Full Pelt resurrected

Lynsey Thomas talks to Pete Newlands about Steve Mellors' ambitious plans for the 28-foot speed machine

The resurrection of the 28-foot catamaran Full Pelt is almost complete, and now her owner Steve Mellors and crew are developing their strategies to be first boat home in the Hoya Round the Island Race.
Full Pelt already has the third fastest time in the race over the last decade, and has been clocked at 32 knots on Lake Geneva. With developments having been made to the mast and the sails things are certainly looking promising - if not a little scary.

The race is set to begin at 0800 on 16 June 2001, when Steve Mellors of Tropical Engineering and a small team of intrepid multihull experts will commence their charge around the Isle of Wight on the Formula 28 ProX catamaran, Full Pelt.. Their dream is to win the annual 50 nautical mile race and grasp the elusive record.

The basis for their aspirations is the unrivalled power-to-weight ratio of this Jo Richards-designed and built craft, driven by new sails and a lighter carbon wing mast. Pete Newlands, a member of the team, commented on the developments: "The main changes have been made to the mast and the sails. Steve has a massive amount of knowledge and experience and the new mast looks absolutely gorgeous. With the sails, if you look at the boat in comparison to a Firebird (a cat of similar size) the upgrade is huge - the upwind sail area is double and the downwind area is triple."

Previously clocking boat speeds of twice the wind speed this cat will delight in duelling with speedster 'Goliaths' such as the 90' Leopard 2000, the J class Velsheda, 80' IACC and maxi boats, 60' trimarans plus 120' catamarans fresh back from The Race.

With a previous PY number of 45 she supports designer Jo Richards' claim of being twice the speed of the Olympic Tornado catamaran (sport version is 99) and is certainly capable of a place in the history books. The PlayStation and Club 24 hour straight-line records of around 650 nautical miles average an incredible 27 miles per hour.

Newlands commented on the speed of the boat and how hard they would be able to push her: "We have spoken to Jo Richards about how fast we will be able to go. During the race I think we will be a lot better in light winds, it's better to feel in control rather than teetering on the edge." When asked if he was at all scared about racing her, Newlands added: "There is certainly an element of apprehension, the real test will be when we go for the Round the Island record."

Should this diminutive grand prix racer beat the estimated 12,000 crew on 1,800 other boats around the Island then Mellors and Newlands will have grins as wide as their pocket catamaran.