The 2008 Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race

"The Greatest Offshore Powerboat Race of the 21st Century"

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July 10th>> On Monday 30th June, three Suzuki outboard powered RIBs returned to Gun Wharf Quays in Portsmouth, having successfully completed the 2008 Round Britain Powerboat Race.

All three RIBs were powered by a single, 300hp Suzuki V6 4-stroke outboard all of which were totally standard, 'off the shelf' engines. Incredibly, they completed the gruelling course, which tested the endurance of both man and machine, with only routine engine maintenance.

Gordon Sutherland, from Aquatec Hi-Performance Marine, who lead the support crew said, "It was a pleasure to support the three crews and to work with these technically advanced, robust and durable engines. We had no major problems with the Suzuki outboards and they only had to come out of the water once in Inverness – and that was only for a routine oil and filter change!"

Two of the RIBs were part of Team Pulsar Racing and the third boat was a privateer entry by a team called Mud, Swell and Beers.

Team Pulsar Racing entered two purpose-built offshore RIBs using standard production hulls - an 8.5m Humber called 'Wolf', which was skippered by Irishman Justin McInerney and a 7.8m Ribcraft called 'Vampire', the smallest boat to enter, which was skippered by Major Greg Marsden.

Team Mud, Swell & Beers entered an 8.6m Picton/Cobra RIB, which was a leisure RIB that had been modified for the race. It was crewed by Roger Summerton and driven by his son Tom and friend Joe Leckie, who at 19, who were the youngest qualified competitors in the race.

After the event Justin McInerney of Team Pulsar Racing sang the praises of the Suzuki outboards by saying, "The fact that the engines never gave us any trouble is a great testament to the Suzuki power units and their reliability. The support crew had very little to do but never the less were present all of the time, ready to help if required."

Roger Summerton echoed Justin's comments and said, "Our Suzuki outboard was faultless, it didn't even splutter. Having never done anything like this before, we really appreciated the presence of the support crew. It was a great reassurance to have them there. They were fantastic ambassadors for the Suzuki brand."

All three RIBs were competing in the same class and after a hotly contested race, it was Team Pulsar Racing's 'Vampire' that emerged victorious, scooping the trophy for the 'Best Position for the Lowest Powered Engine' and a special award for 'Bravery & Persistence in RB08'. This was in recognition of the crew's achievement of taking the smallest boat in the competition around the entire course – including the second leg (Plymouth – Milford Haven), which was officially cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Skipper of Team Pulsar Racing's 'Vampire', Greg Marsden said, "The Ribcraft handled the conditions without missing a beat and our standard Suzuki 300hp V6 4-stroke outboard sang. We successfully completed the full Round Britain course, including Lands End – a feat that I am extremely proud of. We improved our overall position on each and every leg of the race and only by surrounding myself with quality in terms of man and machine would this result have been possible."

Gareth Lumsdaine, Sales & Marketing Manager for Suzuki's Marine Division said, "The stamina and seamanship of these crews was amazing. This was an endurance event that tested crews and equipment to the limit. The total time elapsed for all three engines was an incredible 105 hours 22 minutes and 13 seconds with most of that being at high speed. This really showcases the reliability of Suzuki's 4-stroke outboards, and the excellent performance the standard engine delivers. To have powered these RIBs around Britain is something very special indeed."

July 10th>> Barrus supplied engines powered over half the field in the 2008 Round Britain Offshore Power Boat Race with 10 out of the top 12 boats using either Yanmar, Mercury, or Seatek engines. Lionhead, driven by Pal Sollie was the first sterndrive to finish with two Yanmar D Max Bravo drives, achieving second overall and first in class. Carbon Neutral, Revenger, driven by John Caulcutt and David Allenby was the first outboard powered boat across the line with two Mercury 300XS engines.

The Barrus Technical Support Team provided maintenance and engineering support to all the crews on every leg of the race comprising three engineers and a 35’ artic carrying emergency spares. “The rogue lobster pots down the East coast caused a few problems so we had a few gearboxes to replace but apart from that we had only a few minor problems to deal with, comments Mike Williams, heading up the Barrus support team. The only other challenge we had was trying to get to the finish before the boats!”

July 3rd>> If you want to add you RB08 experience to this page please email John with your story.

July 3rd>> TALES OF PAIN & PLEASURE The 2008 Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race

Where do you start after an event of this nature has finished? (writes Mike James) I think the first mention should be of COPOC member Markus Hendrick, who was one of the most enthusiastic entrants when the whole escapade was announced to the world. His entry, a superb 36ft Supermarine Swordfish, an elegant reinterpretation of the classic Hunt /Burnard Fairey designs of the 60's was unfortunately lost after hitting an object on the Portsmouth Plymouth leg of the race and now lies 60 meters down in the English Channel. They were racing with Gee at the time when a sudden jarring of the hull alerted them to a problem, hatches were opened to look for the cause and the team were faced with a near 2 foot diameter hole in the hull beneath the helm. Despite every effort to control the influx of seawater nothing could be done, there was no hope of racing to the coast and beaching as the water quickly invaded the electrics cutting all power.

They inflated and took to the liferaft after snatching everything possible and awaited their rescue, Blue Marlin, race no 99 sank within 20 minutes but no one got wet! Gee in the meantime continued unaware of the drama astern, only learning of Markus's fate on reaching Plymouth.

t came as somewhat a shock then to the Gee team as they approached the finish in Portsmouth, a week later, to find themselves being bore down upon by a boat carrying the no 99 and flying a German flag with all hands waving at them frantically! A determined to cross the line, Mr Hendricks, had chartered a 72 ft Sunseeker Predator for the day complete with racing no and finished in company with Gee, the camaraderie of the race between all crews showing through to the last. The Sunseeker was then host to all who cared to come and celebrate their own personal triumphs and commiserate with Markus and his team at their loss.

Considering their age, the entries in the Historic Class did somewhat better than some of their modern counterparts, (for out within the first 2 days went Fabio Buzzi in RED FPT the renamed CESA and WETTPUNKT.COM the overall favourite finished 30th after a whole host of mechanical gremlins)

The historic class had 6 entrants, Ocean Pirate owned by Mike Barlow unfortunately suffered damage at the start but once fixed and refitted she set off again to satisfy Mike's determination to repeat her 69 adventure which they did despite many ongoing problems.

The extremely fast Miss Daisy, a 30ft FAIREY SPEARFISH owned and driven by Jonathan Napier and his BA pilot crew, known as team 747 were one of the main rivals to the mighty Souter built Gee and were it not for again, problems, encountered during the first legs, they could so easily have been the class victors.

John Skuse and his 31ft Swordsman, Xanthus, also completed the course even if part of it was on low loader as did Jonathan Townsend and his crew in Swordsman no 68.

At the end of the day it was the team of GEE the 40 year old Jim Wynn designed and Souter built craft, that stole the honours and 7 trophies, a fantastic effort when you consider that even right up to scrutineering they too were having big problems.

A canny Chris Clayton owner of this mighty piece of powerboating history had had her rebuilt over the 2 preceding months, re-engined with twin Cummins diesels (almost back to her original 1000hp spec) along with new shafts, props and modern electronics, redesigned and strengthened engine beds, rebuilt decks and internal ribs etc etc and finally repainted and bedecked with sponsors logo's. Chris's team had been working flat out to get her ready but were faced with constant problems and a major uphill battle to get the "old girl" ready in time.

Was it all worth it?

That is a massive yes for as they came in dockside on Monday the elation and emotions they were experiencing would match that of any winner you cared to name from any major sport, this was after all their first offshore race! but what a race to start your learning curve on.

The club should be very proud that throughout the whole race our logo clung tenaciously to the bows of this superb and beautiful raceboat and we should also remember that they not only raced but jeopardised their leading position to assist other craft that had experienced problems, including their main rivals Team 747, who could so easily have overhauled them. Such was the sportsmanship shown by the team that one of the magnificent trophies they scooped was that of "SPIRIT of THE EVENT".

We must thank the team of Gee for such a magnificent effort and representing the club in such a professional manner, our vision when we formed in 2006 was that one day true offshore racing would and could return to our shores, Chris Clayton, his team and Gee have proved that Classic offshore is back!

