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PROJECT
“THUNDERBOLT” |
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Place ; Cowes I.O.W |
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Date ; August Bank Holiday 1961 |
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Event; Cowes Torquay Powerboat
Race |
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On
August Bank Holiday the weather
was overcast with a threatening
sky as 27 craft lined up for the
first modern day powerboat race
in Europe. The fleet was a
mixture of craft including a
Shakespeare cabin cruiser with 2
outboards and cupboards full of
china, a beautiful Dorset Lake
built cruiser of 40ft driven by
Steve Macey and called Gay
Gazelle , a Prout catamaran
(There is nothing new in this
sport) powered by 2 Evinrude
outboards, an American Bertram
driven by Sam Griffith and Dick
Bertram , YO YO another Bertram
driven by Jim Wynn , several
Fairey Huntsman 27'’s 1 owned by
Billy Butlin and several , 5 in
fact Bruce Campbell Christina’s
one of which was called
Thunderbolt driven by sports car
racer Tommy Sopwith (left) son
and heir of aviation pioneer Sir
Thomas. |
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| At the
drop of the flag the fleet shot of
towards Southsea with Billy Butlin's
“Huntsman No 1” in the lead hotly
pursued by Bertram in Glass Moppie and 2
Christina’s Campbell's own boat
“Christina” and “Thunderbolt” plus the
Italian Sonny Levi in A’Speranziella. By
the time they had circumvented the Isle
of Wight and headed past the Needles
onto Bournemouth the weather had struck
with force 5 winds and an extremely
lumpy sea, speeds fell to 10 knots but
the Italian 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
Butlin lost a prop. |
| 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. |
| Now
aged 47 and in need of major restoration
Thunderbolt sits in a Brockenhurst
Farmyard awaiting hospitalisation for
repairs to her stern ,topsides and
cockpit coamings. Since that famous win
back in 1961 (she was entered again in
62 and 63 ) design had moved forward
with such pace she was outclassed by the
new breed of powerboats being built for
this race. In early summer 1964
Thunderbolt was sold as a family day
boat and taken to the med where she
changed hand approximately 4 times and
was finally abandoned on the dockside of
a boatyard by her last owner a German
woman , who had failed to pay yard fee’s
. She was discovered in that same yard
by Don Shead powerboat racer and
designer who paid the storage due and
sent her to the Bordeaux Powerboat
Museum run by Kevin Desmond where she
was to have sympathetic restoration
carried out . (Shead had a hankering
after a Christina as his father had been
the owner of the prototype 23 built by
Campbell ). |
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Museum ran into difficulties and unknown
to Shead had closed, Thunderbolt now sat
behind locked doors under a leaky roof
and with rats gnawing at her stern .
Rescued once again she was brought back
to England on a low loader and placed in
Shead’s Stockbridge garden. |
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Slightly the worse for wear and missing
items such as navigation lights some
engine covers , rear hand rail and with
2 totally seized Cadillac Crusader
engines. As the years rolled by Don
Shead’s intention to restore her
gradually faded ,although the engines
were removed and cannibalised for parts
to repair his Allard Racing Car. |
| I had
read a Motor Boat and Yachting article 5
years ago on famous designers, that
particular month was Don Shead and in
the article it was mentioned that he had
“Thunderbolt” the Christina I fell in
love with as an 11 year old on Brixham
jetty that August bank holiday 1961, so
she was still with us ! Nothing more was
thought about this snippet of
information until Christmas 2005 when I
sent a letter to Don asking if she was
still in his possession and if I could
come and see her and what if she came up
for sale would he ask. There was no
reply, his Fareham office was now closed
, so I contacted Sunseeker for Dons
address and finally made contact in
February 2006 ,visited him and was shown
the sad sight of Thunderbolt resting on
sleepers and tyres behind his
outbuildings, I could feel my eyes
watering , taking the bull between the
horns I asked how much he would want for
her , if she were for sale, Don’s reply
came as a bit of a shock….. “If she is
restored and you arrange crane and
transportation she is yours but you will
have to move quickly she very nearly
became part of Nov 5th
celebrations last year !” |
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Move quickly , where to keep
