WOC 2007, Kyiv

21/08/05 - Long Distance Race by Dan H

A really nice area for the race, very little underfoot meant fast running, although the sandy base was sapping (especially when out for over 90 minutes!!). However the map wasn’t really up to the standard that we come to expect. A map was printed badly with the contours too thick, contours that stopped and some that even crossed meant that the fine navigation was difficult with everyone making some mistakes. As Mark put it, “It looked like the mapper was having an epileptic fit when drawing it”. However it helped in realising some of the techniques that should be used for maps that might not be spot on.

1. Look at a wide corridor, if not all of the features are right it is easier if you try and look for bigger features slightly off the line than try to navigate with smaller, more dubious features.
2. Have different systems all working at once, don’t just rely on one. I.e. use vegetation, compass and contours on a leg that you might usually think you could do only using contours.
3. Look-up and scan ahead, in an area that is basically flat, some of the slightly larger contour features make good navigational aides.

This days race also highlighted the need for a good plan to number one. Bilbo managed a whopping 23mins to his number one. You should over-navigate and assess the map, losing 10 seconds through caution is better than blowing the whole race.

posted by daniel @ 1:08 pm