A JERSEY crew were due to leave St Helier this weekend at the start of a bid to break a new long-distance speed record.
The sleek powerboat Thunder Child II, which was one of the star attractions at last month’s Barclays Jersey Boat Show, is being lined up for a high-speed run from London to Monaco.
Jersey-based owner Nick Ogden hopes to set another record for the 23-metre powerboat, having established a new mark for the crossing from Cork to Jersey last month, covering the 280-nautical-mile stretch in just under nine hours.
Mr Ogden will be accompanied by three other Islanders: his son Alex, Ben Dandridge and Max Strong, with Tristan Mortlock completing the crew and broadcasting footage of the journey via his ‘superyachtcaptain’ social-media sites.
Thunder Child 2 at the Jersey Boat Show..Picture: DAVID FERGUSON. (33860074)
The crew were due to travel to London yesterday and moor at St Katherine Docks, near Tower Bridge, until setting out for the run to Monaco on Wednesday morning, from which point they will reach speeds of up to 54 knots.
Spanning several days – the exact time being the subject of a prediction competition to raise money for two charities – the trip of around 2,100 nautical miles requires stamina and extensive planning. Mr Ogden said the journey was likely to require four fueling stops, starting in either Jersey or Guernsey and then heading to La Coruna and Cadiz in Spain and one of the Balearic Islands. He said: ‘The clock won’t be stopping when we are fuelling, so it’s a military schedule – ten minutes for each of us to use the shower and get some hot food, which isn’t something we can do while we’re underway.’
The bid to set a new record for the distance will be monitored by the governing body of powerboat racing, the Union Internationale Motonautique, and Thunder Child will also be carrying a letter from the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Right Hon Vincent Keaveny , addressed to HRH Prince Albert of Monaco.
The competition attached to the mission is open to all via the website 54knots.com and offers the chance for the winner to travel to Monaco for two nights and go for a spin on Thunder Child II. Entrants need to predict the exact time for the journey , with each entry costing £10 and all the proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.
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