June 28th>> There were celebrations in Portsmouth for the crew of Gee and Team 747 when they finished at the head of the Historic Class fleet but disappointment for Drew Langdon and the Silverline Original Style team as their feisty chase for the RB2 class victory and podium honours was terminated in Essex.

The subtle vagaries of offshore powerboat racing could hardly have been illustrated better than in the opposing fortunes of the four Cummins Mercruiser Diesel (CMD) powered boats in this final leg of the 1400 nautical mile Round Britain Powerboat Race. The final race leg was a 190 mile run from Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast to Portsmouth, taking in the Essex mud flats, the shoal banks of the Thames estuary, and avoiding the notorious Goodwin Sands, before passing the towering chalk headlands of Dungeness and Beachy Head and entering the Solent at Selsey Bill.

Following their driveline failure on the previous leg, Cummins UK’s John Christensen and the Silverline team worked through the evening to get their boat ready for the last leg and were one of the 39 starters from an original entry of 48 that took the green flag but some forty miles down track they suffered an equipment failure that was impossible to repair and they retired into Harwich. A maximum time on the leg gave them a final placing of 31^st., an unrepresentative return for the maximum effort that owner/driver, Drew Langdon and his crew had demonstrated earlier.

Whilst the race leaders were home and dry in Portsmouth by noon, an increasingly strong south westerly wind greeted the slower runners, including the three CMD boats in Historic Class, kicking up a short steep Channel chop that was both uncomfortable and difficult to read; conditions made worse by the fact that both Gee and Team 747 were running without the benefit of trim tabs, broken on the previous day. Team 747 led at Dover by a handy 10 miles but as they rounded Dungeness, their progress was slowed and they sought calmer waters inshore of the rhumb line. This let the heavier and bigger Gee creep back into contention and by Brighton on the Sussex coast she was level and making better progress. With the wind in the south west, there are few less hospitable bits of water on the south coast than that between Brighton and the Owers light vessel off Selsey Bill so as the Portsmouth finishing line approached, Gee was ahead by almost 30 minutes on the water, a position she retained to take the day’s and overall class prize.Further astern, Mike Barlow in Ocean Pirate was encountering bigger seas still and after he began to take green water, his seat collapsed and his windscreen wipers ceased to work, he put his 6-man crew into Newhaven for running repairs, from where he emerged later to complete his final leg but outside the day’s time limit

A victory in perhaps the most difficult of all classes was a good return and overall, the Cummins Mercruiser Diesel QSB 5.9 turbo-diesels powering all four boats ran efficiently and reliably throughout this marathon event. Jonathan Napier aboard Team 747 in Portsmouth commented: “This has been a really challenging ten days and I am more impressed than ever now by the engines in this boat. They have not missed a beat throughout and that Gee and ourselves should have been fighting bow to bow until the last 40 miles of the last leg is a real tribute to CMD’s engineering.”To underline the international nature of this event, the first three places overall went to an Anglo-Greek crew in an Italian boat, Norwegians in a RIB they built themselves and a Swedish crew that had driven their RIB to the start from Stockholm and whose crew included a woman TV presenter.

June 28th>> After 1000 miles and 6 days of race Blue FPT is leading the Round Britain when there are only two stages left to the end of the competition.

Entered in the MC1 category for mass-produced boats and engines, the FB Design’s hull equipped by Fiat Powertrain Technologies engines has overtaken the boats of the faster classes as well.

This is a result of a competition raced always at high average speed, in any condition of the sea, thanks to the performance of the hull, the power of the three engines FPT N60-480 rated at 480 hp and the skill of the crew.

The driver Pateras Vassilis, the throttleman Panos Tsikopoulos, the mechanic on board Vasiliou Lefteris and the British navigational expert Dag Pike have always boosted full-out, aware of the reliability of the boat and counting on their experience.

The Round Britain is a real strength and speed race that even in this edition is showing how the best results can be reached by boats that are able to maintain consistently high performance level, thanks to their technical equipment.

In the overall standings Blue FPT (Greece/GB) is followed by Vilda (Sweden), Braveheart III (GB), Hot Lemon (GB) and Hardleys (GB).

With the today’s leg, the advantage over the closest opponents has risen to about an hour, but nevertheless the crew say they want to continue pushing to maintain high concentration and increase the posting.

>> June 28th>> It was all change in the 2008 Round Britain Race today(Saturday). Rough conditions in the Firth of Forth at the start of the sixth leg to Newcastle took its toll, completely upsetting the result table. While the elapsed time leader at Edinburgh lost out, Blue FPT, the Greek entered Fiat Powertrain Rib of Vassilis Pateras, Panos Tsikopoulos and British navigator Dag Pike reaped the benefit. Now Blue FPT not only lead the MC1 class they also head the fleet on overall elapsed time.
It was problems suffered by the Norwegian entered Lionhead; the Max Diesel powered Goldfish Rib driven by Pal Sollie, that changed the pattern. Setting off in contention she suddenly slowed when one of its sterndrive legs failed ten miles after the start. Although the on-board mechanic managed to make repairs, the stoppage erased their elapsed time lead.
"It was a great disappointment," said navigator James Sydenham. "Instead of an eleven minute lead we're now 60 minutes behind but with over 500 miles to go we will do our best to catch up."

Team Bandit had problems today.

Once again Wettpunkt.com, entered by Austrian Hannes Hannes Bohinc, was first to finish a leg for the third consecutive time. He covered the 132 statute mile course between Edinburgh and Newcastle in 1hr 29min 32secs representing an impressive average of 88mph but it was not without problems.
The last few miles were covered with diesel leaking from the fuel tank.
"It wasn't much fun," said Ed Williams-Hawk, navigator aboard Wettpunkt.com. "It flooded the floor making difficult to keep to our feet but finishing some ten miles ahead of the rest was just reward for our problems."
Second slot was filled by Andy Macateer aboard Venturer, another Buzzi Rib. He came home nine minutes astern of the Austrian and stays ahead on the RB1 class. It was another four minutes before Blue FPT arrived to find it had secured to elapsed time lead, an elated result for the Greek team and Fiat Powertrain in particular.
Although much of the course offered moderate conditions, the opening miles down the Firth of Forth suffered a strong head wind and a punishing seas. It damaged several craft forcing some to return to their Edinburgh base.
The team of Watford based taxi drivers aboard The Bandit disappeared in a cloud of spray when it stuffed into a wave. The impact caused some damage and the crew to turn back. Another was the Norwegian Goldfish Rib Gutta Boyz driven by father and son Nick and Ivar Tollefesen that won the third leg to Bangor NI. She also turned back.
The ongoing hero of the event is Gee, the 42 year old restored racer that took part in the first Round Britain in 1969. She retired at Inverness in '69 but age seems to count. Although she was forced to slow when crew member Mike Clark strained his back, she still managed to finish at Newcastle in 30th position maintaining her first place in her class.

>> June 28th>> Britain's Ed Williams-Hawkes navigated Wettpunkt.com, the dominant force in the 2008 Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race, to a third consecutive stage win as the event arrived into Newcastle on Day 8 of 10.

In the best racing conditions to-date Williams-Hawkes, alongside throttleman Hannes Bohinc and driver Max Holzfeind, averaged over 80mph throughout the 115 nautical mile stage as they set their sights on clawing back time from the overall leader, the Greek boat of 'Blue FPT'.

The race moves onto Lowestoft tomorrow (Sunday 29th) for the penultimate stage before Monday's Grand Finalé in Portsmouth.

>> June 28th>> Blue FPT, the Fiat Powertrain powered Buzzi racing RIB, has taken the overall elapsed time lead in the 2008 Round Britain Powerboat Race.

The Greek entered out fit driven b Vassilis Pateras, Panos Tsikopoulos and Britain's Dag Pike, arrived some eight minutes astern of the Austrian Wettpunk.com of Hannes Bohnic that headed the fleet for a fourth consecutive time.

The leader however remains several hours behind Blue FPT on elapsed time.

Last nights overall elapsed time leader, Lionhead encountered mechanical problems on this Edinburgh to Newcastle leg.

>> June 27th>> Whoever said that this 1400 mile marathon got easier the further it progressed had either never experienced it before or was having a little joke at the expense of the competitors. The psychological boost of having gone as far north as required and turning for home was slightly dented by forecasts of south by sou’west Force 4-5 winds and the north east coast of Scotland had some pitfalls to trap the unwary.

