The agonizing wait for the green flag finally ended and once again we all charged past the Royal Yacht Squadron. This time it was R21 who took a good early lead with Drew Langdon in R47 second and us and R69 having bad starts in hot pursuit. However, having found some good clear water we were soon on the heals of Drew. The conditions were too flat for his ‘Buzzi Bullet’ which is a real rough water boat thus we was past him before the Needles.
Max Walker in R69 was having problems with the engines on his recently purchased Pascoe RIB which put him way behind the F1 field.
At the Needles we turned a sharp left and headed out towards the back of the island. The sea was like a mill pond which meant that slowly us and R21 opened a large gap ahead of the rest of the field. However, as we continued around the island the conditions started to deteriorate and the sea started to chop up. After rounding St Catherine’s Point the sea became very mixed and lumpy which slowed the leading lightweight RIBS, giving Drew in R47 the chance to catch us with his heavier boat which goes fantastically in the rough.
All three boats were thrown about in the rough sea and it was a case of who dares wins as the boats ploughed through the waves. Unfortunately, this proved to be too much for the boat and after a few miles we spun a prop bush. This is highly irritating and having only done the same last week I knew instantly what the problem was. The key to this situation is not to shut down and come off the plane as it is impossible to get the boat up on the plane again with one engine.
Whilst continuing along, we both checked out which engine was over revving and I shut this down. We continued on one engine but at half speed. I sat down and relaxed thinking all we had to do was finish and this would be an easy ride, I was wrong!
We had now left Drew Langdon and Stuart Anthony racing hard until disaster also struck Drew and he also lost an engine. Now all Stuart had to do was to finish to win this heat and the BIBOA World Cup F1 title.
As we carried on for about 15 minutes we came across Drew who had also now lost one engine and was limping along at half speed. This resulted in a hilarious situation with the two boats racing alongside with one engine apiece! The heat was back on when the two teams realized that it was still possible to have a race with one engine each and the pace hotted up and the shouting started again. This proved to be highly amusing for all watching and taking part and with the teams waving at each other the drivers were desperately trying to see what a 10 metre RIB can do with one 200 hp engine.
Sadly Buzzi Bullet being a much heavier boat was unable to produce the speed and we re-opened the gap reaching some 50mph with one engine and at times actually going airborne! Having never done this before I had no idea how difficult the boat would be to steer. The outer engine on the course (the port side engine) was working but the torque on the steering kept pushing the boat all over the place which made it difficult to steer. Not only that, but the course was a right hand course so I had to take care to keep both engines in the water as we rounded the turns or else I would blow a gear box and/or come off the plane. This was all surprisingly hard work!
In the meantime, whilst Max Walker and Mick Spong in R69 were having engine problems with their engine management system, having two engines working was an advantage and they passed both R5 and R47 towards the end of the race giving them 2nd place and a third overall in the F1 BIBOA World Cup.
We finally finished, on one engine. Fortunately, due to the good results the previous day we gained 2nd overall in the F1 BIBOA World Cup. Sadly, Drew’s misfortunes over the past few days meant that he had not reached a place despite the team working incredibly hard to keep the boat going.
Whilst the RIBs were enjoying a good days racing others were not so fortunate. Shelly Jory and Gavin Brown in their V24 boat Winging It Offshore (V8) were not. Having made a fantastic debut into the class they managed to spectacularly stuff big time in the Solent. This turned the boat over. Fortunately, both Gavin and Shelly managed to escape the boat unscathed however, the boat was smashed to pieces and requires a new deck and possibly a new inboard motor.
The next incident involved a Pro-Vee boat in the Pro-Vee series. These boats are capable of 100mph + and are not something you want to experience if they are out of control. Sadly, one of the boats had problems with air ventilation and engine fumes filled the cockpit (which is enclosed) this caused the throttle man to pass out on full throttle. The Driver lost control of the boat unaware that the co-driver was out cold and managed to smash into a passing yacht taking out a large chunk of the yachts bow. Whilst doing this the anchor in the anchor hatch of the yacht, broke loose and ripped a hole in the hull of the race boat before wrapping its chain neatly around the prop. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt but it could have been a lot more serious!
The final incident must have been spectacular to watch and I hope that someone has it on video. The Italian Pro Vee boat dramatically took the Round the Island Speed records ( beating John Puddifoot’s record). Whilst driving though the Start chute they decided to have one final burst of speed hitting a huge wash which then sent the boat barrel rolling a complete 360 degrees before returning to an upright position. Again, no one was seriously hurt but that was one lucky escape!
In summary, the racing in Cowes has been remarkably close and very exciting with the odd incident thrown in! All teams thoroughly enjoyed the racing due the closeness of it.
I often thank the BIBOA safety fleet for their cover of the National races but this time a huge thank you must go out to all the safety crews both BIBOA members and others as without cover particularly over the stretches across Lyme Bay and Portland, Cowes Torquay Cowes would have been cancelled. A huge thank you for these people!