By Isle of Wight Observer
‘Double Trouble’ went one better than last year by clinching the top position in the Offshore Powerboat Championships opener, with an impressive average speed of 99.35mph as she stormed around the Island on Saturday.
It was a remarkable achievement from the Falmouth-based team, who dedicated countless hours over the past eight months to rebuild their Fountain hull, to compete in Cowes after serious damage in their last race in September.
Around 16 powerboat teams travelled from as far as America and Sweden, enjoying nearly calm conditions from the start at East Lepe Buoy (opposite Gurnard).
The runner-up spot was claimed by the Southampton-based team ‘Laa Laa,’ which featured former Formula 2 Grand Prix racing driver, Dean Stoneman, achieving a speed of 93.91mph in his yellow Fountain monohull.
Taking the Class 1L title was a new Welsh team, Christian Parsons-Young and James Norvill, who competed for the first time in their newly-purchased Cowes-based Dragon powerboat, ‘Piston’ Broke’, securing third place overall at 75.82mph.
Last year’s race champion, Rob Lockyer, teamed up with American, Tim Linden, and Island-based Adrian de Ferranti to claim the Class 2 title aboard ‘Team 25 – Sunseeker’.
In Class 3, which features three distinct categories: Marcus Dodd showcased the silver Parsonage Catamaran ‘Oblivion,’ while closely trailing him was the West Country/Wales team, Renegade, running the Cougar monohull.
Local pub owner, Peter Hall and Terry Parsons, achieved another solid performance with their classic Hunton hull, ‘Mango Crazy,’ securing a third place and earning valuable points for the five-race series championship.
The next race will be from Poole Bay on June 14, when the course will be around Poole Bay and the Needles.