Some boats only just made the start line east of Inverness but the 44 boat fleet safely negotiated the waters that sheltered porpoises, dolphins, Minkie whales and basking sharks before the green flag sent them on their 210 mile way in a welter of flying spray.

Amongst those to fail was the Cinzano CUV with the latest in a succession of electrical problems. Next to go was the Buzzi RIB, Birretta, whose Belgian crew put out a distress call when their engine compartment ignited, leaving them with only one motor and a slow passage. The Norwegian Goldfish RIB driven by the Tollefsen family blew a motor and limped along last whilst between Elgin and Peterhead, the Team 747 Spearfish, only lately repaired overnight with the help of the Cummins UK team and John Guille from Gee, found itself in his debt once more as he dived to remove a lobster pot marker line that had become entangled in their sterngear.

In all, ten boats failed to make it to Edinburgh but once again it was Cummins Marine Diesel [CMD] powered boats that took the honours in RB2 and Classic classes. After a dash across Europe to pick up parts for their ZF gearboxes and an all night session re-installing engines and new gearbox couplings, Drew Langdon, Jan Falkowski and Cummins UK’s John Christensen stormed home in a time of 3 hours, 11 minutes in their Silverline Original Style, stopping only to put Miles Jennings off as his damaged ribs could not take the pounding.

With the finishing line almost in sight, Silverline suffered a malfunction that showed up as reduced oil pressure on one QSB 5.9 motor and allowed the other to exceed its rev limit but following a cursory dockside inspection, both faults were traced to sensors and the boat was ready again, now lying 7^th. overall.

In a change of fortune, Gee took Classis Class honours ahead of Team 747, whose Jonathan Napier told of worsening sea conditions around Buchan Point and the Firth of Forth, allowing the heavier Gee to steal the day. Napier was another feeling the stress of racing, having visited a friendly chryropractor on the lay day.

With Fairey boats, Xanthus and Swordsman and CMD’s Ocean Pirate back in the fray, Historic Class boats took between 6.5-8 hours to finish their day’s business by comparison with a time of less than three hours taken by the winner, Hannes Bohinc and his crerw on Wettpunkt.com, a tribute to the strength of the boats, the intrepid will to compete and complete this classic marathon of their crews and the reliability of their CMD power units.

Next challenge is the 115 nautical mile haul south to Newcastle.

>> June 27th>> Blue FPT leads the MC1 standings with 51 minutes over rivals. "At this point we can choose two strategies: observe our direct competitors and complete the race by winning our category, or searching the victory of the Round Britain" explains the driver Vassilis.

The crew is very cohesive and has arranged the today’s race carefully studying the path and choosing the routes according to weather forecasts and recommendations of Dag Pike, the British navigational expert.

The technicians of Fiat Powertrain Technologies have checked the engines and the surface drives without finding any trouble.

Today, however, the sea is calm and this gives an advantage to the lighter boats and penalizes Blue FPT that is heavier and longer than the adversaries and therefore fits better for a rough sea.

The Sports Director Vincenzo Tota underlines how the crew has planned their strategies with care and intelligence, trying to avoid unnecessary risks.

Blue FPT will continue to run for the victory, but probably the sea conditions will decide the final duel with the Norwegian crew that currently leads the overall standings.

>> June 27th>> Competitors in the 2008 Round Britain Race sped south today (Friday) in moderate to rough conditions and while it may be heading home to Portsmouth, it is an Austrian, Hannes Bohinc aboard Wettpunkt.Com, who is showing the way.

Wettpunk.com covered the 240 statute mile course between Inverness and Edinburgh in a little under three hours representing an average speed of approximately 70mph. But although not the roughest seas so far encountered, conditions were far from smooth and this was reflected in the finishing times

Wettpunkt.Com finished 12 minutes ahead of Venturer driven Andy Macateer, a boat that although first in the RB1 class, was previously lying 18th overall. This second placing for Venturer illustrates this great offshore battle is far from over and is going to be a bow to bow up to the Portsmouth finishing line on Monday.

Third place was filled by the Greek entered Blue FPT driven by Vassilis Pateras and Dag Pike, the British navigational expert. Previously lying second overall and leading the MC1 class, Blue FPT was 13 minutes 12 seconds behind the Norwegian entered Rib Lionhead at Inverness. Despite this impressive result she only reduced her elapsed time by less than two minutes on this leg over the leading Norwegian, Pal Sollie, who bought Lionhead home fourth. With such high performance by the Goldfish Rib, Blue FPT will need to work hard to swing the final outcome.

The pace is beginning to tell with some hulls and machinery protesting at the punishment. Four days of racing from the Channel to Northern Ireland to the Scottish highlands and now downhill to southern waters has seen some teams working through the night to remain in the contest.

Cinzano 558 of three-man crew, Tim Grimshaw, Eric Smillie and Nick Keyser worked frantically to get their boat up to Inverness after suffering a multitude of mechanical problems at the Portsmouth start. Working through Thursday night they just managed to reach the start line only to break down yet again a few miles later.

The Belgium entered Birretta driven by Thomas Vandamme and Jean-Pierre Neels lying ninth overall suffered an engine fire an hour after the start. Once extinguished its determined crew maintained their heading for Edinburgh on one engine.

Another suffering a mountain of problems but now rewarded with a tenth place on this leg, was the Top Gear entered Garmin driven by Iain May and Rowland MacDowie and Jeff Hunton. With Gremlins apparently sorted, this one looks set for a good finish at Portsmouth.

Perhaps the greatest act of sportsmanship so far in this event was when the Fairey cruiser <>, crewed by BA Captains, Jonathan Napier, Andy Fielding and Cormac Lundy, wrapped a drifting rope round its propeller a few miles after the start. Class competitors John Guille, Richard Hoskins and Chris Clayton aboard the 42 year old restored <>, crewed by BA Captains, Jonathan Napier, Andy Fielding and Cormac Lundy, wrapped a drifting rope round its propeller a few miles after the start. Class competitors John Guille, Richard Hoskins and Chris Clayton aboard the 42 year old restored <>, crewed by BA Captains, Jonathan Napier, Andy Fielding and Cormac Lundy, wrapped a drifting rope round its propeller a few miles after the start. Class competitors John Guille, Richard Hoskins and Chris Clayton aboard the 42 year old restored <>, crewed by BA Captains, Jonathan Napier, Andy Fielding and Cormac Lundy, wrapped a drifting rope round its propeller a few miles after the start. Class competitors John Guille, Richard Hoskins and Chris Clayton aboard the 42 year old restored <>, crewed by BA Captains, Jonathan Napier, Andy Fielding and Cormac Lundy, wrapped a drifting rope round its propeller a few miles after the start. Class competitors John Guille, Richard Hoskins and Chris Clayton aboard the 42 year old restored , crewed by BA Captains, Jonathan Napier, Andy Fielding and Cormac Lundy, wrapped a drifting rope round its propeller a few miles after the start. Class competitors John Guille, Richard Hoskins and Chris Clayton aboard the 42 year old restored Gee, immediately stopped and offered assistance.

Grabbing a knife, John Guille jumped into the sea, and swimming below the stricken Team 747, cut the tangled rope from his competitor's propeller in order to continue their bow to bow contest to Edinburgh.

>> June 27th>> Wettpunkt wins again!

Friday 27th June 2008: Hannes Bohinc, Ed Williams-Hawkes and Max Holzfeind arrived in Edinburgh ahead of the field on day seven of the ten-day Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race to claim another victory for the Wettpunkt.com team. Despite choppy conditions, the 1800hp Isotta Fraschini-powered craft completed the event's longest stage at an average speed of 84.36mph to further establish the team's credentials as one of the outstanding performers.

"It was an uncomfortable ride and we are all pretty exhausted," commented a drained Hannes Bohinc. "But we won and made up more time on our rivals; the boat is running well and we could not have asked for much more. Ed's navigating is always top-class and Max is proving his talents as an engineer as well as a driver. If he had not detected one of two small problems when we arrived in Scotland we may not have completed today's stage. As it is, we completed it, won it, and with the boat and engines running perfectly, we're looking confidently ahead to the remaining stages."

