Following its successful sponsorship of Jonathan Napier’s classic Fairey Spearfish in the recent Round Britain Powerboat Race, Hamble-based Swordsman Marine is providing further support to Team 747 in the forthcoming Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race.

    Initiated by Sir Max Aitken in 1961 as the first European offshore race of the modern era, the Cowes classic has always provided a taxing test of crew and machine and for the boats that cross the Solent start line on Saturday, 23 August, it will be no different, as Napier acknowledges.

    “ After our race-long battle to be the first Historic boat in the 1400 nautical mile marathon round the British coast, our crew have a little unfinished business to attend to and we saw no better opportunity of showing our opposition the way home than to enter the classic offshore race from Cowes to Torquay and back, by comparison a mere 180 nautical mile sprint.

    “ The boat has been in the hands of Swordsman Marine’s boat building subsidiary, Yachting Projects Limited, for some essential refurbishment and a general check over and we cannot thank Richard Gough and his team enough for extending their sponsorship and giving us the chance to experience the greatest single-day race in the world.”

    When Napier’s Team 747 Fairey Spearfish with its twin Cummins Mercruiser Diesel QSB 5.9 litre, 380hp turbo-diesels and crew of British Airways 747 Captains hits the start line, it will be following in the illustrious footsteps of many Fairey’s before it, as the race has always been a proving ground for production boats and equipment.

    This 48^th. edition of the Cowes classic will run under the burgee of the British Powerboat Racing Club and will see a return to the non-stop Cowes-Torquay-Cowes format and a return to the fray for Fairey boats, both after a gap of more than a decade. 

    The Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race is scheduled to start from Cowes on Saturday, 23 August 2008. The fleet is to muster just to the west of the Royal Yacht Squadron line at 09.45 and under the control of the Start Boat, will proceed west at planeing speed under a Yellow flag. Somewhere west of West Lepe buoy and when the starter considers it to be appropriate, he will strike the Yellow and hoist a Green flag, at which point the fleet commenses racing.

    For full details of the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes and Cowes-Poole-Cowes races check out the website of the British Powerboat Racing Club, select Cowes Torquay Race menu and the Courses sub-menu and all should be revealed.

    Swordsman Marine has re-kindled the Fairey legend in recent years and markets modern Fairey designs of 40ft., 37ft. and 30ft. overall length, the 30ft. boat based upon the original Spearfish hull. Yachting Projects Limited is the wholly-owned yacht building subsidiary of Swordsman Marine and is also based at Hamble Point Marina.