The Cowes Powerboat Festival 2009 - Page 11

Ciao · 22-08-2009, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLYING FISH

Assuming no horrors in course changes from previous years,Anvil Point is a brilliant location to train the lenses from.Back in 1971 I took a portable TV in the car and drove to the cliff edge,watched the live BBC coverage by Raymond Baxter,then snapped the racers go by in storm force winds,back to the car for further coverage at Portland Bill,and then repeated the process for the return leg.Can`t do that anymore.One year they filmed an episode of `Some Mother`s do av`em` on the cliff with Michael Crawford hanging over the edge,but filming was held up while the raceboats growled past.Nothing like the sound of kiekhaefers flat out while your trying to create the suspense of hanging over a cliff edge.

Keep your thermos flask of Hot Bovril warm Graham, whilst all the poser snappers will be on the Red Jet or in the air - no doubt your shots will be the best again!

Paul Howes · 22-08-2009, 01:14 AM

Got a few pages into thread.........got bored.......its bloody hard trying to put on an event........I know. You can never pls everyone, especially those who seem to have bought thye wrong boat.....my message to everyone is to enjoy the event/race...you have to finish to win (just look at silverline!!)..stop moaning and have a laugh.

Welldone to those who have bothered to organise the event.

Cheers and good luck Paul

Ciao · 22-08-2009, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Howes

Got a few pages into thread.........got bored.......its bloody hard trying to put on an event........I know. You can never pls everyone, especially those who seem to have bought thye wrong boat.....my message to everyone is to enjoy the event/race...you have to finish to win (just look at silverline!!)..stop moaning and have a laugh.

Welldone to those who have bothered to organise the event.

Cheers and good luck Paul

Always good to get a Kinfast hour + 4 hours post.

I suspect his words of wisdom will warm the hearts of the organisers and racers of the event next weekend.

Carl · 23-08-2009, 10:09 AM

i know its early for weather forcasts for neek weekend but at the moment it could be a bumpy race.

Delta28 · 23-08-2009, 04:50 PM

Just been watching the Grand Prix... Lord, is that ever tedious... and the winner got it by having a better pit stop strategy - that says it all..! Bring back the days of Jim Clark (you know, when they used to overtake!) ...only with a few more safety barriers, perhaps.

Anyway, point is: How come nobody's having a go at them for destroying the environment? How do they attract all that money and interest and yet be so boring?

Answer: Because it improves yer average family car immensely...

Well, for a while now (especially since RB08) I've thought that powerboat racing needs some "positive spin"...

No doubt ML and the BPRC team will be more than capable of dealing with the media, but here's a few thoughts for discussion and that racers might want to mention at a more personal or local level:

1: Yer average sports cruiser is immeasurably more seaworthy because of racing, more reliable, with more efficient propulsion systems. It's no accident that earlier Sunseekers have pretty much the same underwater lines as the tin Sheads (and latterly Buzzi hulls). They will be less of a call on the emergency services due to being more reliable...

2: Racing gets all us "cowboys" organised and safe (with plenty of warning to other maritime folk), able to push the boats to their limits (or hopefully, just below!) for just a few days of the year, in very different locations - rather than spending every weekend showing-off in sportsboats, slicing bathers and sailing boats... (now, now, ...steady...)

3: Finally and perhaps, most importantly: Lifeboats are far more efficient and probably twice as fast as the (admittedly very seawothy) old-fashioned ones...Due to the development of high-speed hulls and efficient propulsion....

If a lifeboat would have taken 60 minutes to reach you in the old days, you might be glad of the 30 minutes less time you'd have to spend treading water, swallowing ocean or possibly drowning...

Apologies if this has been aired before. Thought it might be worth "throwing in the air"... There's nothing like a mass debate...

Delta28 · 23-08-2009, 06:20 PM

Sorry for stating what is fairly obvious, but negative press is not what we need... and it's true the media like a story with some needle... a bit of friction!

Has anyone done any research on dolphins and what boats are allegedly harming them? (Thinking of RB08 here..)
It may be much slower commercial craft. Being on the water constantly, day after day, their chances of contact with marine mammals would be slightly greater that a few raceboats every 24 years...

We need a dolphin warning device! Not so easy, as each species probably has a different alarm call ...or someone wudda thought of it already!

Perhaps an approach to the zoological dept. of a university might be cool? ...if only to be "seen to be doing something". (No, I'm not volunteering...)

Nuff said. Back to the imminent C-T-C

Good Luck and a safe race to all involved !

Mike Lloyd · 23-08-2009, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delta28

Sorry for stating what is fairly obvious, but negative press is not what we need... and it's true the media like a story with some needle... a bit of friction!

Has anyone done any research on dolphins and what boats are allegedly harming them? (Thinking of RB08 here..)
It may be much slower commercial craft. Being on the water constantly, day after day, their chances of contact with marine mammals would be slightly greater that a few raceboats every 24 years...

We need a dolphin warning device! Not so easy, as each species probably has a different alarm call ...or someone wudda thought of it already!

Perhaps an approach to the zoological dept. of a university might be cool? ...if only to be "seen to be doing something". (No, I'm not volunteering...)

