Round Britan 2008
On June 21st in Portsmouth, England, after 18 months of planning, international offshore powerboating took another step forward as 48 boats lined-up for the start of the Round Britain Race, a gruelling 8-leg, 10-day event, contested over 1,344 nautical miles in Britain’s notoriously difficult seas. Visiting all four countries of the British Isles, it was probably the largest entry for a marathon powerboat race for over 40 years!
The first Round Britain Race – the Daily Telegraph Round Britain – took place in 1969 and was won by the great Finnish rally driver, Timo Makinen. Fifteen years later, the most decorated of all powerboaters, Italian racer and boat designer, Fabio Buzzi took the honours.
The third edition, following a send-off from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, would once again demand human courage, physical endurance and a willingness to push man and machine to the limits, the foundations of a sport that has continued to gather an unexplained mystique throughout its 105 year history.
The competitors came from far and wide and ranged from European powerboating’s biggest names and most powerful boats to a collection of ordinary motorboaters in production and classic craft. All of them faced the challenge of completing the course, for some that challenge would prove to be a mountain.
The pick of the crop in the historic fleet was the 40 year old GEE, a Jim Wynn designed and Souter built craft whose owner, Chris Clayton, had instigated a major rebuild including twin Cummins diesels, new shift, props and modern electrics, redesigned and strengthened engine beds and a rebuilt deck. At the other end of the spectrum was the 42ft Wettpunkt.com, powered by twin Isotta Fraschini diesels and generating 1800hp.
Considered by Fabio Buzzi to be one of the best boats he has ever built, the FB Design of Austrian Hannes Bohinc would start, alongside Buzzi’s own four-engined 3500hp entry Red FPT, as one of the firm favourites to win this prestigious race.
Poor weather conditions made for a punishing opening stage as the 48 boats hit the throttles and thundered down The Solent en-route to Plymouth, Devon, a distance of 130 nautical miles. Only 32 boats would complete the punishing first leg, the most high profile casualty being the Italian craft, Red FPT of Fabio Buzzi which inexplicably struck Portsmouth’s wartime anti-submarine defence barrier minutes before the race start, smashing a rudder and one of its three propellers.
The German entry, Blue Marlin, a 36ft Supermarine Swordfish cruiser, sunk off Lyme Bay having hit debris and suffered a 2ft diameter hole. Markus Hendricks and his three man crew were forced to take to their life raft and were later picked up unhurt by a fellow competitor. The boat is now 190ft down in the English Channel.
The first boat home, Drew Langdon’s Silverline, arrived in a time of 2hours 34minutes and 57seconds.
It would take the best part of another 4 hours for the final boat to arrive by sea whilst the early casualties,eager to fight another day, packed their craft onto trailers and drove through the night in readiness for the second stage to Milford Haven in Wales.
Racing around Britain’s iron coast demands exceptional navigational skills, courage, tactics and determination with crews as durable and robust as the boats they race. That said, there is nothing to be gained by exposing boats and crews to unnecessary risks and the organisers rightly cancelled stage 2, with winds at Gale Force 6 and waves of up to 30ft in the Bristol Channel.
The assembled fleet headed overland for the third leg across the Irish Sea to Bangor in Northern Ireland. In surprisingly moderate conditions, the boats raced to Northern Ireland, led by the Goldfish RIB of Norwegian team, Gutta Boyz, driven by father and son, Nick and Ivar Tollefsen, closely followed by Wettpunkt.com.
In third place was Blue FPT, a Greek-entered FB Design who, with the Norwegian RIB, Lionhead, was already starting to show with two consistently fast finishes.
Day 4 and to Scotland and Oban, the picturesque ‘Gateway to the Isles’. With normal service resumed there was no stopping Wettpunkt.com who covered the 113 nautical mile course in 1hour 43 minutes at an average speed of 76mph.
In second place was Lionhead who moved to the top of the leaderboard closelyfollowed by Blue FPT with the British entry, Hot Lemon, in third. Following the rough and tumble of the first four days the teams now had the chance to lick their wounds and regroup over land or by sea to Inverness, travelling through the stunning Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, followed by a day of rest.
For most it was nothing of the sort as they patched up themselves and their boats and worked day and night to prepare for the long journey south. Those fortunate enough to find time to relax were able to enjoy the stunning scenery of the Scottish Highlands and sample the many varieties of Scotch whisky.
The Caledonian Canal connects the east and west coasts of Scotland and covers a distance of 62 miles. Only one third is man-made, the rest is formed by Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy. These lochs are part of the Great Glen, a geological fault at the Earth’s crust. There are 29 locks, four aqueducts and 10 bridges in the course of the canal, with some locks taking as long as an hour for the boats to pass through.
The fleet rose early on Day 6, heading for the start in Inverness and a first taste of the North Sea. The 210 nautical mile journey to Edinburgh would be the longest stage of the entire race.
In moderate to rough conditions and suitably refreshed, Wettpunkt.com once again demonstrated its racing pedigree, arriving in the Scottish capital 12 minutes ahead of its nearest rival.
The team was now finding its rhythm and becoming the dominant force, but still making no impact on the overall leader board, having failed to complete the opening leg.The frustrated team owner and throttleman, Hannes Bohinc, one of the most distinguished racers in the event would, later reflect; “Our chances effectively ended on Day 1 when water flooded our engines. We then dominated the race with five top-three finishes including a hat-trick of consecutive wins.
That may have demonstrated the boat’s potential but such events are never about just being the fastest boat, reliability is an essential ingredient along with a sprinkling of good fortune.”
An intriguing two-way battle for the overall lead was developing with Lionhead leading Blue FPT by just 13 minutes 12 seconds after almost 500 miles of racing. Edinburgh to Newcastle, Day 7, would be the shortest leg at 115 nautical miles and the defining stage.There would be no Greek tragedy as Blue FPT arrived in Newcastle in third place, the Norwegians suffering a sterndrive failure after just 10 minutes of racing and, with it, their chances of winning as Lionhead navigator, James Sydenham, explained; “It was a great disappointment. Instead of a thirteen minute lead we’re now 60 minutes behind with only 500 miles to go.” With fellow crew members, Pal and Henrik Sollie, it was a bitter blow for the team and its Goldfish RIB which had started to look a formidable package.
Meanwhile, Wettpunkt.com completed a hat-trick of consecutive wins at an impressive average speed of 88mph, followed by Andy Macateer’s Venturer, the leader in the RB1 Class. Although moderate conditions had prevailed over most of the stage, the opening miles down theFirth of Forth brought strong headwinds and punishing seas, damaging several craft and forcing their return to Edinburgh.The hero of the event, GEE, who along with Ocean Pirate had remarkably competed in the very first Round Britain way back in 1969, had no such problems, arriving in Newcastle in 30th position to maintain second in class. It would eventually win the Historic Class.
The penultimate day and a journey of 205 nautical miles from Newcastle to Lowestoft saw the Greek Blue FPT consolidate its overall lead at 73 minutes, despite the heroic attempts by Lionhead, the diesel powered craft winning the stage ahead of Wettpunkt. In third place was the Sunseeker XS, Going Lean, driven by Neil Holmes and Dean Gibbs, achieving its best result of the event. The final day of this epic adventure was played out under blue skies, sun and calm seas, a fitting reward for the remaining competitors as crowds packed into Gunwharf Quay, Portsmouth, to welcome home the boats and celebrate the achievements of all and, in particular, the victorious crew of Blue FPT; Vassilis Pateras, Panos Tsikopoulos, Lefteris Vasilou and Dag Pike. The well prepared craft performed beautifully throughout, a tribute to its crew and engine supplier, Fiat Powertrain Technologies.
It was the first ever entry by a Greek team into a major UK endurance event. “I was born for the sea and when I saw this intriguing challenge I had to participate,” commented the victorious throttleman, Vassilis Pateras. “It is a challenge of seamanship, marine engineering and design.
It is not about the fastest boat, although it is important to be consistent. Fabio (Buzzi) has proved to be an excellent teacher.” “Racing and living together for 10 days is not easy but we are a strong team and were able to build great harmony. The only time we argued was at the very beginning when we were not totally sure of the boats characteristics.”
“It was tough but very enjoyable,” continued driver Panos Tsikopoulos.“The last stage was the most difficult. We knew that we were so close, just a few hours from making powerboating history and perhaps we could have held back but decided to race hard as we had done every day. I can say now that it was the correct decision.”
Remarkably, the winning boat included the oldest person in the race, 75 year old Dag Pike, a sought-after team member who had taken part in the previous two events and was the navigator in Richard Branson’s record-breaking Atlantic Ocean crossing. His preparation included, “a visit to the dentist to ensure his teeth were in top form before subjecting them to a bone-crunching!”
It was the type of event for hull and engine manufacturers to demonstrate and test the capabilities of their products and, testament to the events stature, many of the worlds leading engine manufacturers were represented including Ilmor, Yanmar, Mercruiser, Cummins, Isotta Fraschini and FPT. The winning engine manufacturer was naturally delighted by the outcome.
“We are very happy because victory is confirmation of the reliability of our engines,” explained Silvia Leone, Product Vice President for Fiat Powertrain Technologies.
“The Round Britain is a unique opportunity to test the durability of engines because it is tantamount to an entire season of races in just 10 days. It has allowed us to display the performance of our products to customers whilst acquiring additional technical expertise.”European offshore endurance racing has always been platform for designers and engine manufacturers to ‘improve the breed’. The Round Britain will have continued this process whilst revitalising British and European endurance racing.
Where will it lead in the unpredictable world of powerboating is anyone’s guess! London-to-Monte Carlo?