The Wettpunkt.com team were followed into Edinburgh by second placed 'Venturer' and third placed 'Blue FPT'. The next leg of the event commences tomorrow (Saturday 28th ) as the teams head to Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

>> June 27th. After working for 24 hours Team 747 managed to start todays race from Inverness to Edinburgh, with members of the Gee crew sacrificing their nights sleep - The two boats started the race and after a good tussle 747 got rope tangled arround it props - the Gee Team came to the rescue again.

Gee team skipper dived into the freezing water swum to 747 and cut the props free!

The two boats then continued to head to Edinburgh in convoy - Gee are truly a team of gentleman and enthusiasts!

>> June 27th. A Hitchin-based healthcare firm is spreading the message about one of its exciting new products by sponsoring a team competing in a gruelling powerboat race around the UK coast.

Family-run Diomed Developments Ltd, located in Gosmore, is the principal sponsor for Xanthus, a classic 31-ft Fairey Huntsman speedboat built in 1974, which is tackling this month’s 2008 Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race.

Diomed aims to increase awareness of its remarkable new mouth ulcer treatment, “iglü gel”. Unlike other mouth ulcer gels, which do not provide any lasting protection, the iglu formulation absorbs moisture from the gum to form an adhesive, protective barrier over painful mouth ulcers. Clinical trials have demonstrated that use of iglu significantly speeds up the healing process. Many dentists often get patients seeking advice for products to help deal with the pain and healing issues associated with mouth ulcers.

Appropriately enough, the boat’s skipper John Skuse is a dentist.

The long-anticipated sea race kicks off on June 21 and will see about 50 powerboats speed nearly 1,400 miles clockwise around Britain’s coast over 10 days, starting and finishing in Portsmouth. Inclement weather, rough seas and mechanical breakdowns are just a few of the formidable challenges the boat crews are likely to face.

The route has been broken into eight legs, calling at a number of ports in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. From Portsmouth, competitors will make stops at Plymouth and Milford Haven before speeding 200 miles over the Irish Sea to Bangor in Northern Ireland and then over to Oban in Scotland.

Instead of circling the tip of Scotland’s north coast, the boats will use the Caledonian Canal to cross from Oban in the west to Inverness in the East. From there they will head for Edinburgh, and then on to Newcastle, Lowestoft and back to Portsmouth.

Powerboats taking part include the so-called Super Class – purpose-designed racers with monster engines putting out 1,500 hp and capable of more than 100mph – as well as smaller and far less powerful craft.

The iglü-sponsored boat, Xanthus, is taking part in the Historic Class, open to boats that are at least 20 years old and capable of no more than 50 knots. The boat’s name comes from Greek mythology – Xanthus was the immortal horse belonging to Trojan War hero Achilles.

While the Fairey Huntsman 31, built nearly 35 years ago, is unlikely to beat its faster competitors, its powerful twin 225 hp diesel engines should help guarantee speeds of around 25 to 30 knots to keep it up with the rest of the racing fleet. It certainly has a strong heritage - a Fairey Huntsman competed in the last Round Britain Powerboat Race in 1969, and came a very credible 4th out of 42 boats.

The Skipper John Skuse said: “We are absolutely delighted to have iglü onboard with us as a sponsor, in what is sure to be a hugely exciting and challenging event. Xanthus is an example of classic British design and we know she will cope admirably with all that the race can throw at her. We are looking forward to having a great time.

Michael Yarrow, managing director of Diomed Developments said: “The Round Britain race is one of the highlights of this year’s powerboating calendar and we are proud to be sponsoring Xanthus and her crew. Like the Fairey Huntsman, our product, iglu, is entirely of British design and manufacture. The race won’t be an easy ride, given the typical British Summer weather, but Skipper, John, is a very experienced and skilled sailor and we’ll be following his team’s progress closely.”

June 26th>> Blue FPT - After the break, the attack.

The crew of Blue FPT, composed by an Englishman (Dag Pike) and three Greeks (Pateras Vassilis, Tsikopoulos Panos and Vasiliou Lefteris), spent the lay day of the Round Britain celebrating the first place in the category MC1 in a Italian restaurant, in honour of the boat made by Fabio Buzzi and the Fiat Powertrain Technologies engines.

The Director and sports doctor, Vincenzo Tota, has recommended a Mediterranean diet to recover the energies.

The "young" 75 years old Dag Pike keen to stress that despite the fatigue, "the head works, but the legs and body complain of blows on the waves."

The crew has learned to control the boat on the rough sea and they has now decided to push full throttle for the entire leg, the longest in the Round Britain (210 miles), from Inverness to Edinburgh.
The sea is 4-5 force and it will put in difficulty pilots and mechanics, but Giorgio Bertoni, head of technical team FPT, has urged the crew to attack.

June 26th>> Stories came in thick and fast at Inverness today (Thursday), some tall others short. It was yarning time among crews competing in the Round Britain Powerboat Race. It's known in powerboat racing circles as lay day but few had time to relax.

Several were still licking wounds suffered by their machinery or hulls on the way up from Portsmouth. It's now the halfway stage but the excitement of the forthcoming fifth leg to Edinburgh tomorrow (Friday) was just the ingredient needed to reminisce.

It all came out while Sarah Jane Fraser and Miranda Knowles were entertaining a group of child cancer sufferers from the fund raising charity Click. They happen to mention their experiences while crossing the very rough Lyme Bay off the Dorset coast last Saturday and had no idea they had made a powerboating first.

It seems concentration of driving Team Scorpion Dubois at full throttle, plus a little salt spray, conjured a thirst but trying to guzzle from a bouncing bottle was neigh impossible so they came to a stop. There as Team Scorpion Dubois rolled in the swell the girls enjoyed tea and biscuits.

"It was quite civilised," said Sarah "And certainly not breaking the rules." It is this laid back attitude which is being reflected in the performance of Team Scorpion Dubois up the West Coast to Scotland and one likely to move them even higher up the finishing table when they finish at Portsmouth on Monday.

Two boats struggling to make do and mend is Team 747 and Swordsman. Both suffered damage to their transmission between Oban and the entrance to the Caledonian Canal Fort William. Vital shafts and propellers were being flown back and forth from the southern England to Inverness to ensure both boats are ready in time for tomorrow's start.

Garmin, the outfit entered by the Top Gear team, is living up to form providing minute by minute excitement for its crew Iain May, Jeff Hunton and Rowland MacDowie. Not only did they have to suffer two blown turbochargers on the opening leg to Plymouth forcing them to transport Garmin by road to Milford Haven, they caught fire on their next leg to Northern Ireland.

It seems yet anther turbocharger overheated but this time under a leaking fuel pipe which ignited. Although the fire was extinguished almost immediately, it ruined their chance of completing at least one western leg of the course.

Now they wait in Inverness after covering more of the Britain by road than water hoping their fortunes change as they race the rest to Edinburgh.

Another unfortunate is Cinzano 558 entered by Tim Grimshaw, Eric Smillie and Nick Keyser. After big problems in the engine department on the eve of the Portsmouth start, the trio are now making their way up country to Inverness where with fingers crossed they hope to experience their first start in this epic event.

June 26th>> Red FPT - Race compromised from the beginning - Honouring the mechanics.

The victory is often the result of the tenacity of men. So Fabio Buzzi won and achieved extraordinary results in his long and glorious career as a pilot and manufacturer. Prior in Portsmouth and then in Milford Haven, technicians from FB Design and mechanics of FPT have made miracles to repair the damage to rudders, steering system and gear boxes.

The impact with the bottom of the sea happened starting in the first day of the race has been devastating.
Immediately it seems severely damage only to the steering system, but subsequently there were repercussions on the propulsion system.

In particular, in the third stage, the damage has spread to the supporting structures of transmissions, no longer aligned after the accident.

A complete repair and efficient, able to withstand the competition, can be made, at this point, only in the shipyard.

The "Archimede's powerboats was thus forced to renounce to conclude the Round Britain 2008. The race lost its biggest player, the winner of the disputed issue, in the 1984.

June 26th>> ROUND BRITAIN OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACE

TEAM SCORPION-DUBOIS MEETS CLIC SARGENT FAMILIES IN INVERNESS

Sarah Fraser and Miranda Knowles, otherwise known as Team Scorpion-Dubois, are the first all-women crew to compete in the iconic Round Britain Offshore Powerboat Race and, as such, have created a following that we all hope is helping them in their goal to raise £50,000 for the children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

To further promote the cause and to raise awareness of the charity's work, the Team has today met up with families being supported by CLIC Sargent, at Muirtown Basin in Inverness and as well as using this as a media opportunity, Sarah and Miranda took some of the children being helped by the charity out on the Scorpion Sting for a fun trip.

