Rules (updated Dec ‘04)
- The event is usually held monthly on the second Sunday of the month. If a North West Hasler Race clashes the race will take place on the next available Sunday. Sign on 10.00 am; nominal start time is 10.30. The dates are published on the Calendar page of the website.
- The course is four miles from the milestone in Bollington to the milestone before Adlington wide (bridge 20) and back.
- At their first event, competitors will paddle a time-trial to get an initial handicap time. Thereafter, they will use their best time of the season to set their handicap (to the nearest minute). The course has a nominal time of 40 minutes; the difference of the competitor’s time from this will be used to set a start time.
- Example, time-trial/handicap time 35 minutes: start time +5 minutes.
- Time-trial/handicap time 43 minutes: , start time –3 minutes.
- All boats with the same handicap time will be started together.
- Normal BCU racing rules apply i.e.
- Buoyancy aids must be worn by all paddlers ranked in Divisions 9-7.
- You must stop to assist any paddlers in difficulty.
- Overtaking boats keep clear.
- Keep right.
- Start will be made with a call of: “Are you ready?: Go”
- All turns anticlockwise.
- Additionally, boats returning to Bollington after turning at bridge 20 have right of way over outgoing boats at narrow points and bridges.
- Entry will be by signing on prior to the start. List of paddlers with handicaps will be available at the start.
- If paddlers have retired or not paddled the race distance they are to inform the timekeeper.
- The timekeeper has the right to refuse entry to any paddler who they believe is not competent or adequately equipped. This does not relieve any paddler from their responsibility for their own safety.
- There will be an entry fee of one pound seniors and 50p Juniors. All monies to be used for prizes.
- TWO Prizes will be allocated:
- The best placed paddler across the season. Points will be awarded per finish order: one point for 1st, two points for 2nd etc. The three best race scores for each season will count for prizes.
- Best improver, based on improvement in time from a competitors initial handicap time across the season. [NB the organiser has discretion to ignore high initial times if these were the result of adverse circumstances (eg capsize; barges; etc)]
- There will be no separate prizes for Juniors
Results
2008 - The results are on the MADCC Blog 1
2007 and 2006 - The monthly (and cumulative) results can be found on the MADCC Blog
December 2005 - Results and Overall Results
Overall Year End Positions and Improvments
December being the final race of 2005, trophies were at stake. Simon, Neil and Ned needed a win to secure the overall “best of three” trophy; if none of these came first Sarah would win it!
At the turn Kerian was out in front with Simon, Andrew, Ned and Neil in hot pursuit. Andrew was going particularly well when I saw him at the turn with Sarah on his wake. He had already closed a minute on her! Whoops! a clash of paddles and Andrew ends up swimming and looses out on a probable first – ie a first that would have left Simon with a second place and thus Sarah the overall winner.
When I got to the finish Simon was disappointed in finishing second on the water behind Kerian. What he and I did not know until later was that Kerrian had had a callout, taken an early start and hence was not first, Simon was! This was an eventful end to a competitive series of races.
See overall results and annual report in the December Newsletter
November 2005 - Results and Placings / Improvements
Report (from Adrian):
With just two races left the turn out was large with great expectations in spite of the horrible weather. Both Sarah Millest and Ned Price had exceptional paddles considering the weather.
Simon using a yet un polished tactic passing Clarence Mill managed to tip Maggie (Pennine) in. He later claimed to be targeting Sarah but got the wrong girl.
The finish was fought-out with the first six boats back in a one minute window, some finishes wwent down to the wire. Well done to all.
Simon has been pipped for the lead of the best placed this time by Sarah but could win the season with a first next time as could Neil, Ned, Bill or Mark Stanway. Mark is way ahead in the best improver with a seasons improvement of 6:35. Others showing startling improvement for the year are Andrew, Kerrian, Neil, Simon and myself all with an improvement of over 3 minutes. Sarah has also cut her time by 2:50 however whilest we are all getting older she is maturing as an athlete.
2005 Results so far (2 races to go) Best Improvement and Best Placed
October 2005 - Results
Biggest turnout yet with 17 entries!
