Bluebird K7 Latest
Discussion
Fully acknowledge that these threads don’t last very long..
And I understand why, so apologies to mods in advance if it’s going to head the same way again.
I wonder what’s gone on here? I’ve been following this story for a very long time.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/lake-distric...
And I understand why, so apologies to mods in advance if it’s going to head the same way again.
I wonder what’s gone on here? I’ve been following this story for a very long time.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/lake-distric...
The boat as it currently stands minus the engine (which is not owned by either party) is going whole to The Ruskin Museum as per the original, and only, contract. The Museum have replacement engines in hand and engineers standing ready, and intend to run the boat on Coniston water in the fullness of time.
Gentleman,
To be totally honest, I’m not exactly sure where I sit with this whole saga. An emotive one for myself.
I live very close to Coniston, I vividly remember being taken to the water as a very young boy and my father explaining to me about a very special person who had tried to break the WWSR and died in the process.
It didn’t mean a lot at the time, but as time moved on it did - I was fascinated.
A few days before my old man died (suddenly) he gave me an autograph book he’d had since, being a young man himself. Dad and grandad used to go up and spectate and grabbed the opportunity.
It only has two pages of signatures: DC, Leo and a few others from the team at the time. It’s my most valued possession.
My house has a number of framed Arthur Benjamin’s prints of DC in K7 at Coniston.
Such a charismatic and patriotic man DC, and incredibly courageous - you don’t see many like him anymore unfortunately. To me DC was a different calibre altogether.
And then the boat was recovered, a difficult one to digest from a moral perspective.
I remember the words of the salvage leader at the time talking on a documentary, I think talking to Gina. ‘ Technology will advance and someone else will find it’ this was over 20 years ago. Technology has leapt immeasurably- and e bay!
At this point I can’t resist being critical that both parties didn’t ensure some form of realistic and binding contracts going forwards - it was extremely woolly from what I’ve read and watched from the onset. I can appreciate that from both sides of the argument .
I can totally appreciate that the salvager has invested his heart and soul into this project, and a huge personal expense .
In my own honest opinion / emotion: I could feel the hairs prick up on the back of my neck when I saw Bluebird running again on Loch Faad. Admittedly, it was a bit harum scarem at times.
But imagine you were the guy that had done all that work? Recovered the Skippers body.Twenty years of restoration ?l ( after the salvage) Just to see it running again, an absolutely iconic piece of engineering ,that the most famous UK Record Breaker ever last sat in.
I know from what I have read, over the the years many years. From what has been posted on on here: ‘ it should have been left on the bottom’.
It would have been stripped of bits and flogged on eBay to the highest bidder. No recognition to the captain .
And it would.
Sacrilege
I really hope both parties have come to a satisfactory compromise.
Gents, what do reckon?
To be totally honest, I’m not exactly sure where I sit with this whole saga. An emotive one for myself.
I live very close to Coniston, I vividly remember being taken to the water as a very young boy and my father explaining to me about a very special person who had tried to break the WWSR and died in the process.
It didn’t mean a lot at the time, but as time moved on it did - I was fascinated.
A few days before my old man died (suddenly) he gave me an autograph book he’d had since, being a young man himself. Dad and grandad used to go up and spectate and grabbed the opportunity.
It only has two pages of signatures: DC, Leo and a few others from the team at the time. It’s my most valued possession.
My house has a number of framed Arthur Benjamin’s prints of DC in K7 at Coniston.
Such a charismatic and patriotic man DC, and incredibly courageous - you don’t see many like him anymore unfortunately. To me DC was a different calibre altogether.
And then the boat was recovered, a difficult one to digest from a moral perspective.
I remember the words of the salvage leader at the time talking on a documentary, I think talking to Gina. ‘ Technology will advance and someone else will find it’ this was over 20 years ago. Technology has leapt immeasurably- and e bay!
At this point I can’t resist being critical that both parties didn’t ensure some form of realistic and binding contracts going forwards - it was extremely woolly from what I’ve read and watched from the onset. I can appreciate that from both sides of the argument .
I can totally appreciate that the salvager has invested his heart and soul into this project, and a huge personal expense .
In my own honest opinion / emotion: I could feel the hairs prick up on the back of my neck when I saw Bluebird running again on Loch Faad. Admittedly, it was a bit harum scarem at times.
But imagine you were the guy that had done all that work? Recovered the Skippers body.Twenty years of restoration ?l ( after the salvage) Just to see it running again, an absolutely iconic piece of engineering ,that the most famous UK Record Breaker ever last sat in.
