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34 FIAT O UT Continued sweaters as they continued to bomb past with great ferocity and as we cowered nervously in our spectator craft. By midday the field had nearly passed, except for the taifenders "Maritime 02" went past at great speed in a vain attempt to make up for time lost earlier on, and "Hum Drum", the only boat with an all girl crew, brought up the rear with her engine covers off. Peace descended, the seagulls returned, spectators put away their opera glasses and sandwiches and we roared off home leaving the Nab Tower still reposing in a smooth-as-a-baby's-bottom type sea. Last Time Past Cowes Peter Feversham A fraction before ll.l5 a.m. "Delta" with Rikki Gardner at the wheel rocketed past Cowes for the last time, with a minute in hand over father Gardner's "Surfury". "Delta Synthesis" pa.ssed a mere two seconds behind "Surfury" with a comparatively long gap before Rod Rodman's "Thunderstreak II" hove into view in fourth place, with "U.F.O." next fifth. There followed a succession of duels at regular intervals; "Maltese Magnum" and "Hydrosonic Special", Don Shead driving "Avenger" with sistership "Screwdriver" and P. Hook's 23 foot "La Sorciere" with Sir Max Aitken's 40 foot "Gypsy Girl". At this stage in the race "Speedy Gonzaleso' was back at Cowes suffering an overheated engine and Keith Horseman could be seen strolling the Marine Parade in his bathing trunks, the drive shaft having broken aboard 'oVertigo". From a patrol boat came the news that "Ultimatum", "Broad Jumper", "Momma Maritime" and "Heatwave" had also retired. By now the leaders were approaching the Needles and another bombshell exploded out of the loudspeakers to the effect that "Delta" was burning and that Rikki Gardner had dived overboard. It seemed a bonfire day to outrival any ffih of November, but with *Surfury" and "Delta Synthesis" leading the way to Bournemouth we were glad to see one bonfire doused at any rate, when "Delta" was towed into Cowes shortly after mid-day. The Race at Poftland Bill John Nicholls Despite its reputation for being a place best avoided by boats of all kinds, Portland Bill was this year in a bene'rolent mood. There was a slight popple in the worst of the tide race, but elsewhere the sea was undisturbed. Instead of being, as the Daily Express programme described it "the Beecher's Brook of the Cowes to Torquay Grand National", the Bill merely marked the beginning of the home straight. Almost all the competitors, probably ... ,-i .t p* Post-race scrutiny. Harry Lincoln, pen and pad in hand, checks "Surfury's" equipment against the U.l.M. rules and regulations. Note th6 dual controls which give Charles and Jimmy Gardner equal status as drivers. Third member of the crew stands in the stern and clings to the two padded rails. Shirtsleeves or less was the order of the day amid the lunar landscape of Portland Bill, where a large crowd gathered to watch the thrills. remembering lessons learned in previous, more turbulent years, passed close to the rocks. Even so, one or two boats still charged straight through the mini-race offshore which must have slowed them slightly. Perhaps they were bored with skimming over the water and were looking for some excitement. They should have been more patient, for, right on cue, a breeze filled in at about 12.30 p.m. and an hour or so later, when the majority of the field were out in Lyme Bay, small waves began to appear. None of this bothered "Surfury", however; she sped past the Bill at 12.25, at which time she had averaged 53{ m.p.h. since the start. Two minutes later "Delta Synthesis" roared by, followed after I 1 minutes by "U.F.O.". The next hour lived up to all the advance publicity and the restive crowd, clinging like ants to every vantage point, were treated to a steady procession of hurtling projectiles. A11 com petitors were obviously trying very hard and most were travelling at near their maxi mum speed. \ The Finish Alex McMullen Noon Weather reports coming into the Race Control room at Torquay indicated that Lyme Bay was in a state of glacial calm. Visibility was perfect with no sign of the fog forecast earlier. With "Delta" out of the race it was a fight between the two Levi-designed craft, "Surfury" and "Delta Synthesis", now well clear of the rest of the field. Bar mechanical failures, explosions or submerged logso we had the pleasant prospect of a close and exciting finish. However, this was not to be. The number of minutes separating them gradually increased as they reached across Lyme Bay for the Skerries Buoy. "Surfury" was going perfectly, her long nose hardly lifting at &[, while behind her, Italo Gargiulo was having the greatest dilficulty in keeping "Delta Synthesis" on a level trim.