Whilst they are in Scotland, Fraser, a mother of four and Knowles, a mother of three, wanted to learn more about the work of CLIC Sargent, and the support the charity is able to offer families and their children undergoing treatment for cancer, both in hospital and at home. CLIC Sargent has been closely monitoring the Team's progress around the coast of Britain as they battle unpredictable seas.

To make your donation please go to either www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser or www.justgiving.com/mirandaknowles

June 26th>> CUMMINS MERCRUISER DIESEL (CMD) BOATS PREPARE FOR EAST COAST MARATHON LEGS

SILVERLINE AND TEAM 747 BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL TO HIT TOMORROW’S START LINE

There is something greatly comforting in the Racing Instructions for the Round Britain Powerboat Race where the organisers refer to a lay day in Inverness to gather strength for the last four legs in this 1400 nautical mile marathon but for at least two of the Cummins Mercruiser Diesel (CMD) powered boats, it just meant another 24 hours of problem solving and re-planning logistics.

Mike Barlow and his crew aboard Ocean Pirate had suffered greatly after their delayed exit from the Solent on Saturday, as a succession of weather fronts had buffeted them as they made their way to Scotland via Brixham, Dun Laoghaire and Corran, before catching up with the fleet as they passed through the Caledonian Canal. Bearing in mind his earlier travails, Barlow looked and sounded positively ebullient in the Inverness sunshine on Thursday morning:

“It’s good to be here but we said all along that the race was almost secondary to our real purpose, which was to get Ocean Pirate round the coast of Britain one more time and have a good experience. Well, we have certainly achieved that and people could not have been nicer or more helpful along the way. The mistake on Saturday was entirely of our own making and I guess that we have been paying the price but knowing that we are heading south to our home port of Lowestoft gives us a lift.”

There was no obvious mechanical work to do on the Pirate and Gee’s crew seemed pretty relaxed as they tidied up their Historic Class leader at the half-way point but in the Silverline Original Style camp, the mood was very different, as team principal, Drew Langdon, explained:

“After our earlier drive coupling failure we looked at all the options and after talking to the guys at ZF, we put one of our back-up crew on an aeroplane to Germany to pick up some spares. He should get back in the early evening and we have already lifted both motors out so it will be a case of midnight oil to put everything back together.”

Team 747’s problems surrounded a grounding yesterday on the way to the Canal at Fort William which necessitated team leader, Jonathan Napier, hurrying south to Southampton carrying a bent propeller and making his way back today clutching a replacement shaft and fettled prop. Ground support man, Fred Kemp, was on the case and explained the priorities:

“The boat is making its own way through the Canal at slow speed on one engine so when they arrive at Muirtown Basin, we have to crane it out and replace the shaft and propeller, checking the alignment as we do it. Then we have to build some added fuel capacity into the system to cope with tomorrow’s 210 mile leg to Edinburgh and finally, re-fuel. Sounds easy but with the locks closing at 18.00 and the bridge swinging at 06.00 tomorrow, we have to juggle all the options and we couldn’t do it without the help of Waterways Manager, Mike Lofts, in Inverness.”

None of the problems that have beset the four CMD powered boats have been engine-related which is a testament to the reliability of their QSB 5.9 turbo-diesels but they are annoying none the less and for Silverline and Team 747, just add pressure in their quests for class honours.

June 26th>> Team “No Worries” remain in good spirits as the challenges of the round Britain boat race continue…

After fixing mechanical problems with the engine, the team was finally able to launch at Portpatrick for their crossing to Bangor. Unfortunately, launching at Portpatrick was a challenge and they caused a major stir with many of the locals who came out to watch their trailer sinking into the sand. After a high speed reverse launch into harbour and several engine checks the team had a slow run out of the Scottish village but reached Bangor in just 30 minutes. After they moored it was time for a curry and rest before the race day.

Race day was good but blustery. They made a great start on the seaward side of the fleet and were cracking along at 55 kts with the helicopter coming on station beside them. But the glory didn’t last long as the grab bag slipped out of position and pulled the kill cord and their moment of fame!

With such lumpy conditions the boat was regularly airborne. The scenery was spectacular and as they went past Mull of Kintyre, Matt burst into song. They buried the boat in a wave and got drenched. He didn’t try that song again.

Some of the entrances to the Sounds were very messy waters. Team “No Worries” stayed offshore while other boats went inshore gaining further time. Overall, they averaged 45 knots over the 110 nautical mile race and even managed to overtake one of the boats in their class on the last mile.

After a refuel they cracked onto Fort William which was a particularly good run with spectacular scenery on both sides. Once through the sea lock the boat was moored in the sea basin for a night stop.

A long day followed with a lot of rain and poor visibility. It was not all tough though, they had a great lunch break at Fort Augustus before taking the boat through some slow lock/swing bridge passages followed by fast loch passages. Two of the team even got into Loch Ness to wake board! The team eventually got out of the final lock system gone 8pm.

June 25th>> OF CANALS, AEROPLANES & BATTLES TO SURVIVE - John Walker

Mention canals to people and some will conjure up romantic weekends in Venice whilst others will blanche at the recollection of the pain and expense of dental root work. The Caledonian Canal falls more into the former category with its spectacularly beautiful scenery but after a day of slow speeds and lots of locks en route to Inverness, some of the competitors in the Round Britain Powerboat Race could have been forgiven for tending towards thoughts of the latter.

Inverness is nothing if not eclectic. A quiet meander down the main street and a selection of bars catering for expatriate Poles, Czechoslovakians and Croatians lie cheek by jowl with drinking dens sporting fruit machines and big banners welcoming the tartan army. An army of an entirely different hue fought tooth and nail at Culloden, just five miles away; their fight then was for the tartan, which they lost, along with their Pretender king and their lands but the battles raging around Inverness today were more technical if no less fervent.

At one point this afternoon, there were representatives of at least four teams in the air across the UK and Europe seeking parts to keep their racing hopes alive and one of these was Jonathan Napier, owner/driver of the Team 747 Fairey Spearfish.

The transit of the Caledonian Canal is a seminal moment in the circuit of Britain and some teams professed to be doing the race just to experience it. In 1969, the weather was so hot that teams indulged in water fights when they rafted up at each flight of locks but this year was wet and to do the transit from Fort William to Inverness requires an early start.

As the three Faireys, Xanthus, Swordsman and Team 747 began the run from Oban to the canal at Fort William, Team 747 struck an underwater obstruction hard enough to bend the propeller blades on one side and bend the shaft. Back at Oban and after craning out, Jonathan found himself on the way to Hamble Propellers via Glasgow, to collect a replacement shaft and have his bent wheel fettled anew, while having plugged the shaft hole, the rest of the crew began the canal transit on one engine, very slowly.

Thursday’s lay day is likely to be spent bringing all the constituent parts of Team 747 back together, in the expectation that they will be on the start line on Friday for the run south down the East Coast.

June 25th>> Blue FPT - Better get on boat than on car.

While the boats were transferred from Oban, on the west coast of Scotland, to Inverness, on the east coast, there is time to talk with the team. Panos says: "The start at Milford Haven was really difficult, the sea was very rough and there were many boats very close to us, but the most dangerous situation along the Round Britain I lived as a passenger, with Fabio Buzzi, while he is driving as a madman… the van! writes Maurizio Bulleri.

Better in boat with him, never more in a car" Lefteris is responsible for the engines: "I totally trust of FPT, my father has a boat with Iveco engines that have 6000 hours and it still run perfectly."

Vassilis remains concentrated on the race, "We will continue as we started, running fast, but avoiding any risk. We will decide to attack for the first position in the overall standings only in the last two legs, now we want to keep the leadership in our category. We would like to maintain the advantage of 25 minutes that now we have on the second". The great expert navigator Dag Pike, the only English in a three quarters Greek crew, says "Blue FPT is extraordinary on the rough sea, you just have to push the throttle and have no fear."