Nuff said. Back to the imminent C-T-C

Good Luck and a safe race to all involved !

The Greens are a nightmare for long distance race organisers. Although we (The RB08 team) had talked to them a year before the RB08 in Inverness, three weeks before the race they hit us and hard. They demanded that we start the race 10 miles out at sea at Inverness and that we had an "Expert" on board the start boat to ensure that we didn’t' hit any Dolphins otherwise they would and could stop the race by law.

The eventual compromise was that we had to employ at great expense a 21 year old "Dolphin Expert" based in Plymouth and had to fly her up to Inverness and pay for her travel and hotel and then put her in the start boat to take the race fleet 10 miles out to sea before we could release them!

When some of the racers (especially the two girl team of Dubois) told her that they had raced up the Irish Sea to Bangor and on the way they were travelling at 50knots with the Dolphins playing along side the "Dolphin Expert" wouldn't believe us!

There is no doubt that the guys organising the next RB are going to fall foul of the Greenies big time and they have yet to find that out and I personally think it's going to be even worse next time round.

For the record and according to Ray Bulman, whose opinion I respect hugely, there has never been a recorded instance of a racing powerboat hitting a Dolphin or a Porpoise around the shores of the U.K. and that is a fact. They are too damned fast and canny – the Dolphins that is. There have been many instances of Yachts hitting them but Power Boats no. Interesting statistic isn’t it?

Thanks for your good wishes by the way.
ML.
.

Jon Fuller · 23-08-2009, 07:48 PM

Well, we're just about ready.

Subject to sea trials on tuesday, it all seems to work.

dowdy · 23-08-2009, 08:17 PM

Na,that Disco will defo sink.

Carl · 24-08-2009, 08:59 AM

nice trailer

chris · 24-08-2009, 10:56 AM

looking good jon looks very clean,trying to look at weather for weekend,it could be a north westerly or still be westerly deepends how far north of us the blow goes early to tell yet

Jon Fuller · 24-08-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris

looking good jon looks very clean,trying to look at weather for weekend,it could be a north westerly or still be westerly deepends how far north of us the blow goes early to tell yet

Yes, the reality is we're probably hoping for completely different outcomes to the weather than you.

Se you there.

OCRDA · 24-08-2009, 12:45 PM

Who is going to be out at Torquay end ?? We will be there I guess around 11am. Probably take Rib from Salcombe.

Bob

chris · 24-08-2009, 01:13 PM

yes the phantoms like it rough i used to find it better in a bigger sea rather than a small chop,i heard you like it rough! must admit calm is easier for us but lumpy is interesting,see you there!

Ciao · 24-08-2009, 02:53 PM

The British Powerboat Racing Club (BPRC), organisers of the weekend’s Cowes Torquay Cowes, one of the oldest and most demanding endurance challenges in world powerboating, has confirmed television coverage for the event which takes place on Saturday 29th August.

Filming will be undertaken by London-based motor sports specialists, PitLane Productions, and the 1 hour show will be broadcast on satellite tv in both the UK and Europe. Agreements are also in place with Italian and US TV networks.

“The Cowes Torquay is one of the oldest sporting events in Britain and probably our only true motor sports endurance classic,” explains Mike Lloyd, Race Director, The Cowes Classic. “It is important that the racing is captured, both for posterity and for sports fans across Europe . We are extremely grateful to the gaming business, Wettpunkt.com, whose funding has made this possible.”

“Through the use of land-based, aerial and on-board cameras, we expect the show to provide a breathtaking insight into the drama, skill and spectacular action of world class powerboating.”

Over 50 boats have entered The Cowes Classic of which 22 will compete in the Cowes Torquay Cowes, one of the world’s most demanding endurance races. The boats will muster off The Royal Yacht Squadron at 9.50 am, before powering towards Torquay at speeds of up to 100mph.

Mike Lloyd · 24-08-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OCRDA

Who is going to be out at Torquay end ?? We will be there I guess around 11am. Probably take Rib from Salcombe.

Bob

Hi Bob
Peter Wegman will be the committee boat and will be sitting on the last mark just off the Ore Stone with camereman on board filming the race.

We also have Keith Baldwin on the Torquay turn mark just off the marina. The Royal Torbay Yacht Club have put RIB's out on the Paignton Pier mark etc etc, what a great club they are.

If it's a good day boats will be arriving from around 11am I would think so I would make it earlier if I was you.
ML.
.

Taz · 24-08-2009, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Fuller

Well, we're just about ready.

Subject to sea trials on tuesday, it all seems to work.

What no alloys?

TomLinley · 24-08-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookee

I take it the Scorpion will have a full canopy then?

She is using a boat i specified for a yacht client of mine, when the sale fell through it is now i believe a demonstrator, its a standard sting with twin 315s and when I did the handover test it reached 54 knots, why an earth would they need a dunk test?

Ciao · 24-08-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomLinley

why an earth would they need a dunk test?

Publicity? TV Coverage?

Jon Fuller · 24-08-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taz

What no alloys?

Nope, no alloys, whip aerial, neon under-glow, or embroidered underpants.

Shocking eh. But hopefully tomorrow will prove the boat to be ready for racing, which is what we built it for.