to stage an event that is challenging yet safe, affordable and enjoyable, providing maximum opportunities for families to be involved and for all participants to socialise and develop camaraderie.

What is the entry fee?
The entry fee is $75.00 per team member. The same entry fee applies regardless of the division you enter and regardless of the sponsorship you have for your team.

What type of boats enter?
The fleet includes a real mix of yachts including racing monohulls and multihulls, cruiser-racers, cruisers and some large schooners and ketches. Sizes range from 8.5 metres length overall to more than 20 metres.

Team entries are accepted after they satisfactorily complete the safety and other requirements that accompany their entry form.

Is there a limit to the number of race entries?
The committee did consider reducing the current limit of a maximum of 40 teams accepted for the race. The largest number of entries was 30 teams and this number was handled well, particularly at the ports that could pose some difficulties, Beauty Point, Lady Barron and Coles Bay.

What options do I have for entering the race?
There are four divisions for entries in the race.

The Main Division suits boats keen to sail the entire distance, although pedal power and/or oars are allowed for assistance if the wind dies.

The Cruising Division is a great entry level option allowing boats to motor for limited distances. These distances are allocated before the race and are based on expected weather conditions. This enables boats in this division to keep up with any quicker boats if the wind eases or to motor against currents in Franklin Sound or the canal at Dunalley. There are penalty points for used motoring miles. The Cruising Division also allows crews greater than five to compete although they incur a time penalty against the teams of five.

The Fully Crewed Racing Division was new for 2003 and allows for yachts that carry their full normal offshore racing crew plus two runners. This Division is also a great entry level option to see how the race is run with some of the options available to the main race not being allowed. Teams must use prescribed navigational channels at Flinders Island and are not permitted to use the Denison Canal.

The Classic Division is designed for large cruising/commercial boats that can carry as many family, crew or paying passengers as desired and who may choose to motor the entire distance. These boats carry runners who compete under the same rules as runners in the other divisions. It's a great way to spend Easter travelling Tasmania's most scenic waterways and still be a part of this great race.

What type of crew do I need?
Except for the Cruising, Fully Crewed Racing and Classics Divisions, crew numbers are limited to five people. At least two of these need to be good runners with the other three being good yachties.  It is handy if at least one of the yachties can run should a runner be unable to continue.

Once the runners have completed their first run, they tend to eat and sleep, so the sailing crew is reduced to three.

To prevent tiredness a watch system of two hours on and four hours off works well in most conditions. This means that there is usually only the one person on deck for much of the time. It's therefore a good idea to have three sailors who are familiar with all aspects of sailing including helming, trimming, navigating and using the radio. Naturally, if GPS waypoints are set up before the race, navigation is a breeze.

Is pedal power necessary on the yacht?
No. In this last race there were four yachts fitted with pedal power and oars, three with oars only and the remainder chose not to fit either. It is debatable if the time and effort in constructing pedal power devices is worthwhile. Many races have had sufficient breeze at all times to make pedal power or oars unnecessary.

Certainly pedal power or oars can assist particularly in very light conditions and some teams have done very well in gaining ground coming into Lady Barron and Coles Bay. The Denison Canal is another place where a propulsion system can assist if the breezes are light but a crew will find it too difficult to pedal or row against any adverse tide or breeze in the canal.

Do all five crew have to run the mountains?
No. It is usual for the 5 person crew to consist of 3 sailors and 2 runners. It can be valuable to have in your team one sailor able to run should a runner not be able to run all three mountains.

What equipment do runners have to take?
Each runner must take essential safety equipment in a backpack. As runners can be on mountains in all weather and in daylight or dark it is an essential safety requirement that each runner is well equipped. Click here to see the checklist for this equipment.

How much of a challenge is the race?
The sailing component of the race is 335 nautical miles divided into three legs of 90, 145 and 100 miles. The crew has a chance to relax and socialise at the end of each leg while the runners do their stuff.

Weather patterns in March/April are usually settled, but changes can occur at any time. The most exposed part of the race, across Bass Strait, is usually covered in 12 to 18 hours. Prevailing winds are westerly, so reaching and running conditions can be expected most of the time.

Runners face a tough challenge with the equivalent of three marathons run over three days. Runners need to be fit and well prepared. Many have done the race several times, and there is usually more runners available than boats to take them.

Easter
The Race starts on Good Friday each year, the start dates for the next three races being as follows:
21 March 2008
10 April 2009
2 April 2010
22 April 2011
6 April 2012
29 March 2013
18 April 2014

What happens if more than two persons have run during the race?
To win the "Kings of the Mountains Trophy" the same two runners must run all three mountains. If the running is shared by more than the two specialist runners then the team will gain more points towards the "Tilman Trophy". This is why some teams choose to send 3, 4 or 5 runners on the last mountain to gain more Tilman points. Two runners only can be used at a time on the first two mountains.