her, crane, trailers, the hunt
was on, slowly everything fell
into place and on April the 1st
at 12 noon she was in her new
home, sitting on a Fairey Yard
Trailer, for me a childhood
dream come true. |
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Since that Saturday in April my
garage has filled with a
multitude of boat associated
parts, all awaiting stripping ,
blasting, re-chroming,
re-varnishing , re-building re
covering etc etc…. and slowly
piece by piece the restoration
has started . Fabric sourced to
re upholster the cockpit, Rev
counters sent to be rebuilt and
my prized possession at the
moment the Steering Wheel
relaminated and restored by Moto
Lita. |
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The
Hull is now awaiting
“hospitalisation” and after
several nightmare quotes will be
going for repair in a couple of
months time, new stern new
flanks and relamination in
internal area’s. The cabin
structure will be lifted off and
sit on my drive to be sanded,
sealed and repainted in her
original colours. I am still
hunting for some commercial
backing for the project and to
date have received help from
Robbins Timber Bristol, trade
discount on supply of new items
promised and a pledge of
£1000.00 from Tommy Sopwith
towards “expenses”. She will be
rebuilt to historic condition as
the 1961 race and will be re
engined with modern GMV8’s using
the original layout of one thro
V drive and the other direct
drive. |
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| I
cannot believe that it is already 7
months since she arrived and the planned
2 year restoration is passing so quickly
, maybe a rethink is called for but I
will persevere! |
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Lastly,
when completed Thunderbolt will attend
as many race venues, shows and marine
events as possible and will be acting as
a visual fundraiser for the SEAFARERS UK
charity otherwise known as the KING
GEORGES FUND for SAILORS which was for
so many years a charity associated with
the Cowes –Torquay as its nominated
charity. |
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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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MAX SPEED
1961 42 knots |
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| As for
my final dream…to be present at Cowes on
August Bank Holiday 2011 to celebrate
the 50th anniversary of that
most famous race the COWES –TORQUAY!
With of course the first winner
“Thunderbolt” |
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THUNDERBOLT
NEWS UPDATE 15/03/07
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| The
future is looking good, Thunderbolt is
now at the INTERNATIONAL BOATBUILDING
COLLEGE at Oulton as of the 20th
of April to undergo her hull rebuilding,
which will include : New Transom, new
spray rails, relamination of the
topsides at the stern, relamination of
the hull where areas of separation have
been found and internal lamination
repairs. |
| The
college at Oulton is famous for training
attendees in all aspects of boat
building from traditional through to
modern day glass techniques and I am
grateful that their recognition of
Thunderbolts unique history and
provenance has provided her with a
“second chance”, I know she will be in
safe hands! I am also grateful to
ROBBINS of BRISTOL who will be supplying
new timbers for the hull at bulk cost.
Without the assistance of the above
“friends” her future was very shaky, as
the marine industry really did not want
to know or help which is a sad
reflection on how they view their
history. |
| I have
also spent 8hrs belt sanding the teak
decks which were very weathered and in
some places a grey black, they are now a
lovely honey brown after the removal of
2mm off the quarter inch planking that’s
saved me another load of money! |
| I am
also fortunate to have on board Mr Ken
Raybould who worked for Bruce Campbell
from 1959 to 1963 ( Ken is famous for
his driving expertise in the early years
of the Cowes Torquay with Bert Figgins
in his boats Silver Spray and
Thunderfish) he will be offering
valuable advice and assistance during
the restoration. Ken oversaw
Thunderbolts birth back in 1961 and was
instrumental in testing her once
completed , he also said that she was
temperamental! The Crusader engines gave
many problems during set up, primarily
with fuel feed and he kicked her the day
before the race. They were all amazed
when Tommy Sopwith won! . |
| It is
hoped that new pictures of the
restoration will be posted soon …keep
checking. |
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THUNDERBOLT
PICTURE UPDATE 14/05/07
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