Chasing The Horizon

One man's account of the 2008 Round Britain Powerboat Race.
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About The Book                        
Chasing The Horizon describes the author's adventures on the offshore endurance race of the century- the 2008 Round Britain Powerboat Race. Over the course of ten gruelling days, Derek joins five very different teams as they battle each other and the sea in an epic marathon, spending up to six hours a day crashing across the waves, pushing their boats and bodies to their very limits.
 
The original plan was simple enough- Derek was invited to join Team Silverline on board their Buzzi-designed FB42 for the entire 1400 mile race. To make sure he was up to the challenge he flew out to Italy where they were competing in the P1 Powerboat championship, and joined them for a few practise laps. After haring around at 85 miles per hour for a while it was decided that he passed the test- next stop, Portsmouth!
 
Of course, these things never run smoothly- especially not for the author. When Team Silverline decided they'd rather have their top engineer along instead, Derek was forced to beg another team for a seat on their boat- just 12 hours before the start...
 
...which he somehow pulled off, only for his new ride to damage a prop on the start line. And as the rest of the fleet thundered westwards towards Plymouth, he and his new crewmates limped back into port to effect repairs.
 
That set the tone for the ensuing ten days, with catastrophes and calamities tripping the author up left, right and centre. But somehow Derek beat the odds, and despite sinkings, emergency airlifts and police boardings, he managed to do what only a handful of people have ever managed- he completed the Round Britain Powerboat Race intact!
 
 
Informative, funny, and always brutally honest, Chasing The Horizon captures the chaotic essence of what it's really like to take part in one of the most gruelling and demanding offshore powerboat races the world has ever seen.
 
About The Author     
Derek Wynans was born in Holland, raised in Scotland, and at the age of 36 still hasn't quite grown up. Over the years he's done whatever it takes to provide for himself and his wife: he's fished for sharks in Portugal, trained as a marine engineer in Rotterdam, qualified as a mechanic in Cambridge and has spent years working in bars.
 
In 2007 he decided to turn his hand to writing, and after submitting a piece to MotorBoat & Yachting magazine he was delighted to be offered freelance work- proving that there are still some Editors out there willing to take on fresh blood!
Since then he's written well over twenty articles and features for the magazine, but as a freelance writer he can't afford to rest on his laurels- he's constantly on the look-out for the next exciting job.
 
If you're looking to commission a freelance writer with a preference for an unusual or challenging story, why not drop him a line? See the Contact page for details. 
 About The Photographer

Chris Davies is an award-winning photographer with twenty-two years experience. Chris has travelled the world in order to capture some of the most stunning, evocative images of a wide variety of powerboats. From Class One to Zapcat racing, his pictures have been used in a host of highly-respected publications worldwide. 

 

Check out some of his amazing images and find out more about the man behind the shots at www.powerboatpix.co.uk