It is a race like absolutely no other. Competing yachts arrive at the start line towing a dinghy. And they don't just have to sail the course, they have to drop off crew to row and then run ashore and collect a drink - and a token to prove they have been there - at no less than seven riverside watering holes along the Stour and Orwell estuaries. They must run back from the pub, row frantically back to the boat, and carry on to the next stop.
The race starts at Levington and ends in Ipswich, and it is up to each boat to decide which order it will visit the various pubs and clubs. The course is approximately 15 miles.
This being the East Coast, and most of the race run on a falling tide, there was plenty of mud, and the occasional swimmer, to add to the fun. But the Fox's YC Two Rivers Race has such a loyal following that when it disappeared from the summer calendar a few years ago, a strong campaign was launched for its reinstatement.
Now well sponsored by Fox's Marina at Ipswich, with 100 guineas to the winner's club, and Fox's Chandlery vouchers for £50, £30 and £20 to the first three finishers, the race is keenly contested, with crews practising their rowing, running (and drinking, presumably) as well as their sail handling in preparation for the event.
There were ten starters on Saturday, and they faced a demanding challenge, with a stiff southerly breeze that proved equally testing under sail and oar: two of the pit stops were lee shores that tested the rowers, to say the least.
This is a pursuit race, with boats starting at intervals according to their expected performance, and the first to cross the finish line the winner. This makes for a very exciting climax, but it gives the handicappers a headache, because it is impossible to predict the relative performance of the rowers and runners.
In the event there was only three minutes between the first two finishers, and a nail biting three seconds between the third and fourth placed boats. And there were several hard luck stories from others close behind, who took the lead for a time and then lost it due to a botched pick up, or a spinnaker flying from the masthead like a giant burgee…..
Race officer Sarah Jane Cook is keen to point out that the race is much more than a water-borne pub crawl. “It is not just a fun race. It is a race where you have to have a great deal of seamanship,” she said. “It involves everything. You have to be able to drop your dinghy off safely and pick up your crew, take account of the tide and sail a proper course. It is actually quite a skilful event.”
So congratulations to Phil Standing in the Achilles 24 Catherine S, who won the 100 guineas for the Orwell Yacht Club, closely followed by Adie Gilson in his Javelin 30, St Anthony. Murray Oliver, skippering his first race in his Trintella 29 Sirius of Avon, was a very happy third.
After a long and tiring day on the water, the competitors gathered for a barbecue at the club to relive their adventures and collect their trophies. There were special prizes for the best pick up of the day, the most tolerant crew, the one who failed to read the sailing instructions correctly and ended up in the wrong pub(s) in Harwich, and other performances noteworthy for one reason or another.
“Serious” cruiser racing fleets are tending to decline, not least because of the enormous expense involved. Could more fun-but-challenging events like the Two Rivers Race help to tempt more people to have a go? It was great to see three “vintage” craft holding off the challenge of more modern racers and cruisers alike. The whole event is a triumphant antidote to “cheque book sailing.”
Expect to see more people lining up for next year's Two Rivers Race. Sarah Jane says the date will be announced just as soon as she lays hands on next year's tide tables….
