Shrewsbury team are victorious in this year's Scottish Islands Peaks Race

With stories of last year’s battle with the dreaded mal de mer ringing in their ears, this year’s ‘Peaks Race Team’ of six were full of trepidation as we set off on the long drive north to Oban. Yet all the talk at race briefing was about the lack of wind, of the need to row, and a possible Monday or even Tuesday finish… For the school teams this was not the news we wanted! Sailing is a tricky sport to predict however; we would just have to see how it all panned out.

At midday on Friday 19 May, Tim S (I, LVI) and Hamish G (PH, LVI) were our pair on the start line, ready to run the 4.5 mile hilly loop in this, the fortieth anniversary of the race. Thirty minutes later they were witnessed bombing along the final straight, forcing on their lifejackets and paddling furiously out into the bay to be greeted with wild abandon by the rest of the team aboard Gertha V. This was our sleek, Swan 46 that had so gamely housed a Shrewsbury team in the British Three Peaks Yacht Race the previous summer. Little did our sailors, Simon and Malcolm realise then that they would be persuaded to leave the boat in Scotland for this next mad cap adventure! For now, though they must have been delighted with this quixotic decision as we bounded out into the Firth of Lorn with a decent wind, bright sunshine and a spot right up at the front of the fleet.

Tacking up the Sound of Mull, it was now the turn of our next pair, Ellie L-L (MSH, LVI) and Rosie M (EDH, LVI) (with Adult Runner and OS, Oscar Dickins) to ensure they were fuelled and focused for the 19 mile odyssey that awaited them on Mull: Bein Taliadh. By 5.30pm, the dinghy was hoisted over the side, we clambered desperately in and paddled ashore for the compulsory five-minute kit check. Always a nerve-wracking experience (failure means a return to the yacht to collect the forgotten item), the girls soon emerged from the tent and were off on their way into the wild heart of the island.

Salen Bay often feels like the calm before the storm; it’s important for the rest of the team to cook a hearty meal, play some cards and generally rest up. And yet the YB Races tracker app was telling us that Ellie and Rosie had somehow overtaken the Glenalmond boys’ pair near the summit. There was a palpable sense of excitement back ashore amongst the marshals as we waited to see if this extraordinary feat was true. After 4hrs 27mins, through the ethereal mist, fading darkness and midge clouds, Team Shrewsbury emerged in a state of sheer delirium. Indeed, such was their euphoria that they charged straight into to the sea to wash muddy legs, momentarily oblivious to the need to be back on Gertha as soon as possible! Back aboard, Archie T (Rt, LVI) soon became king of the galley as he served our runners some thoroughly deserved hot food. The wind had now (11pm) almost completely died and so digestion and sleep were easy as we took the tide gently south into darkness.

By first light (4am at this time of year in Scotland), all the runners were still asleep, some even on the floor. As so often, it seemed to take forever to squeeze through the key tidal gate of Fladda, some of the lighter boats pushed ahead of us in the very light airs. Spirits rose though as the waft of bacon permeated through the cabin; possibly the only thing in the world that can force a teenager out of their bunk! By 3pm we had finally reached the picturesque village of Craighouse. Embraced by the stunning Paps to the west and lovely Small Isles to the east, the pupils had a chance to row ashore here and explore the only shop and hotel on the island. Yet for Archie T, Massimo W (PH, LVI) and myself, no such relaxation was to be had as we began our assault on the infamous slag heaps that are the Paps. Pounding along the seashore, the turquoise blue sea was somewhat incongruous, particularly as rain suddenly appeared, enough to make us don our waterproofs as we neared the first summit. Although only 14 miles, Jura has two mountains to climb and no path at all; the terrain is essentially a natural obstacle course of boulders, bogs, heather and streams. A savage descent off the final Pap saw our little trio realise we were on for a record Shrewsbury time (2hrs 20mins), ensuring that the final run in along the single track road resembled a particularly macabre SAS selection process.

Back aboard, we inched our way towards the races main hurdle; the mighty Mull of Kintyre. Although pleased to not be feeling seasick in this exposed section, a decision now had to be made over whether or not to use the engine. Glenalmond had long since lost patience with the lack of wind, but a quick call to Fettes confirmed the worst: we’d have to stow the oars and even the sails and motor for much of the rest of the race. This meant that to win the Youth Section, it would all come down to the running and it currently stood 1-1 between ourselves (Jura win) and Fettes (Mull win); all was to play for as after a final night at sea we finally arrived around midday on Sunday in Lamlash, Isle of Arran. Tim S and Hamish G, accompanied by Oscar, were hell bent on trying to beat the record for this leg that has held since 1998. Unfortunately, cramp on Goat Fell put paid to this by just four minutes, but the blistering time of 3hrs 44mins ensured that yet again Shrewsbury were winners of the Prince/Princesses of the Bens and as a result, Youth Section winners.

A proud team wolfed down some pizza with Bryan Adams’ ‘Summer of ‘69’ blasting out on the speaker as we completed the final lap across the Firth of Clyde and into Troon for a 7.30pm finish. After the briefest of celebrations, we were back on the minibus, arriving at 1am in Shrewsbury, ready for Period One that morning. What an adventure, it was truly, as Bryan sang: ‘the best days of our lives.’

Sam Griffiths

Ingram's Housemaster and Race Leader