September 2005 - Results
August 2005 - Results
Report (from John):
Another fine day for this month’s H&H. It must be holiday time as the numbers were down a little. Seven paddlers took part and John, suffering from a cold, was glad of the excuse to record the times, rather than paddle. There was a bit of excitement at the start for Mark, Mike and Paul, with a narrow boat bearing down on them as they sat abreast on the start line. They just managed to get under way at the correct moment and scatter around the oncoming vessel – it probably gave the bargee a bit of a fright. Mike was managing to hold on to Paul, but couldnt handle Pauls wash going through the first bridge, taking an early swim; The same bridge claimed its second victim with Kerrian on his return leg. This was Paul’s first H&H, so he now has a time to beat. Ned, Neil and Adrian (in new boat) all set PB’s – well done! After 7 races this year, there are now 11 people with three or more point scoring races. Neil (6 points) and Sarah (8 points) are leading the pack but there is plenty of scope for this to change yet.
July 2005
Report (from Adrian):
We had to run this months Hare and Hound mid week because of the congestion of fixtures in July. The weather was appalling and at the start we had all accepted that slow times would be posted because of the wind, which makes the results even more surprising. I have a few ideas on why.
- After tea we are well fed with lots of fuel.
- It was too late/cold to for any barges to be about
- or the real reason; people are getting better?!?
Special mention needs to go to Sarah, Niel and Robin who have all posted fantastic times. I have adjusted all their handicap times, well done to all.
We are especially gratefully to Helen Price who timed for us tonight and allowed me in particular to paddle, Ned her husband set a good time considering he has not paddled seriously for a long time.
Results - June 2005
Report (from Adrian)
June's Hare and Hound saw the usual ten suspects out to compete. Simon having left his stealth boat in dry dock was out in his Trimmer and proved that sheer power from a stable platform beats thinness in a less stable boat; he has improved his PB by nearly 2 minutes, still not enough to beat Sarah.
Bill has also improved on his PB quite considerably, I have had to reduce his handicap to give the rest a chance.
The finish was well competed with Sarah missing out to Andrew again by a mere 4 seconds, she will beat her dad soon!.
Today's race was affected by several canal boats at bridges; John portaged three times to my knowledge and Andrew at least twice. My race gave me an opportunity to paddle in dirty water from the washes of boats in front of me; this is excellent race practice even if I have to wait for Andrew and Neil to be off at the same time to give me a clean run.
May 2005
This month we had a good turn out and it just stopped raining in time to give us pleasant conditions. The start was upset by a hire barge, the driver had not got the hang of it and managed to get it across the canal just down from the start.
Mark had an excellent paddle beating his best time this year by over 6 minutes, and his PB by nearly a minute, well done Mark.
John also beat his PB and now has a better time than Andrew. Other people that set seasons best were Andrew Mayland and me.
I have had a look at the season overall results
Best Improver.
Mark has got this at the moment with an improvement of 6:35. Who can beet that.
Best placed.
Sarah is leading this with 2,2,4,5 Mark 8,1,1, Andrew Mayland 5,3,7,4. The best three count unless there is a tie in which we expand to 4,5 etc.
Well done everybody and thank you to Caroline for timing.
April 2005
This month we were blessed with sun and a slight breeze. Some very good times set by Bill and Mike setting new PB's and new seasons best times set by Andrew and Mark.
A special mention to Sarah, what an effort nearly pinching a place back from your dad with a sprint finish. I am really impressed.
Adrian
March
RACE CANCELLED DUE TO ICE ON CANAL
6th February 2005
Special thanks to Rosemary for timing the event this month. All time keepers are very much appreciated.
Much closer racing today with all boats finishing in a 3 min time slot and 5 finishing within 30 seconds of each other! The stealth boat was out again with it's pilot remaining seated throughout.
Sarah and Simon Millest have both bettered there previous PB and most paddlers improved on their January paddle (more go, less pud).
10th January 2005
A very cold and windy Sunday morning saw the first Hare and Hound of 2005. Some good times achieved in spite of the conditions, John Kavanagh finished first (after a portage) closely followed by Sarah and others. No PBs set today but that is not suprising as the head wind on the return was very strong.
As race organiser I have changed some handicaps to give a closer race next time (and stop John and Sarah always winning!!).
