After the pain of the race, now they're hungover too
After the glory, the pain.
The Round Britain Powerboat Race crews are today licking their wounds and beginning a well-earned recuperation after an intense and gruelling 10 days.
The official dinner took place last night in Portsmouth, with a host of prizes handed out by sponsors and race officials.
Among the guests was MBY editor Hugo Andreae, who presented the First Motorcruiser Home award to Blue FPT.
Blue FPT, which won the race overall, may appear to be a out and out powerboat, but in fact the Buzzi hull classifies for the production boat class.
And there were smiles all round as Hugo presented the award to the boat’s navigator, Dag Pike (pictured), who is a regular MBY contributor.
Hugo said: “The Round Britain Powerboat Race has done more to make powerboat racing relevant to today’s motorboat owners than any other form of racing in the past 10 years.”
Dag, who was also part of the winning crew in the last race in 1984, got to his feet to thank Mike Lloyd, the man who got the race off the ground again.
There were several failed attempts to re-run the historic event in the 1990s, but they were overcome by the huge logistical difficulties involved.
MBY correspondent Derek Wynans, who rode with the race on different boats, was also at the dinner, after a rollercoaster final leg on Ocean Pirate.
The boat was one of several back markers that, while the race leaders were sipping champagne in Portsmouth at noon, were out in The Channel battling against an increasingly strong south westerly wind and chop.
As Ocean Pirate began to take green water over the top, a seat collapsed and the windscreen wipers ceased to work, skipper Mike Barlow took a tough and seamanlike decision to put into Newhaven.
After repairs, however, the indefatigable 1968 hull crept out again into the mêlée to finish the race as she started it, outside the official time limit for the leg but completing the course nonetheless.
Derek says: “It was a wee bit sad. We were the final boat into Portsmouth and there was almost no one there. But overall it was a relief to finish.”