I know from what I have read, over the the years many years. From what has been posted on on here: ‘ it should have been left on the bottom’.
It would have been stripped of bits and flogged on eBay to the highest bidder. No recognition to the captain .
And it would.
Sacrilege
I really hope both parties have come to a satisfactory compromise.
Gents, what do reckon?
Jim H said:
I really hope both parties have come to a satisfactory compromise.
Gents, what do reckon?
The fact that Billy's not a happy bunny is to be rejoiced, I think. He brought it on himself.Gents, what do reckon?
Let's not pretend he'd have backed down if he saw even the slightest hope of legal success, and he's not even trying to spin it as though he's achieved any sort of compromise deal.
statement on the BBP website said:
Enough is Enough
As the news is out we'd best say something.
When we returned from Bute in 2018 we had dates to run on Coniston Water for the following year. We had a boat that, though unfinished in many ways, certainly worked, and we had a very polished team to go with it. 2019 should have been a triumph but instead it was cancelled by the group responsible for arranging the Coniston side of things.
We suggested a return to Bute that year to keep the momentum while we continued to work on the boat but the museum didn't want to know.
The agreement was always that we would build a fully working boat and as we realised that audacious plan it was further agreed that we would take care of the machine and our team would display it on water going forwards into the future.
Sadly, as of the end of 2018, it became clear that the Ruskin Museum had no intention of keeping its side of the bargain despite our every effort to agree a compromise and last year they took the wholly unnecessary step of issuing court proceedings. A phone call and a meeting would have sufficed.
However, we viewed this as a good thing because lawyers are very good at taking the passion out of everything and boiling it down to simple principles and as the benefits of a working relationship between the parties were blindingly obvious to all but a few we had high hopes that with high legal minds at work we could forge that new relationship.
Indeed, we honestly believed that such a process was moving forward until a flurry of activity on social media in mid January laid bare the fact that the museum had no intention of engaging with that either and so we had to ask ourselves some serious questions.
We could have easily burned through another year but to what end? Without the will to compromise and form a new working relationship we would have an uphill slog to complete even the smallest of tasks and we had to ask whether we wanted to put ourselves through it. In the end, and after much reflection the answer was no.
So now that beautiful machine that will currently start at the push of a button and could run on water tomorrow will have her innards removed and be waved off to whatever fate awaits her while the BBP family have another project ready to come into the workshop where history was made.
No doubt a few will see this as a victory of some sort but as hollow victories go you would have to look a long way to find a better example and the reality is that it is a loss for everyone involved and those watching from afar.
We are sorry to all of those people who would have loved to have seen the BBP team run K7 on the water these past few years and especially to those older folks who now never will.
As the news is out we'd best say something.
When we returned from Bute in 2018 we had dates to run on Coniston Water for the following year. We had a boat that, though unfinished in many ways, certainly worked, and we had a very polished team to go with it. 2019 should have been a triumph but instead it was cancelled by the group responsible for arranging the Coniston side of things.
We suggested a return to Bute that year to keep the momentum while we continued to work on the boat but the museum didn't want to know.
The agreement was always that we would build a fully working boat and as we realised that audacious plan it was further agreed that we would take care of the machine and our team would display it on water going forwards into the future.
Sadly, as of the end of 2018, it became clear that the Ruskin Museum had no intention of keeping its side of the bargain despite our every effort to agree a compromise and last year they took the wholly unnecessary step of issuing court proceedings. A phone call and a meeting would have sufficed.
However, we viewed this as a good thing because lawyers are very good at taking the passion out of everything and boiling it down to simple principles and as the benefits of a working relationship between the parties were blindingly obvious to all but a few we had high hopes that with high legal minds at work we could forge that new relationship.
Indeed, we honestly believed that such a process was moving forward until a flurry of activity on social media in mid January laid bare the fact that the museum had no intention of engaging with that either and so we had to ask ourselves some serious questions.
We could have easily burned through another year but to what end? Without the will to compromise and form a new working relationship we would have an uphill slog to complete even the smallest of tasks and we had to ask whether we wanted to put ourselves through it. In the end, and after much reflection the answer was no.
So now that beautiful machine that will currently start at the push of a button and could run on water tomorrow will have her innards removed and be waved off to whatever fate awaits her while the BBP family have another project ready to come into the workshop where history was made.