June 25th>> Lay Days at Inverness
Following three days of rough and tumble, racing the 2008 Round Britain Powerboat Race fleet spent today (Wednesday) transversing Scotland either by road trailer or via the Caledonian Canal. The convoy covered the 100 odd miles from Oban in the West to Inverness in the East in readiness to start the four remaining racing legs, the first heading for Edinburgh, on Friday writes Ray Bulman.
Although some teams face time penalties for rule infringements occurring as they sped North up the West Coast, it’s now certain the event is headed overall by the Norwegian Rib (Rigid Hull Inflatable) Lionhead. Its crew, Pat and Henrick Sollie together with James Sydenham have taken 8hrs 50mins 46secs to cover the 506 statue miles raced so far from their Portsmouth starting point. It represents an average speed of around 60mph and puts Lionhead 10mins 9secs ahead of the Greek entered Blue FPT filling second slot. Gutta Boyz, another Norwegian entry of father and son, Ivar and Nick Tollefsen, lies third overall with a time of 9hrs 2min 3secs demonstrating the high performance of the international entries in the race.
By contrast Austrian Hannes Bohinc, who has finished first with Wettpunkt.Com on the last two legs to Bangor NI and Oban but failed to finish the opening leg between Portsmouth and Plymouth, is well down the table at this halfway point in 33rd place. Although he is likely to lead most of the remaining legs back to Portsmouth, those ahead would need to suffer serious breakdown for him to feature among the winners.
The glamour of the race is always up ahead but many individual contests are taking place further down the fleet. The Watford based taxi drivers now lie 16th overall and second in the RB2 class with a time of 11hrs 11mins 44secs aboard ‘The Bandit’ Barry Deacon, Graeme Young and Carl Hemp are chasing Silverline / Original Style, their RB2 class leader four places ahead, and although a much more powerful contender, Drew Langdon’s Silverline / Original Style has suffered mechanical problems.
Drew and his crew, Jan Falkowski and Miles Jennings, were working at Inverness to correct their problems but if breakdown reoccurs then the taxi drivers driving ‘The Bandit’ may find they have quicker journey.
Another backmarker by no means out of the running in the lower powered MC2 category, is one of the smallest boats in the race. The hull of the single diesel engined ‘TFO’ was once owned and raced by the Countess of Arran as ‘Laura Lucy’ which its current crew, Tom and Charlie Williams-Hawk (sons of Ed Williams-Hawk aboard Wettpunkt.Com) bought for less than the entry fee for the race. They are the youngest competitors in the event and lying a creditable 25th overall with a total elapsed time of 12hrs 43mins 43secs ahead of the well reported 42 year old Gee running in the Historic Class.
The two-day non-racing break at Inverness has allowed several teams to catch up. These suffered various mechanical problems en-route and withdrew. They have since been worked upon and been transported north to rejoin the fleet on its journey south.
These include the Top Gear team aboard ‘Garmin’ which failed finish the opening leg. ‘Round Britain Challenger’ driver by veteran racer Richard Griffith, who competed in the previous Round Britain contests in 1969 and 1984 and now alongside his son Dorian, is another to arrive.
‘Xanthus’, entered by Harley Street dentist John Skuse, has made it by road from Plymouth while a strong possibility remains that Ocean Pirate and Italian favourite, Red FPT driven by Fabio Buzzi has now retired from the race, and is taking a plane back to Italy this evening.

June 25th>> Once upon a time you may have associated the word GOLDFISH with a small golden fish and a glass bowl filled with water.....but how the 21st century innovative design and technology that comes attached to GOLDFISH Boat has changed that!

The first leg of the gruelling 10 day journey round Britain left Goldfish with 1^st in class and 2^nd overall with boat 22 LionHead, the revolutionary designed 36 p1 Supersport and a 2^nd in class for Sealbay, boat 77, the Goldfish 29. Strong winds and tough sea conditions made it a challenging start.

The next leg was from Milford Haven to Bangor after leg 2 had to be cancelled due to extreme weather conditions. The journey from Milford Haven to Bangor left team goldfish with not only another win in class for the second 36 p1 Supersport boat 33, Gutterboyz but also 1^st overall and yet another consistent 2^nd in class for Sealbay boat 77.

Yesterdays challenging journey saw the teams make the crossing from Bangor to Oban in favourable seas. Team Goldfish picked up 1^st in both classes for boat 22 the 36 P1 Supersport and Sealbay boat 77 the Goldfish 29. The state of the art design and technology, research and development conducted by Norwegian based GOLDFISH meant that they crossed the finish line only a few minutes behind the leading boat which has more than double the horsepower.

Consistent wins and placings to date leave Team Goldfish 1^st overall at this stage. The organisers of Round Britain quote "The Greatest Offshore Powerboat Race of the 21st Century" and GOLDFISH has certainly brought the 21^st century into powerboat racing with the latest innovative design and technology leaving a real mark for the Norwegian based GOLDFISH Team.

UK importer James Sydenham of Salterns boatyard, Poole, also joins this Norwegian dominated team as co-pilot in boat 22, Lionhead, the 36 P1 Supersport and has become a fundamental member of the team. James brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in racing as driver, navigator, throttles and technician. James says “I am thrilled to be part of such a fantastic team with boats that demonstrate marine design and engineering excellence.” “This race is a 21^st century race and GOLDFISH build 21^st century boats.”

For more information about Goldfish please contact James Sydenham, Salterns Boatyard, Salterns Way, Lilliput, Poole, Dorset, BH14 8JR. Tel: 01202 707391 / 07850 786889 Email Website: www.salterns.co.uk / www.goldfishboat.com

June 25th>> CUMMINS MERCRUISER DIESEL (CMD) BOATS WIN RB2 AND HISTORIC CLASS ON FOURTH DAY OF ROUND BRITAIN RACE

Silverline / Original Style OVERCOMES TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHILE GEE AND TEAM 747 BATTLE IT OUT IN HISTORIC CLASS

On what turned out to be the easiest day’s racing so far in the Round Britain Powerboat Race, Cummins Mercruiser Diesel (CMD) powered boat continued to dominate their respective classes.

Silverline / Original Style took 1 hour, 48 minutes to cover the 113 nautical miles separating Northern Ireland and Scotland to average 62.36 knots (71.77mph), finishing fourth overall and underlining the superiority of her CMD equipment to head the Sportsboat & RIB class. Driver, Drew Langdon, summed up the overall conditions:

“With a south east wind from the start there was always going to be some sloppy water and no protection on the Irish side but we kept the leading boats in sight. Then, after we got through the confused water that you always find on the southern tip of the Mull of Kintyre, we took advantage of the shelter and just raced home through the islands, really beautiful.”

CMD engineer, John Christensen, was cautiously optimistic: “Yesterday we damaged a drive coupling that lost us time but we repaired it overnight and everything worked perfectly today. We have 48 hours to check things out before the east coast legs.”

With Ocean Pirate and Mike Barlow’s crew still making their way north to Oban to catch up the race fleet, Historic Class continues to be a battle between the giant Gee and the smaller Team 747 Spearfish and today was a classic example of their relative strengths, as Chris Clayton explained:

“We were carrying six crew today and our speed is a little down from its best but after 747 got away from us in the flat we just tailed her and when the going got rougher, we caught her up. Then it got flat again under Kintyre so she got away from us a bit but we followed her over the finishing line only 100 metres astern and though she won the day, we still lead the class overall.”

The racing fleet is making its way along the Caledonian Canal to Inverness on Wednesday and the teams have a lay day to recover and regroup on Thursday, before setting out on the home run, beginning with a 210 mile haul from Inverness to Edinburgh. Past races have shown that this leg and the east coast in general can show some very difficult conditions. A time for wise heads and reliable machinery.

June 25th>> Win whets Wettpunkt's whistle.

When Hannes Bohinc last raced around Britain it was to break the Round Britain speed record which he did in a time of 30h 51m 40s on 22nd September 2001. Scotland was a blur on that occasion, now the Austrian is back, having taken first place with his Wettpunkt.com team on Leg 4 of the 10-day Round Britain Offshore Race from Bangor to Oban. This time the team are determined to get to know more than the difficult waters of the Scottish coastline with sight-seeing and Scotch whisky top of the agenda.
"Max [Holzfeind, Wettpunkt.com co-pilot] and myself may be from Austria but we have a great appreciation of Scotch whisky and will make good use of our rest day. We have already tried Islay whisky, thanks to the recommendation of the Oban Times. Hopefully the Highland air and couple of measures in Inverness will help get rid of our aches and pains before we set off for Edinburgh on Friday morning."
The fifth leg of the Round Britain to Edinburgh is the event’s longest stage, a distance of 242 miles (210 nautical miles), a demanding test for these hardened racing pilots and their first taste of the North Sea as they power south at speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. The race will end in Portsmouth on Monday 30th June and Wettpunkt.com, refuelled by Scotland’s finest, hope to be the first past the finishing line.

June 24th>> Two of the classic boats in the Round Britain Powerboat Race are having an epic tussle in the Historic Class writes Ray Bulman.

Both Gee and the Fairey cruiser Team 747 were designed in the late 1960s but the hulls are holding up to the daily pounding and hitting average speeds most modern day craft would be proud of.

Today's stage saw the two duel off Scotland in the fourth leg of the race to Oban, with Team 747 coming home just 10 seconds ahead.

Andy Fielding, the co-driver on Team 747, was delighted as he scrambled up the dock wall in Oban.

He said: "After our first leg on Saturday, I would quite happily have walked away from boating, but yesterday it began to get easier and today has been really very enjoyable.

"The wind today was South Easterly so as expected, we encountered some biggish quartering seas in the early miles until we got in the lee of the Mull of Kintyre and then we ran quite hard up the Scottish coast.

"There was quite a snotty little patch at the point of Kintyre and we slowed a bit so Gee caught us up and then we just ran in company until the finish, which we took by about 100 metres.

"Our real problem now is that after our disaster on Day 1 when we dropped 2 hours on Gee, all those boys have to do is just track us round so unless something stops them, we can't really catch up, but it won't stop us trying."

Owner of Gee Chris Clayton said: "We came upon 747 heading out from sheltered inshore waters slightly ahead of us.

"We drew alongside before opening our throttles but there was little difference in our speed.

"It seems we have met our equals."

Tomorrow sees the fleet make a non-racing passage through the Caledonian Canal to Inverness, with a lay-day to follow.

This gives the rest of the Historic Class a chance to catch up.

John Skuse re-launched his Fairey Huntsman, Xanthus, in Troon, and is heading north as fast as he can.

Mike Barlow's crew aboard Ocean Pirate are on passage to Scotland from Dublin.

And Jonathan Townsend, whose Fairey Swordsman retired on Day 1, is en route to Oban from Falmouth.

If all goes well for them the Historic Class will be almost back to full strength when the race leaves Inverness.

June 24th>> Although Austrian Hannes Bohinc maintains his place among the leaders of the 2008 Round Britain Race, others are snapping at his stern, writes Ray Bulman.
Driving his 1700hp Wettpunkt.com, the Austrian was first to cream into port at the end of the fourth leg between Bangor NI and the Scottish town of Oban. He covered the 128 statue course in 1hr 43min 5secs representing an average speed of 75.69mph but crossing the line in sixth place came the Greek entered triple engined Blue FPT driven by Vassilis Pateras. Although significant, her it is her overall performance which counts.
The Greek boat has finished high on all legs so far covered whereas Wettpunkt.com failed t finish the opening run last Saturday between Portsmouth and Plymouth. When the scores are finally calculated it could be Blue FPT which has the better elapsed time.
Today race was a benefit for the visitors with the second finishing slot filled by yet international team, this time Norwegian.
Lionhead, a Norwegian Rib driven by Pal Solle, took only three minutes longer than the winner to cross the Irish Sea averaging an impressive 73.58mph. She was followed a little over two minutes later by Andy Macateer in Venturer at 72.10mph.
The section of the race between Fort William and Inverness on Wednesday will be covered a much slower pace. Craft will transverse Scotland either via the Caledonian Canal or road trailer in readiness for the sixth leg between Inverness and Edinburgh taking place on Friday.

June 24th>> Wettpunkt.com, piloted by Hannes Bohinc, Max Holzfeind and Ed Williams-Hawkes, secured an emphatic victory in the Round Britain Powerboat Race over the 113 nautical mile fourth stage from Bangor to Oban. In traditionally difficult waters, the 1800hp Isotta Fraschini-powered craft enjoyed a clear and drama free run to Scotland and now heads to Inverness in the knowledge that another inspired showing will put the Anglo-Austrian team firmly in contention.

"It was another strong performance, although we reduced our speed for the last 60 miles, dropping from 2,300 to 2,100rpm to ensure our starboard engine did not overheat," explains throttleman, Hannes Bohinc. "We now have a full day to prepare for the next stage and rectify any problems."

Englishman Ed Williams-Hawkes, long term navigator for Wettpunkt.com, was delighted by the result, achieved at an average speed of 76mph. "We had white waters most of the way and around the Mull of Kintyre, a place always to be respected, the Gods looked upon us favourably whilst further North the Sleeping Giants were sleeping!"

25 of an original 48 boats arrived in Oban and the teams now enjoy a rest day as the boats head through the Caledonian Canal to Inverness on this epic 10 day event. "It's time to rest weary limbs, enjoy the scenery and sample the Scotch whisky," states driver Max Holzfeind. "Apart from the finish, this is the part of the adventure that I have looked forward to the most!”.

June 24th>> So far so good for the 2 teams left battling it out for the Historic Class, Gee and Miss Daisy (Team 747)

Our fingers are crossed for you guys and without doubt the spirit of the race was shown when Gee jeopardised her 2 hour lead to rescue John Puddifoot and tow his stricken racer into Bangor….I am sure all COPOC members will join me in thanking all the teams for showing tremendous resilience in what have been extremely trying conditions and putting true offshore powerboat racing back on the map in GB, also out heartfelt sympathy goes out to Marcus Hendricks and the Blue Marlin team on the loss of their craft.

Mike James

June 24th>> Silverline / Original Style bounced back today after their gearbox problems from yesterday, coming 1st in their class and 4th overall. Unfortunately Miles Jennings was unable to take part in today's racing as he is suffering from 3 cracked ribs and torn thoracic ligaments from yesterday's race. Miles sustained the injuries 25 miles into the Milford Haven - Bangor leg of the race, 'I knew I done some damage but I managed to keep going, it wasn't until the gearbox went 15 miles off Bangor that I realised how much pain I was in. With the gearbox problems it took us 2 hours to complete the last excruciating 15 miles!' Miles is hoping that he will be recovered enough after the next couple of days rest to be back on board for the Inverness-Edinburgh leg on Friday.

June 24th>> No Worries – well maybe a few!!

Day Four sees ‘No Worries’ re-enter the Round Britain Offshore Power Boat Race – despite retiring on Saturday, having to work through the night on Sunday to fix both engines and manufacture new engine mounts, the whole team was looking forward to getting back on the water.

Dave Young commented “we really did pull in some favours once we limped in to Torquay on Saturday, but with great determination, teamwork and a few titanium rods we managed to get ‘No Worries’ seaworthy again. Working through the night re-focussed our attention away from the thought of having to retire the previous day”

The crew were not going to be beaten though and with some careful planning decided to join the race in Bangor, which now meant a 500 mile trip up to Portpatrick, to enable them to hop the 25 miles across to Ireland – meaning they would be ready for race day four. They were back on track and ready to race…….

June 24th>> Provisional results by boat number 81,22,111,471,33,333,7,12,55,2,4,77,45,5,R80,343,9,110,8,11,88,16,130,17 Official list will be published later.

June 24th>> Wettpunkt.com averaged 65.77 knots.

June 24th>> Silverline / Original Style stuffed off Mul of Kintyre in sloppy water - suffered minor damage but still finished - drenched Oban reporter 10 seconds in a second stuff!

June 24th>> Goldfish ran without trim tab indicators

June 24th>> Team Scorpion-Dubois needs your help!

You have to admire their courage and tenacity.

One of the reasons for Sarah Fraser and Miranda Knowles (apart from the experience and challenge of competing in and completing this amazing race), signing up for the Round Britain Powerboat Race in the first place was to raise funds for a hugely worthwhile charity called CLIC Sargent.

CLIC Sargent is a wonderful children's cancer charity that offers very practical help to families who have children undergoing treatment. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so very easily on
www.justgiving.com/sarahfraser

Miranda and Sarah have so far raised £8,990.00 for CLIC Sargent thanks to the generosity of friends and family.