5th December 2004
A mild December morning for the latest Hare and Hounds brought out a good turnout of 11 paddlers. Some fast times were put in with seven new PBs being posted. Bill, Jo and Andrew (Mayland) were especially impressive with improvements of about 3 minutes. The handicapping worked well with a 16 minute start window and everyone getting back within 6 minutes of each other. Within that there were some very close finishes. There were no mishaps or confrontations with barges at bridges but the stealth boat had to retire because its owner developed a bad back through trying to keep low on the front deck in order to minimise his radar signal. (Thanks to Rosemary for timekeeping).
Dec 2004 - End of year report.
This event has been well supported and enjoyed by competitors since it started in July. Paddlers that have competed over a number of months have shown lots of improvement. I hope this will become an established MADCC event for years to come.
The winners are.
Best Placed ( a sum of the paddlers best three placings)
The winner of the best placed is John kavanagh with finishes 1, 3 and 5.
Best Improver
The result of the best improvement is open to debate. The two people with exceptional improvements Simon and Mark set slow initial times because of swims. So the race organiser has awarded Andrew Mayland the winner of best improver award..
Changes to Rules.
- There will be an entry fee of one pound seniors and 50p Juniors. All monies to be used for prizes.
- The race organiser may at his discretion amend / disregard a PB for the purposes of the Handicap.
- There will be no separate prize for juniors.
November 2004
Thanks to Andrew for time keeping. This event would not work without the people prepared to stand on the bank. Simon, Christine, Mike C and Andrew thanks to all of you especially Christine as a non peddler.
As it is getting colder slower times are being posted, yet we have two PB's set today Kerian in 45:05 and the stealth boat just gets faster (Simon).
Jo Mayland paddled for the first time setting a better than expected time and more to the point more than 2 minutes faster than Andrew's best!
October 2004
Results
This month it was thanks again to Mike for time keeping (still nursing a shoulder/neck injury). This month saw nine boats competing, 7 of which finished within 2 minutes of each other, a clear demonstration that the handicap system, aimed to make everyone finish together, appears to be working well. Simon and his stealth boat knocked 10 minutes off his previous time - not yet up to full speed but soon to be competitive. Bill raced for the first time setting a respectable time. Well done to everybody else posting times close to their PB.
We hope to review the H&H in December to see what improvements can be made. Please let Adrian have your thoughts/suggestions. For example:
- Would the Handicap be better on a last time or moving average (rather than season PB)?
- Would the handicaps be better calculated to the second rather than minute? (ie in theory everyone races to a much more accurate handicap – though adds to complexity of start with boats having start times potentially within seconds of each other)
- Should we finance prizes through an entry fee (and how much)?
September ‘04
The third Hare and Hound race took place on Sunday 19th September. Many thanks to Mike for taking on the responsibility of timekeeper. Eight boats competed this time and special mention should go to Sarah and Adrian who have made significant improvement on their previous best times. Simon chose to use his new boat which needs a little more testing before becoming competitive (was it one or two swims Simon?). Andrew Mayland posted an excellent time in his first competitive race.
Afterwards a great deal of fun was had by all, in six boat starts and sprints. (This is good experience for big races such as the Hasler finals when you may have to contend with the wash of forty boats and swimmers in your path.)
August ‘04
Despite this being peak holiday season, 5 paddlers who had previously set race times in the July race were able to race against their previous times. Despite many barges causing holdups at bridges, John K, Andrew M and Mark S all improved on their previous times.; In addition, 4 other paddlers entered and set baseline times.This means we now have 13 paddlers who have registered times to race up to.Special thanks this month for Mrs Millest for timekeeping.
July ‘04
The first race (time trial) was held on 4th July 2004 with nine competitors..
Special mention to Neil for a 36 minute 4 mile (9 min miles) and Andrew Millest whose time was well above his ranking beating three div five paddlers. Commiserations to Mark S, moving up to his faster boat, but not quite got balance sorted yet, resulting in a hat trick of swims - better luck next time Mark. Otherwise, most paddlers finished within a minute of their nearest rival. We should be able to improve this now we have some data for the handicap system to go on, so the racing will only get better. !
...and not forgetting a special thanks to Simon for timekeeping.
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