Leg 8, the penultimate day’s racing in this 2008 Round Britain Powerboat Race, posed a perfect dichotomy of navigational challenge. The wind was south of west and gusting Force 4 so the decision was whether to stand offshore and run the rhumb line from Newcastle to the Norfolk coast, 205 miles of North Sea seaway amongst the oil and gas platforms that could become confused , or hug the coast, put more miles on the day’s run and seek whatever lee might be offered.

    If fuel capacity was already stretched at around 210 miles the decision was already made but Jonathan Napier and his crew of BA Captains, with a fully functioning steering system once again, so he had the luxury of choice. In the event, they ran hard and fast at around 40 knots and well ahead of Historic Class rival Gee as far as Flamborough Head and decided that the rhumb line offered the better choice.

    The beauty of an extended marathon event is that frequently, the battles on the water each day bear no relationship to the actual classes in which the battlers are competing and so it was today. The giant 55ft. Buzzi designed Blue FPT with its Anglo-Greek crew has been plugging along in the top three or four positions each day, not having won a single race leg but leading overall from day two. Most legs have been won by the 100mph Isotta Fraschini powered, Austrian entered wettpunct.com but because it failed on day one, it is so far off the pace that short of a major disaster to the 17-odd boats ahead of it, it cannot possibly win, whereas the Norwegian entry, Lionhead, could dethrone the Greeks at the last.  

    As one third of the 39 boat fleet hugged the coast and at least one – in the swelte shape of the Goldfish, Lionhead profited to take the victory overall – the Historic boats began their plod across the Wash where the waters cut up quite noticeably. Slowed first by the weather to around 25 knots for half an hour and then made more uncomfortable by losing their port trim tab, the ride on Team 747 became a little extreme, causing the co-driver’s seat to collapse but Jonathan had already taken to the aft cockpit to preserve his spasming back.

    Gee was also suffering again with failed tabs so they were unable to take full advantage of 747’s problems and the Spearfish came home in 5 hours, 36 minutes to average 36.54 knots (42.05mph), with Gee some 8 minutes astern to hold on to her class lead.

    Lowestoft’s Mike Barlow and his Ocean Pirate team, John Skuse aboard Xanthus and Jonathan Townsend in Swordsman all came home in good order, though Xanthus had a small fuel problem which manifested itself as they closed the finishing line, leaving Skuse pondering the plumbing between his main and reserve tanks.  

    Tomorrow (Monday) sees the final 190 nautical miles of this extraordinary marathon event when the fleet starts from Lowestoft at 08.30 and with Force 3-4 predicted from the south sou’west, the passage across the Thames estuary and around the North Foreland will not be particularly easy for man or machine.

    It is likely that the leading boats could make the Portsmouth finish line off Southsea Common between noon and 14.00 and the battle for Historic Class honours, though slightly more slowly, will continue to the wire.