Ben Fogle to showcase the Spectre 32R at the London On-Water show

TV personality Ben Fogle and powerboat racer Tom Montgomery-Swan will be showcasing the Spectre 32R at the London On-Water show in June. The pair will race the boat later this year in an attempt to set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the British Isles by sea.

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5 April 2017

TV personality Ben Fogle will be at this year’s London On-Water show at St Katharine Docks, along with the Spectre 32R.

This is the powerboat that Fogle and veteran racer, Tom Montgomery-Swan, will be using to try and set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the British Isles by sea.

The pair plan to complete the 2,000 mile non-stop challenge in under 60 hours.

The Spectre 32R is raced by SUNUS Ocean Racing, their factory offshore powerboat team.

Both Fogle and Montgomery-Swan will be at London On-Water 2017 to show visitors the boat.

For more details on the London On-Water 2017 click here.

 

13 January 2017

This summer, television personality Ben Fogle and powerboat racing veteran Tom Montgomery-Swan will attempt to set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the British Isles by sea.

The pair have a goal of finishing the 2,000 mile non-stop challenge in under 60 hours. The current record stands at 72 hours and 27 minutes.

Ben Fogle and Tom Montgomery-Swan will be attempting the record in a Spectre Boats International 32R, which is raced by SUNUS Ocean Racing, their factory offshore powerboat team.

Ben Fogle

Ben Fogle. Credit: You Tube

Powered by two supercharged Mercury Racing Verado 400hp engines, the 32R is one of the most powerful outboard race boats in the UK.

The crew will have to power through no sleep or rest while at the wheel of the boat in order to have any chance of smashing the record.

Organisers say it is the equivalent of three Les Mans 24-hour car races back-to-back.

The route will include mainland Britain, Ireland and remote islands, a total distance of just over 2,000 miles.

The Spectre 32R, which is on display at the London Boat Show, is capable of speeds of 100mph.

It recently broke two national speed records on Coniston Water, being awarded Donald Campbell’s Silver Star.

The boat represents the very latest in marine design, using the most fuel efficient and emission friendly performance engines.

The boat too incorporates the well proven racing hull which lowers fuel consumption by effective hydrodynamic design.

The record breaking voyage will also give the team at Spectre Boats International the chance to work on its green technology development, testing natural fibre composites from Flax fibres, rather than traditional non eco-friendly synthetic carbon fibres.

The Spectre 32R is the same boat which was driven by Tom Montgomery-Swan, known as Monty Swan, for the Amazon series, The Grand Tour featuring the former BBC Top Gear presenters.

The boat was involved in episode 3 of Jeremy Clarkson’s show where with Richard Hammond onboard, the 800HP, 32-foot race machine disturbed the peace of Venice, and, with its wake, purposefully threw Clarkson and May into the water.

As well as attempting to break the record, Ben Fogle and Tom Montgomery-Swan will also be raising awareness of stillbirth, and funds to help affected families.

Both men have lost their sons as a result of stillbirth.

Ben Fogle is no stranger to life on the high seas.

A midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve, he served as an University Royal Navy Unit (URNU) officer on HMS Blazer.

Partnered by Olympic rower James Cracknell, Fogle came second in the pairs division of the 2005–2006 Atlantic Rowing Race in “Spirit of EDF Energy”.

Ben Fogle and James Cracknell rowing the Atlantic

Ben Fogle and James Cracknell. Credit: You Tube

The highs and lows of the competition were screen in the BBC series, Through Hell and High Water.

Ben Fogle has also produced films about naval history and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), and appears on Countryfile on BBC One.