No doubt a few will see this as a victory of some sort but as hollow victories go you would have to look a long way to find a better example and the reality is that it is a loss for everyone involved and those watching from afar.
We are sorry to all of those people who would have loved to have seen the BBP team run K7 on the water these past few years and especially to those older folks who now never will.
Edited by Equus on Friday 9th February 14:33
In that statement he is still making out that there was an agreement for him to continue to operate the boat.
There was not.
This.
There was not.
Equus said:
The fact that Billy's not a happy bunny is to be rejoiced, I think. He brought it on himself.
^^^^This.
Edited by PinkTornado on Friday 9th February 14:42
He's just plain lying now "will have her innards removed and be waved off to whatever fate awaits her"
3rd engine for the boat at the museum and running on the water - https://ruskinmuseum.com/a-third-jet-engine-donate...
“This donation is a great example of the support the Museum is receiving from many people and organisations. We are extremely grateful to those who have made this donation in addition to the original gift of the two 803 type Orpheus engines. To have these, alongside the ancillaries and spare parts is amazing and will help us to get Bluebird K7 back in the Museum and hopefully back on Coniston Water under her own power all the faster once we secure physical possession.”
3rd engine for the boat at the museum and running on the water - https://ruskinmuseum.com/a-third-jet-engine-donate...
“This donation is a great example of the support the Museum is receiving from many people and organisations. We are extremely grateful to those who have made this donation in addition to the original gift of the two 803 type Orpheus engines. To have these, alongside the ancillaries and spare parts is amazing and will help us to get Bluebird K7 back in the Museum and hopefully back on Coniston Water under her own power all the faster once we secure physical possession.”
Gents,
It’s just bloody sad isn’t it.
What a mess?
I’ve had my heroes in F1 - too bloody many.
But DC will never be replaced.
An absolute legends accomplishment being brought into this is.
I’d love to see Bluebird charging down Coniston at full chat. But somehow, I don’t want to. That was the end of the affair DC smashed over 300 on his first run.
He was only going to go faster ( in on his own head) it should have been left at that..
Only he knew. He had the throttle wide open when he passed the measured marker, and he kept commenting to the end.
A very brave man.
It’s just bloody sad isn’t it.
What a mess?
I’ve had my heroes in F1 - too bloody many.
But DC will never be replaced.
An absolute legends accomplishment being brought into this is.
I’d love to see Bluebird charging down Coniston at full chat. But somehow, I don’t want to. That was the end of the affair DC smashed over 300 on his first run.
He was only going to go faster ( in on his own head) it should have been left at that..
Only he knew. He had the throttle wide open when he passed the measured marker, and he kept commenting to the end.
A very brave man.
Very true I was shocked at the audacity of the man that when the wreckage was hauled out from the lake he was standing on the edge of it like some triumphant hero! This was the machine that a heroic figure was killed in, he should have been nowhere near the damn thing as it was brought back to the land I found that deeply disrespectful honestly.
the lack of respect shown at that moment gives you all the insight you need into the man, and I am glad that this stupid, egotisical man has hopefully seen sense and admitted he has done enough damn damage.
This is about a man, his almost demonic obsession and a fabulous era of record setting not about some two bit diver who has very much muddied the waters about the Campbell's since they time he got involved.
the lack of respect shown at that moment gives you all the insight you need into the man, and I am glad that this stupid, egotisical man has hopefully seen sense and admitted he has done enough damn damage.
This is about a man, his almost demonic obsession and a fabulous era of record setting not about some two bit diver who has very much muddied the waters about the Campbell's since they time he got involved.
Jim H said:
What a mess?
The mess was created by one man, and one man alone.ChocolateFrog said:
He comes across as very bitter in that letter/post.
the BBP diary said:
Without the will to compromise and form a new working relationship...
Certainly no recognition that it was one man's pig-headedness, lack of honesty, inability to compromise - not to mention his puerile name-calling directed at anyone who didn't see things his way (the Lottery Commission, LDNPA, the Ruskin, and eventually very personal attacks on members of the Campbell family) - that destroyed original working relationships in the first place, and did so beyond any chance of recovery.Edited by Equus on Friday 9th February 15:27
Jim H said:
A very brave man.
One of many equally brave men on land, sea and in the air who pushed it just one degree too far into the unknown.PinkTornado said:
It is more than high time that people started talking about Donald Campbell again, and not Bill b****y Smith.
Hear hear. Every time K7 is mentioned the rock-throwers pop up and the thread is closed.Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff