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THUNDERBOLT 25' Christina |
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In 1961, the August Bank Holiday
weekend in Cowes on the Isle of
Wight, was typical, the weather
was overcast with a threatening
dark sky, but history was about
to be made as twenty seven boats
were ready to do battle in the
first modern day powerboat race
in Europe, The Cowes Torquay
Offshore Powerboat Race! |
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The fleet
was a mixture of craft including
a Shakespeare cabin cruiser with
twin outboards and cupboards
full of china, a beautiful
Dorset Lake built cruiser, 40'
in length, driven by Steve Macey
and called Gay Gazelle. A Prout
catamaran (There is nothing new
in this sport!) powered by twin
Evinrude outboards, American
Bertram's driven by Dick Bertram
and Jim
Wynn.
Several Fairey Huntsman 27
footers, one owned by Billy
Butlin (of Butlin's holiday camp
fame) and five Bruce Campbell
built Christina hulls, one of
which was called Thunderbolt,
driven by a sports car racer
Tommy Sopwith, son of aviation
pioneer Sir Thomas Sopwith. |
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At the drop of the flag,
signalling the start to the very
first Cowes Torquay race, the
fleet shot of towards Southsea
with Billy Butlin's Huntsman in
the lead hotly pursued by Dick
Bertram in Glass Moppie with two
Christina hulls in third and
fourth place, Bruce Campbell's
own boat named appropriately
enough - “Christina” with Tommy
Sopwith just behind in
Thunderbolt. The soon to famous
Italian designer Sonny Levi was
running in fifth position in
A’Speranziella. |
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By the time the fleet had
circumvented the Isle of Wight
and headed past the Needles onto
Bournemouth the weather had
turned, with force five winds
creating an extremely lumpy sea,
speeds fell to ten knots, Sonny
Levi swept into the lead as they
rounded Poole bay, this was to
be her undoing, behind her the
stragglers fought their way into
the winds and many fell by the
wayside including the
Shakespeare with cupboards full
of now broken china and her
domestic glass windows
threatening to shatter with
every wave they hit! The Prout
cat beached at St Catherine's,
holed, and Billy Butlin threw a
prop. |
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7 hours and 25 minutes later
Thunderbolt swept into Torquay
to average 25mph for the 159
mile course followed by Yo Yo
and Huntsman 27 to win what was
to become the holy grail of
powerboat racers world wide, the
Beaverbrook Trophy and the
Cowes-Torquay. |
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Cowes, Isle of
Wight |
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August Bank
Holiday
Weekend,1961 |
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Cowes Torquay
Powerboat Race |
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Thunderbolt 1961 |
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Tommy Sopwith on
Thunderbolt |
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THUNDERBOLT SPECIFICATIONS |
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Designed by Ray Hunt and built
at Hamble by Bruce Campbell |
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25' LOA |
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9' 8" BEAM |
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Hull by Walter Lawrence three
layers of quarter inch ply cold
moulded stiffened and
strengthened with internal
plates under both engines,
externally, unlike most
Christina’s she also has a final
diagonal laminate keel to
waterline plus another length of
veneer from the bow to stern
between the 2nd and
3rd spray
rails. |
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Power 2x 325hp Cadillac
Crusaders |
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Steering; mechanical on right
angle gearing box’s and solid
shafts with universal couplings
to 2 spade rudders |
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Controls; Bloctube aircraft type
using hollow bronze tube and
ball joint couplers. |
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Fuel Tanks; 5 aluminium welded
aircraft grade total capacity
175 gallons |
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Instrumentation; 2 oil pressure
2 oil temp 2 water temp 2 amp
meters 5 fuel 2 electric
repeater compasses and 2 rev
counters. |
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Drive; 2 x1 and a quarter inch
stainless steel shafts close
coupled with 1 driven thro V
drive. |
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