Hilbre Island Race - 1st October 2011

This was the first time Liverpool Canoe Club had organised this race, so it was not widely advertised to keep numbers under control and to see how it goes.

The race started and finished at the public slipway at the south end of the marine lake at West Kirby. There were two options on race length, either a shorter 4km race around Little Eye and back, and a long race of 8km going around all the islands and back to the start.

Conditions were somewhere between slightly choppy and calm, with a southerly breeze. I was averaging over 10kph on the outward leg and more like 8-9kph on the return upwind leg.

There were 21 starters in the main single kayak class of the longer race, and I came in first in a time of 51:48.

The 3rd boat back was a canadian canoe paddled by a team of two. They looked pretty impressive and I later found out they are world marathon "masters" champions!

Preparing for the start