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Old 28-04-2009, 12:44 AM   #21
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OPC was the PR company owned by John and Hilary Chitty, based in Sutton, Surrey. One of their primary employees was Diana Willows, who lives in Betchworth and still keeps in touch with Hilary. In the 70's OPC was the Marketing company for both Yamaha and Fletcher and ran the works racing teams for both, as well as organising the first 24 hour powerboat marathon on Theale lake, then the first Round Britain event completed by five Fletcher/Yamaha boats, the largest of which was 14 feet long.
I remember the elation on receiving news of my first 'works' drive at the boat show of 1979. I was to be given a new Yamaha 55, which I elected to put on a Picton 136, instead of accepting a foc works Fletcher 129.
I was trounced into second place by Paddy Reilly in one of the other 'works' rigs, but subsequently married his daughter, so he never beat me again. In those days we had the works Yamaha mechanics: Mark Abbot Cole, Mark Coleman and Bill Brown at most events. Fantastic! If you flipped, which was frequent, by the time you returned from the ambulance, your boat was rebuilt, re-electriced and ready to race again. All one had to do was keep MAC in vast quantities of food. As BlueFin says, OPC also ran the London Monte Carlo and the annual BP Brighton International. In those days, we used to be lined up at the start in a 13'/55hp boat surrounded by, say, Limit Up on one beam, Scanlite the other and 70 Class 1,2 and 3 boats jostling for position. When the flag dropped, it was go like hell and get past the first mark before the Class 1's overhauled, otherwise you could easily get run over or swamped. However, when John Chitty was starter, we learned that he would always confer before dropping the flag, so the minute he turned around to speak, we all floored it, leaving him no option.
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Old 28-04-2009, 09:12 AM   #22
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Great post Barry. I remember Paddy ("I was 18ft in the air") Reilly very well. He represented your club on the ORC with me back in 1983 or somewhere around that time. I can't believe you guys raced in such small boats but you did. One of my best memories was seeing your wife (I think it was your wife anyway, it was your navigator) beating your helmet with her guiding stick because you wouldn't go fast enough. Or has time smoked the memory?
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Old 28-04-2009, 05:45 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OldMan View Post
Great post Barry. I remember Paddy ("I was 18ft in the air") Reilly very well. He represented your club on the ORC with me back in 1983 or somewhere around that time. I can't believe you guys raced in such small boats but you did. One of my best memories was seeing your wife (I think it was your wife anyway, it was your navigator) beating your helmet with her guiding stick because you wouldn't go fast enough. Or has time smoked the memory?
Spot On Mike, Sheena used to dispense rough justice from the nav seat if she thought I wasn't giving it 100%, probably why we won 3 championships on the trot in 'Gardinia'- I was petrified of losing. Also do you remember 1985, when I raced OCR in Gardinia as well as the Cruiser championship with Charles Sinclair, against you in a similar Revenger 25 and Colin Stewart? The Revenger used to wait on the OCR finish line, and I'd jump out of the OCR and into the Cruiser then hare off to the Cruiser muster. I used to be absolutely knackered on Mondays, but those where the days. BTW 'Kirsty Koo' was a nightmare boat. Twin BMW 3.5litres but without counter rotations. And to reach the trims and tabs one had to reach arms around Charles, because the controls were on his righthand side. Started the 25th CTC with four 10 gallon plastic fuel drums tied to the seats, a 36 slab of Carlsberg wedged between the engines (which I had forbidden, but he had smuggled onboard). Abandoned the race just past SW Shingles, but boy did that boiling lager taste good, returning past Hurst, all with fags in our mouths, still sat on the fuel containers.
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Old 28-04-2009, 06:14 PM   #24
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Charles Sinclair & Kirsty Koo, I had forgotten all about him. I ran with him on that boat in the Putney-Calais-London race of 1985 or was it 1986, We picked up two big bosomed East End blonde "Ladies" for the boat parade in the London docks before the race and he asked them to drop their tops in front of the judges which they were going to do until I pleaded with them not to as we would be banned!!

The outdrives howled all the way back from Ramsgate and I would have sworn that they were about to blow but they got us back even though the noise was getting louder and louder. I was very relieved when we crossed the line under Tower Bridge. Charles was a great character.
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