36 FIAT O UT Continued more than a symbolic tide race in an area between half a mile and a mile south of the BilI. The race leaders, "Surfury" and "Delta Synthesis", had overtaken us off St. Albans Head, and by Portland Bill it was "U.F.O.", "Maltese Magnum", "Avenger" and "Bewitched" that came up with us. Most took the usual course very close in to the Bill, which meant good help from the tidal eddy then running in their favour from the Shambles lightship to Portland Bill itself, and also avoided the speed-damping effect of the Portland Race. However, to my surprise one of the smallest boats steered a course close outside H.M.S. "Ashanti", which took her through what race there was and also against the strongest counter tide, still running at nearly three knots. Soon after we passed Portland Bill, the first little whisps of air began to tickle the sea surface as "Gipsy Girl" passed. Then within a mile or two, as "Tramontana's" engine roar identified her a mile off, a definite breeze had set in from the south to push up an occasional little white horse, in keeping with force three on the Beaufort scale. This fitted in exactly with the met. forecast offered in advance by the Royal Navy, and this same forecast suggested that later during the afternoon in mid-Lyme Bay, the wind might even go a trifle higher to touch force 4. However we did not linger long enough to experience anything above a gentie force 3, which brought with it a slight haze. For us, in the middle of Lyme Bay soon after "Surfury" finished at Torquay, the visibility was 5 miles. It seemed that it was no better an hour or two later, as I heard of racing navigators whose first sight of land ahead after Portland Bill proved to be Berry Head instead of Start Point, and this set quite a price on erring deviation. Guardian angel of competing powerboats was the naval frigate H,M.S. "Ashami". Erroll Bruce viewed the race ftom the stablo comfoft of the ship's deck and took this picture which shows, right, Dr. F. A. Gooper, Vice-Commodore of the Royal Motor Yach Club, and Dennis Sessions. honorary secretary of the Powerboat Race Committee, talking to Commander D. R. Compton-Hall, commanding officer of "Ashanti". the sky things happened [ast. At one TN I moment we were serenely crossing the shoreline, our pilot, Mr. Smith, dutifully piloting, me, shrinking away from the dual controls, doggedly trying not to pilot and Eric Coltham, stuffed behind us into a space the size of a large orange box, gamely focusing a telephoto lens upon infinity. Below us a few powerboats were cavorting, an enormous tanker was trudging towards them, and there was fifteen minutes to go. Suddenly we were no longer alone. Von Richthoten's aerial circus was reincarnated. Our tiny Tri-Pacer was in the thick of about fifteen aerobatic madmen and the sky became the limit. As they were all plainly out to get us, I kept a fearful eye to starboard as we veered away from Austers, helicopters, and something which went three times as fast as we did. Glicking Furiously Dimly I perceived boats marshalling for the start, running up to it, and leaving the tanker standing. We swept down from an exalted height and Eric started clicking furiously. A dart shaped object, either "Delta" or "Surfury", tore along inshore and looked to be first away. The other boats made patterns in the water and I could see "Vertigo" wisely keeping to one side and out of it all. Ahead lay the first mark. Most of the planes were circling the same way and plainly all had holes cut in the same side for photographers to peer out of. One circled the other way and plainly had its photographer on the opposite side. We ctmbed furiously to avoid him, the Fast Plane roared above us and as we ducked down again we all but tripped over a helicopter, clattering like a combine harvester above the leaders. The Swedish "Speedy Gonzales" whizzed like a tiny tin bullet past "Surfury" but MOTOR BOAT AND YACHTING THE RACE FROM THE AIR John Liley It wasn't iust a matter of flying close to the boats. The pilot ferrying our assistant editor and photographor had to use all his skill in avoiding a collision with a wide variety of othel airborne spectators, all fighting to get the closest view of the rac6. "D6lta Synthesis" and "Thunderfish lll" are seen here hurtling towards Southsea, A few minutes late? "Thunderfish" was a burnt-out hulk. shortly afterwards stopped. The leaders were strung out now, drawing a bead on Southsea. I looked over my shoulder and beyond Eric, and saw wake upon wake flashing past the window. In time we would overhaul a few boats, 030, "Thunderfish", the Italian "Hydrosonic Special", redder than any fire engine, and the big "Gpsy Girl". The only engines we could hear above our own were those of"Tramontana" while the most devastating image of all was the white "Delta Synthesis" bolting forward inexorably at the behest of a lowering and be-helmeted crew. We drew ahead and crossed above her path. I looked down and, incredibly, observed a tiny pram dinghy being sculled by a man standing up. I read the papers the following day and if "Delta Synthesis" hit the dinghy, nobody noticed. Perhaps we had altered course, before I saw it, for we went back to photograph the tail-enders, and perhaps the spectator boats were not quite so near a sudden swatting as they looked. Class III was doing well. We saw "Bewitched" lying in the wake of "Gypsy Girl", the yellow "Avenger" going furiously. I noticed some smoke towards Ventnor and urged the pilot in that direction. Two years ago I saw some exactly similar smoke whilst watching the race from The Nab, but heard no more about it. This time there was no mistake; it was a boat, burning fiercely. Alongside us, the middle of the field rushed through glassy water off Dunnose, a spot I'd been at myself a fortnight earlier, feeling rather sick and then with the water far from calm. Ours was the first aircraft to arrive above "Thunderfish", which burned like a giant Bunsen. Eric took photos and we wondered if anyone had been trapped within. A hatch lying some way off indicated an explosion, the smoke billowed ominously, while a swarm of spectator boats stood gingerly by. It was
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Page 3 and 4: September 8, 1 967 31 THE WAY Torqu
Page 5: September B. 1967, - *";. -!! Merri
Page 9 and 10: September B, 1967 a sobering specta

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