MBY's ride battles on overnight
Ocean Pirate is back in the water and running for Plymouth at 24 knots!
The boat was the first to retire from the Round Britain Powerboat Race, just a few minutes after the start this morning off Portsmouth.
After dinging a prop on the submarine barrage near the start line, she lagged behing the fleet and took the decision to head straight to Port Solent Marina in Portsmouth Harbour to assess the damage.
The crew believe the boat’s drive shaft is undamaged and after owner Mike Barlow drove to St Neots in Cambrdigeshire and back to get the propeller reshaped, a round trip of six hours, the boat was relaunched at about 9pm tonight.
The craft, which took part in the first Round Britain Powerboat Race in 1969, is now heading for Plymouth overnight in a bid to make the start for the second leg tomorrow, round Land’s End to Milford Haven.
MBY’s Derek Wynans is on board the boat and endured a tense wait all day.
He says: “We are back in the water and running at 24 knots. All is okay, so far!
“It’s going to be a long night. In fact, I’m getting the feeling it’s going to be a long 10 days! This is taking the concept of endurance racing to the extreme!”
www.mby.com will have daily updates from Derek as he circles the coast with the race.
Meanwhile MBY’s veteran race correspondent Ray Bulman is also travelling with the race, in a plane! Part of the organising team, Ray will be posting nightly reports of each day’s action.
