Norwegian RIBs showing what they're capable of
Quietly kicking the rest of the fleet’s backsides in the Round Britain Powerboat Race are three Goldfish RIBs.
LionHead, which is leading the race, and Gutta Boyz, which is third overall, are identical Goldfish 36 P1 Supersport RIBs, prototype models fitted with 2 x 380hp Yanmar D-Max inboard engines and capable of 90 knots.
Meanwhile leading RB4 class is another Goldfish, an unmodified production 29 RIB, available off the shelf from the UK importers in Poole.
The boat is lying in ninth place overall.
The performance of the Goldfish boats has taken some by surprise since they were relatively unheralded compared to many of the more high profile entries. Yet the marque has a bulletproof reputation in Scandinavia, with a growing following among UK buyers.
On board LionHead is UK Goldfish importer James Sydenham, who is based at Salterns Marina.
He said: “We have come here to show what Goldfish are capable of and whatever happens in the remaining legs, I think we’ve done that many times over.
“I am thrilled to be part of such a fantastic team with boats that demonstrate marine design and engineering excellence.
“This race is a 21st century race and Goldfish build 21st century boats.”
The race’s first leg left Team Goldfish with first in class and second overall for LionHead, and a second in class for Sealbay, the Goldfish 29.
The next leg to Bangor saw Gutta Boyz surprise many by taking overall line honours, while Sealbay was second in class.
On the crossing from Bangor to Oban Team Goldfish again picked up first in both classes with LionHead and Sealbay.
They crossed the finish line only a few minutes behind the leading boat which has more than double the horsepower.
