Oldest spectator at Lymington Challenge + pics

[woottonwillis153]

Took my Mum(65) and Nan(90) too watch the racing of Fort Victoria Saturday.
Nan loved it , she has always been a petrol head , still loves watching F1 and powerboats.
She was the one that inspired me to watch powerboats since the early seventies when she used to work for Bekens touching up the photos prior to going to print the famous yachting and powerboat calendars in the seventies.
Which reminds me to buy one of this years Cowes 2012 calendars, put me down for a couple John.
Here are some different pics from Saturdays racing:-

[Woody]

Originally Posted by woottonwillis153

Took my Mum(65) and Nan(90) too watch the racing of Fort Victoria Saturday.
Nan loved it , she has always been a petrol head , still loves watching F1 and powerboats.
She was the one that inspired me to watch powerboats since the early seventies when she used to work for Bekens touching up the photos prior to going to print the famous yachting and powerboat calendars in the seventies.
Which reminds me to buy one of this years Cowes 2012 calendars, put me down for a couple John.
Here are some different pics from Saturdays racing:-

Great to see Jupiter is still around, and has not been scrapped.

[The Docta]

That's the forgecraft right? How did the new martian do?

[Ciao]

Please send my love to your Nan - Calendars were ordered today, I am fairly sure Chris Davies could have used her help with January through to December!

It was great to see the old Forgecraft at the weekend.

The new Marshan, sadly their new engine wasn't playing ball, so unable to enter.

[brindledog]

It was good to meet you Wootton Willis (Steve) at Fort Victoria on Saturday to watch the Lymington Challenge - perhaps next year the marathon boats could do a lap in the eastern Solent as well as the other classes.
It was interesting to note there were more yachts on the water then there was for the Torquay race! - where is the problem Mr. RYA.
Keep taking the photos and posting

[brindledog]

Apologies for my first post got my east and west mixed up.
Of course what I meant was the western solent i.e. between Hurst and Lymington - I cannot ever see racing being allowed at the Cowes end of the Solent!
Still it was great to see (and hear) some proper boats at racing speeds.

[woottonwillis153]

Originally Posted by brindledog

It was good to meet you Wootton Willis (Steve) at Fort Victoria on Saturday to watch the Lymington Challenge - perhaps next year the marathon boats could do a lap in the eastern Solent as well as the other classes.
It was interesting to note there were more yachts on the water then there was for the Torquay race! - where is the problem Mr. RYA.
Keep taking the photos and posting

Sorry Dave, missed your first post on Boatmad, welcome. My instructions must of worked!
How many years did you say that you have been watching the C-T-C? Have they all been from the Fort Victoria walls?

You were right, there were more yachts around than the Cowes start, it just seems Cowes will always be a problem, will be interesting to see how the Cowes - Monte Carlo get on with the rules next year!!!

[rob lister]

Jupter......So we pulled the old boat out of a barn 4 weeks ago and worked on it every night to get it up and running and race ready!!! Only to be told by the rya that we were unable to race due to licence problems the day befor (nice). in the ruff it was over taking the bat boats etc........ So thanks to the rya three boats did not race that day....

[brindledog]

Originally Posted by woottonwillis153

Sorry Dave, missed your first post on Boatmad, welcome. My instructions must of worked!
How many years did you say that you have been watching the C-T-C? Have they all been from the Fort Victoria walls?

You were right, there were more yachts around than the Cowes start, it just seems Cowes will always be a problem, will be interesting to see how the Cowes - Monte Carlo get on with the rules next year!!!

Hi Steve (Wootton Willis)
Thanks for your help, I hope my ‘posting’ will get quicker - you would not think I use the computer (CAD) all day for a living.
The first Cowes race I saw was 1965, I can remember seeing Jackie S, Brave Moppie, Vivacity and of course Surfury, which at that time looked like nothing else.
I would have been nine then and have not missed a race yet.
I have usually watched the race from Prince’s Green at Cowes, although for the last few years I have seen it from Fort Victoria as there is nothing to see at Cowes!
However I do remember wasting a number of hours sat on top of Headon Warren (above Totland) waiting for the 1992 race which did not happen - no mobile phones then.
In addition to the race I am pretty sure that I have been down to the Yacht Haven every year to see at least some of the boats before raceday.
I do remember going to Souter’s before that in 1970 with my mate from school when I particularly remember seeing Miss Enfield 2, Black Tornado (with Balestrieri smoking whilst the mechanics fettled the engines) and Hy Mac 580 although I was a bit disappointed as I really wanted to see Avenger 007 as thought it would be the fastest.
The must be other (sad) people that have seen more races since the start (someone must have seen them all) but they would probably be even older then me!
Keep on posting
Regards Dave B.