I have a yacht but how do I find runners (or sailors) to join my team?
The race committee maintains a list of runners (Crew Register) who are seeking to join yacht owners in a team. The Race organisation is regularly asked by runners where can they find a team to join. Should the list of available runners run short it is still easy to find runners by using the many running contacts available to the committee. Ask the Race Committee for assistance.

Experienced Three Peaks sailors can also be found should a team be short in number. Email the Race Office for names of runners and sailors.

The Fully Crewed Division
Introduced for the first time in the 2003 race, the Fully Crewed Division allows yachts to carry their full complement of crew and two runners. Yachts race under a performance handicap system calculated by the Race Committee. This Division takes out some of the perceived difficulties that the Main Race Division can face. A prescribed sailing course is set for Flinders Island waters, yachts are not allowed to use the Denison Canal at Dunalley and they must sail around Tasman Island.
Further details.

Navigating Franklin Sound at Flinders Island
We all know how the news media love a drama and will quickly focus on someone's misfortune. What they fail to mention is that most competitors every year compete without undue difficulty through reasonable and careful planning. So it is with Three Peaks racing.

For many the thought of navigating Franklin Sound to reach Lady Barron at Flinders Island appears too difficult especially at night. Have these people checked on the course that many competitors making the headlines choose to take? Probably not. Short cuts regularly taken by some teams are fine with care being exercised but there are regular navigational channels that are not much further to travel. Teams in the Fully Crewed Racing Division must take these navigational channels and they are also permitted to use their engines when negotiating these channels. This requirement allows yachts that have a considerable draft to arrive at and leave Lady Barron quite easily. Of course, wherever you are on the water due care must always be taken.

To navigate Franklin Sound the Race Committee can provide precise GPS latitudes and longitudes for numerous waypoints on the course. Maps have now been produced to show these waypoints. There is also an alternative course. By taking the charted navigation channels yachts will not be faced with the shallow water that those taking some of the short-cuts. For a time cost of about 40 minutes take the accepted channels and avoid the anxiety. Leave that until such time as you have more confidence.

Past competitors will make available their "mud maps" to assist new competitors with alternative short-cut courses. The competition is keen even though you will find that a significant co-operative spirit between competitors that marks the Three Peaks Race as being so different compared with many other events.

What course do I take at Flinders Island through Franklin Sound?
Navigation has been made much easier since the advent of GPS.  While care should be taken in navigating wherever you are in coastal waters there are good publications with chart assisting the navigator.  Some of these charts have been reproduced for Franklin Sound with the kind permission of J Brettingham-Moore who has published a number of popular books on Tasmanian coastal waters such as "Cruising Tasmania".

There are a number of ways to take to reach Lady Barron. The most used route taken by Three Peaks competitors in the past has been the northern route approaching from the west and then to sail between Little Dog and Great Dog Islands to Lady Barron. Care must be taken due to the strong tidal flows and the narrow channels. In taking this route for the first time, navigators are advised to at discuss the area with local fishermen, previous competitors or take time to examine the area prior to the race.

Maps from "Cruising Tasmania" with published waypoints.
Entering Franklin Sound from the west.
Course between the Dog islands and alternative course.
Approaches to Lady Barron.

Can a Team obtain support for runners at Flinders Island?
Race officials at Flinders Island are pleased to provide support for teams who do not have any of their own. The support crew will take water or your special drinks to pre-determined points along the race course to Mt Strzelecki and return. To organise support for your team advise the Race Director or the Beauty Point officials at the pre-race check-in.

Do I need a Support Crew?
Many teams choose not to have a support crew for the runners, the decision is entirely yours. The advantage of a support crew is that water or pre-mixed sports drinks the runners want can be carried to pre-arranged points along running tracks.

While the support crews mainly focus on the runners well-being in terms of drinks they can also focus some attention to the benefit of the sailors while they are in port waiting on their runners return.

Why are runners in the Classics Division not competing against runners in the other divisions?
Because the Classics Division vessels quite unlike the yachts in the Main and Cruising Divisions in terms of comfort, the number of crew allowed, the likelihood of the runners not being required to assist in the running of the vessel, it would be unfair for the other runners to compete against the Classics Division runners.  The Classics Division runners are are more likely to have better on-board support such as hot showers, hot meals and better bunks.

Advice for Runners
Download this PDF document for worthwhile advice for runners. Written by Dan Dwyer from the University of Tasmania, the document addresses many of the most important issues a long distance runner should consider.