They hope to reach their target of £50,000.00 and need all the help and donations they can get so please support their fundraising efforts TODAY.

June 23rd >> After losing the second day's racing to the unseasonable gales that ravaged the west of England yesterday (Sunday 22 June), the third leg from Milford Haven on the Welsh coast to Bangor in Northern Ireland, a distance of 201 nautical miles, was run in sunshine and slight winds, though the Irish Sea was still unpredictable in parts writes John Walker.

Overall race leader at the start of the day was the Cummins Mercruiser Diesel (CMD) powered 42ft. Buzzi design, Silverline / Original Style, of Drew Langdon and he pushed on at the start and led for 10 miles, before letting the bigger and faster Austrian entry, wettpunkt.com, past. Silverline / Original Style's driver, Miles Jennings, a director of Original Style Ceramics, explained:

"With wettpunkt a retirement on Day 1 we had no real need to race him so we just let him go on and tucked in to his wake, running about 1 mile astern at a very easy speed of around 70 knots. We took a pretty direct course and everything was going very well mechanically until about 5 miles from the finish when we experienced a transmission failure and lost drive to one engine but we made it home on the other. It was all a bit of a disappointment after our triumph on Saturday but the Cummins UK crew are helping us diagnose and repair what isn't really their problem and we will be on the line tomorrow for the sprint to Oban."

The three CMD powered runners in Historic Class again had mixed fortunes. After his late start from Portsmouth, Mike Barlow's crew in Ocean Pirate were playing catch-up and were hoping to reach Bangor in time for the Oban leg and that leaves the class win to be fought over between Jonathan Napier's crew of BA 747 Captains in Team 747 and Chris Clayton's team in Gee. Both had delays today.

Gee was hampered initially and slowed by a trim tab failure and then, 75 miles from the finish, stopped to assist RYA Racing Manager, John Puddifoot's stricken boat, eventually towing it all the way to Bangor at around 24 knots. Gee will get a time allowance for her assist.

Team 747 had their own set of delays, firstly losing their mast and having to re-attach their electronic aerials elsewhere and then detouring to take fuel in a splash and dash just 5 miles from the finish. Gee still leads the Historic Class overall but Team 747 has pegged what was a 2 hour lead back by around 30 minutes.

Race Day 4 sees a 113 nautical mile sprint from Bangor to Oban in Scotland but the CMD teams and their QSB 5.9 turbo diesels are prepared for whatever fate or the weather throws at them.

June 23rd >> Four of the 45 boats competing in the Milford Haven to Bangor leg limped to port yesterday.

The first call to coastguards came shortly after the start of the race, when boat Round Britain Challenger was escorted back to Milford Haven by Angle lifeboat after suffering from engine failure.

Next to encounter difficulties was vessel Team Jersey. They contacted coastguards for medical advice after coming hard off the top off a wave. One of the two crew members was suffering from back pain.

Coastguards contacted Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for radio medical advice. A medical evacuation was not considered necessary and the vessel went onto Rosslare to meet up with their support team.

The next casualty was Black Gold, the boat suffered engine failure 24 nautical miles north west of Strumble Head. Fishguard all weather lifeboat went to her aid and towed her for four hours back to Fishguard.

The four crew Garmin, has also struggled back into Fishguard after one of its engines broke down 30 nautical miles off Strumble Head.

June 23rd >> A crew of Watford based taxi drivers who were considered rank outsiders when they entered the race are now contenders for their class prize in the 2008 Round Britain race writes Ray Bulman.

The performance of skipper Barry Deakin on the opening leg between Portsmouth and Plymouth on Saturday confounded the pundits but this was no fluke. After having to transport their boat overland to Milford Haven when high seas forced the second leg to be abandoned, they repeated the performance on Monday by using navigational tactics.

Despite choosing the longer course off the Irish coast between Milford Haven and Bangor NI in an attempt to seek shelter from a strong South Westerly wind, it was a gamble that paid off and they hit the finish in tenth place overall to collect first prize in the RB2 class.

The result keeps them ahead of the game. It also proves the belief that taxi drivers choose.

June 23rd >> The end of the third leg of the 2008 Round Britain Race between Milford Haven and Bangor NI today (Monday) produced a surprise result when Jamie Edwards and John Lindsay brought their Mercury powered Rib (Rigid Hull Inflatable) Mr Mako across the finish line. However although they took their class prize, the fastest time was set by Gutta Boyz, entered by Nick and Ivar Tollefsen, Norweigan brothers.

Bohinc left with the second start over 30 minutes later hitting speeds in excess of 100mph.

After finishing third in the RB4 class in the opening leg to Plymouth on Saturday at an average speed almost 12 mph below the class winner, those aboard Mr Mako won the day by using navigational tactics on their crossing of the Irish Sea. Instead of hugging the Irish coast they set a direct heading for Bangor which more than paid off. Their final performance relegated Saturday's RB4 class winner, Swipewipes.co.uk driven by Nick Gilley and Jon Fuller, to third place.

The success of Wettpunkt.com was just reward after a disappointing start on Saturday. Austrian Hannes Bohinc was virtually unchallenged after the Italian race boat designed/builder Fabio Buzzi aboard Red FPT had mechanical trouble and retired early on this leg. Once clear of the coast there was no stopping the Austrian and he creamed up the Irish Sea at full speed producing and average well over 65mph for the 240 statue mile course.

A fast performance was also set by the Greek entered Blue FPT driven by Vassilis Pateras and Panos Tsikopoulos. They finished a matter of minutes behind Wettpunct.Com to take second in the MC1 class. Collectively with the high placing on Saturday's first leg Blue FPT now leads the larger class fleet on elapsed time.

June 23rd >> Wettpunkt.com, the Anglo-Austrian boat of Hannes Bohinc, Max Holzfeid and Ed Williams-Hawkes, won the third leg of the 10-day Round Britain Powerboat Race with an incident-free crossing from Milford Haven to Bangor in Northern Ireland. The FB Design, powered by 1800hp Isotta Fraschini engines, completed the 190nautical mile journey with over an hour to spare on many of its competitors.

"The boat ran perfectly across the Irish Sea." confirmed a relieved Hannes Bohinc, team owner and throttleman. "We have arrived in Bangor more than an hour ahead of most of the competitors which is a fantastic achievement. This performance is dedicated to our engineers and mechanics who have worked tirelessly to put us back in the race after the disappointment of Saturday."

On Saturday, Wettpunkt.com led the first stage from Portsmouth-to-Plymouth before water flooded the engines and the boat was forced to detour to Torquay. The team fitted new engines overnight and are determined to make up for lost time.

June 23rd >> It is disappointment for Italian Fabio Buzzi aboard Red FPT in the 2008 Round Britain Race. Despite being among the leaders at the start of the third leg from Milford Haven to Bangor NI this morning (Monday), he has since suffered problems and been force retired.

Meanwhile his teammate, the Greek entered Blue FPT driven by Vassilis Pateras and Panos Tsikopoulos, was leading the event at 1.45pm.

June 23rd >> Despite having to transport their boats overland from Plymouth to Milford Haven, enthusiasm remains high amongst the fleet competing in the 2008 Round Britain Race.

Severe seas off the North Cornish coast and Southern Irish Sea that forced the organisers to cancel the second leg on Sunday eased overnight leaving moderate conditions for the run to Bangor NI.

Boats were launched in the early hours in readiness for the new starting time of 11.am.

Early indications are that Italian ace Fabio Buzzi aboard the 3,500hp Red FPT is up amonst the leaders despite suffering serious damage during the Portsmouth start.

Other causalities of the opening leg included Austrian Hannes Bohinc aboard Wettpunkt.com who entered Torquay on Saturday with mechanical problems.

Both these competitors were fronting the third leg at 12.30pm.

Indications via Marine Track show Red FPT travelling in excess of 100mph with the Austrian running a little faster at 106mph!

June 22nd >> Great first leg for Pateras Vassilis.

Pateras Vassilis, the Greek owner and driver of Blue FPT, made his best race in his young career.

All the members of the crew were very concentrated before the start. The strain was easily visible on their faces. The throttleman Tsikopoulos Panos did not even find any time for a photo, while Vasiliou Lefteris, navigator and mechanics on board, kept calm before starting for his first international race.