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Founding Father of the
Cowes-Torquay and the Boat
Show, Enthusiastic Racer,
Yachtsman, Newspaper Baron
and WW2 Flying Ace. |
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John William Maxwell Aitken
was born in Montreal on the
15th of February
1910 son of Lord Beaverbrook
the Canadian born press
baron. Sir Max was educated
at Westminster School
London, Pembroke College
Cambridge then joined the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
During WW2 he served as a
pilot on a Bristol Blenheim
then Hawker Hurricane
becoming a CO in 1940. He
then served in the Middle
East becoming Wing Leader of
the Banff Strike Wing where
he reached the rank of Group
Captain achieving 14 and one
shared aircraft shot down.
At the end of the war he
joined the family newspaper
business becoming a director
of the Express Group and
eventually Chairman of
Beaverbrook Newspapers Ltd. |
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Sir Max witnessed one of the
early Miami Nassau powerboat
races, then participated in
the following year with his
wife Lady Violet, it was the
experience of this new
“sport” that led to his
announcement at the 1961
Earls Court Boat Show of a
similar ocean race to be
staged in the south of
England in August that year. |
Together with John Coote they
formulated the rules that saw the
birth of the Cowes-Torquay, to
improve the breed of sea going fast
cruisers and safety at sea.
The first race attracted an initial
entry of 40 boats, which was
whittled down to 27 actual starters
through various stages and by the
gang of scrutineers who were to
become an integral part of pre race
preparations. Sir Max did not
participate in that race but
purchased for the following year one
of the entries GLASS MOPPIE, which
was owned and built by Dick Bertram
but driven veteran racer Sam
Griffith. Glass Moppie was
subsequently fitted with a cabin, by
Bruce Campbell’s yard, in keeping
with the rules and was kept in the
yellow and white colours that became
a trademark for many of the boats
raced by Sir Max. He raced Glass
Moppie in 1962 and was placed 5th.
The following year the bug had well
and truly bitten and his new boat
was an Uffa Fox designed 40ft
stepped hull built by Pochins and
powered by Rolls Royce diesels
called Black Maria she finished 10th,
also racing was Glass Moppie which
unfortunately retired and Lady
Violet had her own Bertram 31 Ultra
Violet in which she finished 5th,
beating hubby!
1964 saw VIVACITY arrive, a 38 ft
Bertram, again diesel powered and in
the distinctive yellow and white
colours, in which Sir Max finished 7th,
Lady Violet was 15th in
Ultra V and little Hum Drum built to
Ray Hunts designs by the Clare
Lallow yard as a tender to Drumbeat
(his yacht) was 22nd in
the hands of Hilary Laing.
‘65 again saw Vivacity finishing, in
11th place and Lady V in
the ex Jim Wynn Bertram YO YO 2
finished 22nd.
‘66 the rough race that saw Jim Wynn
alone in Ghost Rider, his co driver
slumped in the cockpit with broken
ankles, favoured the big Vivacity
again although finishing well down
in 16th and Lady Violet’s
Ultra Violet a new Halamtic hull
with Rolls Royce diesels retiring.
In 1966 Sir Max commissioned a new
boat from Sonny Levi, based on his
design of Surfury and to built on
the same plug by Souters. Powered by
Cummings diesels she was to be
called MERRY GO ROUND, it was with
this boat on the measured mile in
Southampton Water, he smashed the
world diesel speed record and then
had the boat made ready for shipping
to Florida for the Miami Nassau
Race.
It was not to be a lucky boat for
Sir Max as whilst being unloaded she
slipped from the slings and smashed
onto the dockside, with too much
damaged to be repaired in time for
the race Merry Go Round was shipped
back to England and sold to Albert
Figgins and Don Shead , was
repaired, re-engined and renamed
THUNDERFISH 3
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Max meanwhile commissioned a
boat from Ray Hunt to be
built again by Souters, the
new boat of 40ft, GYPSY
GIRL, powered by the same
Cummings diesels was to
become one of his most
successful race boats and
the ’67 race included
VIVACITY in the hands of Ian
Lallow, Lady Vi in ULTRA V
and GYPSY with the old Merry
Go Round now THUNDERFISH
III. It was an eventful race
that saw the final demise of
Merry go Round alias
Thunderfish, her new engine
installation (twin Daytona’s
1000hp) that powered her to
a win in the Wills Trophy
were pushing her along near
the front of the fleet when
a shaft sheared and
punctured a fuel tank, poor
Albert Figgins watched her
go up in flames of Southsea
and later had the only piece
washed ashore, the bow
section, turned into a
drinks cabinet. |
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GYPSY
GIRL Photo
courtesy
Graham
Stevens. |
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Ultra Violet again retired, Vivacity
finished 31st and Gypsy
Girl finished 3rd in
class and 8th overall.
In ’68 it was Lady V who was running
a Levi, the catamaran FAT CAT,
although she chose to enter ULTRA in
the Cowes Race only to retire again
but Max in Gypsy Girl stormed to the
top finishing 2nd in
class and 5th overall
then ’69 saw Gypsy come home 5th
in class and 8th overall
and once more Lady Vi as a member of
Ford team in the Huntsman SEASPRAY
beat Max finishing 7th.
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In the new decade Gypsy Girl
again did Max proud
finishing 9th in
class and 12th overall in
1970 and 4th in class and 7th
overall in 71. 1972 saw one
of the very few retirements
by Sir Max Gypsy was now an
old boat by racing standards
but she had done him proud,
Lady Violet upheld the
families honour finishing
14th in Ford Express, a
special Senior Hull powered
by Ford Sabre’s.
In 1973 at the age of 63 Sir
Max hung up his helmet, he
had put in place one of the
most enduring powerboat
races in the history of the
sport and had raced in
practically every one, the
Cowes-Torquay became the
race everyone wanted to win
no matter what nationality
and you were not considered
a full World Champion in the
sport unless you had done
so! |
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Glass Mopie |
In the next few years Sir Max
succumbed to poor health but was
always at Cowes for the Racing in
his home “The Prospect” entertaining
the “Competitors” in his “Race”.
1985 the 25th anniversary
of the Race was overshadowed by the
death in April of its founder and
mentor and although run in various
forms until the Millenium was never
the race it used to be , maybe the
heart of the Cowes Torquay died
along with its founder, the one and
only Sir MAX AITKEN.
POST SCRIPT
There was one boat owned by Sir
Max, Drone was her name, of which
very little history is known.
If anyone can fill in the missing
links on this craft please let me
know and we will update the story of
Sir Max accordingly.
THANK YOU
Mike |
