This year’s Magellan Three Peaks Yacht Race which start at 1500 on Saturday promises to be one of the best yet with a total of 15 entries.

Now in its 26th year, the race for sailors and runners, starts from Barmouth and takes in the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland before a finish at Fort William.

Those who successfully reach the finish will have covered 389 nautical miles and each yacht will have a crew of three sailors and two runners.

This year’s entries include a team from the Bowline Climbing Club from Leicester with a combined age of 315. One of the local teams, ‘Spirit of Barmouth’ is among the favourites. Everyone on the team, crew and runners, is a previous winner, and the skipper Geoff West holds the race record. Chic Nic, skippered by Steve Robinson is back for its third consecutive race, and after being forced to retire both previous times the crew are determined to make it third time lucky and reach the finish at Fort William this time!

The runners aboard will have to complete 72 miles and 14,000 feet of climbing to reach their three summits, and also cycle 18 miles in the Lake District.

The race is run in honour of Bill Tilman, one of the greatest of British climbers and explorers, who took to sailing the Southern Oceans and climbing Antarctic peaks in his retirement. Shortly after presenting the prizes at the first Three Peaks Yacht Race he left his Barmouth home on his final voyage at the age of 79 and was lost at sea.