Moray Mix 2011

[EddieH]

PVC is biodegradable - it just takes centuries.

An Spookster you're right - Ill try a bit harder next time

[IanD]

Final Details: Scale 1:5000 possibly 1:4000 for 55 courses C & D.

Have you decided the map scale for geriatrics yet? I'd like to know before I pick up the map!

[EddieH]

It's all 1:5000. It was never going to be anything else for your course Ian - I think you'll see why. It was the yet shorter courses that I considered it for.

[Roomungous]

For Ecko members and others travelling from W Scotland, it is Rock Ness this weekend, so Inverness is best avoided. Check out other route choices!

[Sunlit Forres]

There are a few more maps available for EOD than we expected. Thanks to some really decent people who have informed us they can't make it to one or both days this weekend, and offered their maps for other to use:

Ollie O'Brien (SLOW)
Fran Getliff (& son John) (MAROC)
Ray Ward (ESOC)
Dave Wilson (RAFO)
Alan Bothwell (Tay)
Carol Edwards (TVOC)

Updated EOD map availablity is on the Moravian web site in case anyone's thinking about coming last minute.

[mikey]

Top notch day 1. Looking forward to Culbin now!

[Sunlit Forres]

Day 1 results are up on http://www.moravianorienteering.org - Routegadget is proving challenging due the multiple map files, but Margaret is working away at it.

I had a couple of comments from local residents who enjoyed some banter with orienteers out on the course - it sound like residents and competitors got along famously together so thanks for that.

[campervan]

I got a couple of 'Are you lost?' form the locals. They were very friendly. Are you sure they aren't Weegies?

I also got a peck on the head from a divebombing seagull. Don't know what I did to annoy him, but he wasn't quite so friendly.

Great event.
Bring on Culbin.

[andypat]

I'm sure this weekend will generate lots of positive comments, so thought I'd get mine in first!

Saturdays event (course b) was one of the best Urban races I've competed in and my favourite race of the year so far! I particularly liked the change from sprint/urban/scrag/urban/forest/urban etc but more of that later....

I thought the sting in the tail for course B at the last control was inspired (tree on "wrong" side of the fence)- caught me hook line and sinker (and not just me thankfully). This is exactly what I expect from Urban races, although if I could be bothered I'd have a look back to see what Eddie had to say earlier on here cos I'm pretty sure he said he wasnt into that sort of thing! (Not so sure about describing the run in as 50m though given the shortest legal route was around 3-4x that all the same )

Really enjoyed the sprint part at the start - well worth its inclusion on the reverse of the map. Amused to note at least two comments from people post race who were either shouted at (by a competitor from ESOC) or shouted (Clyde) at someone for crossing the crossable fences in the middle of the map. At least one of the had the humility to apologise to the recipient after the event when he realized he was wrong - perhaps this should also warrant a time penalty on the basis of unsporting conduct?

Post event someone better than me pointed out a small map error between 21 and 22. I didnt notice the error in the race, but it would explain my hopeless confusion at that point having failed to see the "open" area and subsequently having to relocate westwards. Probably a couple of places where the line/circle could have been cut better for visibility 6-7 and 17-18 - very minor points, but I know how much Eddie values constructive criticism . Also felt the map might be better at 1:4000 with the extremely small size of some of the paths (eg 36-37) - either that or maybe exaggerating them a little.

negative comments regarding EMIT removed by me - appreciate that debates been had already

A final point to throw in - as I said I enjoyed the change from urban to forest etc, but there was considerably more "forest" in this race than in most Urban races to the extent that my wife (orange standard) DNF as she couldnt find the control in the middle of the scraggy gorse. I know its probably only TD3 at worst (albeit a bit difficult to interpret the terrain) but I wonder if in future such races it might become the norm to state a TD factor for any non-urban part of the race like we do for normal O - eg The hardest control on course X is TD3. Given the possibility of Urban races being a gateway into orienteering for novice adults, should we necessarily assume that all participants are capable of TD3+ navigation. By the way she managed the orange at Culbin no problem!

Unfortunately pulled my right ham on the run in so didnt manage to get onto Culbin except for a hobble round the white with the kids which was a fantastic advert for TD1 in a lovely part of the forest.
Cheers guys

[mikey]

Excellent two days.

Culbin epic today in glorious weather. Forest race of the year for me.

Superb mix of terrain on Day 1. Agree about the fences in the RAF base on Day 1 - they looked like they should be mapped as 'do not cross' but weren't (although they were high and hard to cross) - certainly caused me a moments confusion.

Thanks to everyone involved - an event that was well worth the long journey.

[mappingmum]

Thought the tree the other side of the fence at the end was very fair. You had ages to research what side it was - big long run across the field. The one afterwards was similar as well.

Thought 13 - 14 on C was the leg of the course and succeeded in disorienting me.

[andypat]

I should add that while looking at the map in the start lane I noticed the area in the centre of the map had a lot of crossable fences with no olive green but they looked like staff quarters ie gardens. I took the liberty of checking with the start official whether I had missed anything in the final details - but I hadnt. As far as I was concerned they were mapped as crossable and were therefore crossed by me on a couple of occasions (the third occasion I went round as second time I had a close call with a pointy bit!). I can see where people might have been a bit confused (since they looked like garden fences on the ground) but I was absolutely clear on the map what I could cross and couldnt - benefits of having a good look at the map in the start lane!

[EddieH]

I have to confess that with everything else going on I omitted to get a note dded to the program regarding the fences on the base. I intended to note that "there are several wooden fences in RAF Lossiemouth which you are legally allowed to cross. Many of these are not particularly low or easy and the less agile are likely to prefer to choose routes avoiding them."

Maybe it would be better if the map were changed to make all the crossing simply illegal?

Very strange for me planning - access to the base was difficult and i had no access whatsoever on the day - I hope my RAF cohorts placed them all correctly!

[graeme]

Cracking couple of events! Couple of talking points:

1/ The "urban" race was mainly decided by what went on in the forest.
2/ Culbin with a mouth- (or eye-) watering 13+km black has only one person under 99mins. Too long? Step forward Ewan McCarthy to save the day with a 76 to restore the planner's respectability.

Ok. lets stop worrying and go orienteering!

[andypat]

Maybe it would be better if the map were changed to make all the crossing simply illegal?

I thought it was fine as it was Eddie - but some with shorter legs may disagree. My main concern was breaking one of them as they didnt look all that sturdy!