The Powerboat P1 calendar was released some time ago and is found in the event calendar on our website. The start takes place in Split, Croatia 16th-18th of April. Then the boats go to Yalta in Ukraine for the next battle on the 7th -9th of May. The series continues in Istanbul, Turkey 11-13th of June and in Cascais, Portugal 9-11th of July. The boats then move north to Gothenburg and Sweden for the races on the 6-8th of August while the Powerboat P1 finale will take place in Sicily, Italy 17-19th of September

The racing calendar for Class-1 has just been announced and there are a few interesting things about that. First of all there is a race in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil which is organized by old time racer Eike Battista. For the guys who have grown out of their kids shorts they’ll remember him as the guy who raced Spirit of the Amazon in the Superboat class in the US in the early 1990’s. And now the time has come to stage a Class-1 race in Brazil. This will be the season opener and the dates are 26-28th of March. Then there is a reserve date in June with the Norwegian GP in Arendal held mid July (16-18) as usual. The other interesting thing is the race in Sweden’s Uddevalla from the 6-8th of August. This is in fact the same weekend as the Powerboat P1 guys are racing some 25 miles further south in Gothenburg….. And the P1 calender has been up for the last month or so. I thought that the point would be to get people to watch boatracing not to get the different series competing against each other for getting spectators. And if that was not enough, Sweden’s oldest boatrace or at least the one with the most heritage, Roslagsloppet is taking place the same!!! weekend.....

I don’t get it. But of course boat-racing interested Swedes will have a great choice of options for that weekend.

What are we gonna do? Roslagsloppet, P1 or Class-1…..
I thought people talked a little but seemingly neither the local organizers nor P1, Class-1 not even the guys in the UIM seem to getting together talking about doing something that will only do the sport good.

Anyway; Constanta Romania will host a race 27-29th of August while Stresa in Italy will take care of the round 1-3rd of October.

Then it’s off to Saudi Arabia and a race 27-29th of October which is yet to be confirmed. Abu Dhabi will stage a race 18-20th of November while Dubai will organize the Grand Finale 9-11th of December.

June Reserve date
16-18 July NORWEGIAN GP - Arendal
6-8 August SWEDISH GP - Uddevalla
27-29 August ROMANIAN GP - Constanta
1-3 October ITALIAN GP - Stresa
27-29 October SAUDI ARABIAN GP - Jeddah (tbc)
18 -20 November ABU DHABI GP - Abu Dhabi
9-11    December DUBAI GP - Dubai

Hull Number 15850: Hull and superstructure now united.

Besides working on a 47m and a 50m, Heesen Yachts has just announced the joining of the superstructure to the hull of construction number 15850, the second yacht in the new 5000 class.

S&P/Photos: Dick Holthuis

This 50m semi-displacement motor yacht is one of the few vessels of this length available with a Gross Tonnage of below 500GT. Thanks to her sleek, hard-chine hull shape, whose lines were conceived by Heesen’s in-house naval architects, and her pair of MTU 16V 4000 M90 diesels, she will reach the remarkable maximum speed of 23 Knots.
Her exterior design, featuring a pelican-beak bow and negative sheer –recognisable features of Heesen-built motor yachts – is the result of the collaboration between Heesen’s in-house Design and Development team and Frank Laupman of Omega Architects.
Delivery is scheduled for 2011.

You’ll find more news from Heesen in Speed & Pleasure magazine, in the store soon.
More info: www.heesenyachts.nl

A new tough one from HARLEY-DAVIDSON - the FORTY-EIGHT

I know a lot of you guys who are interested in fast boats, yachts and cool automobiles also are interested in motorcycles, and here comes a funky new ride from Harley-Davidson called the Forty-Eight™.

“With its classic bulldog shoulders stance, the Forty-Eight strikes a distinctive look and low profile that could only come from Harley-Davidson,” said Ray Drea, Harley-Davidson Senior Director of Styling. “The Forty-Eight has a collective past life experience and broken-in look that is raw and authentic.”  

As a Harley-Davidson Custom, the Forty-Eight is ready to ride as a radical custom and also primed to take on its rider’s character and personality.

being laid by military veterans, swaggering greasers and anyone else with a gritty garage.Sportsters became an iron canvas for many legendary choppers of that hot rod era and beyond.

Lying low from tyre-to-tyre, the Forty-Eight showcases more of its black 1200 Evolution V-Twin engine with polished accents and other components with a clean look highlighted by the traditional peanut fuel tank, small solo seat and lightening holes in the backbone mounting bracket. The Forty-Eight has more than just custom cool styling with the smooth ride on new front fork sliders and slammed rear suspension. Both the 90mm front and the fat 150 mm rear tyre ride on Black Steel Laced wheels.With Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) and a broad torque curve, the Forty-Eight delivers a powerfully responsive ride with smooth clutch effort. The chrome, staggered shorty dual muffler pounds out the distinctive Harley-Davidson American V-Twin sound.

The Forty-Eight embraces the street up front with forward foot controls, low profile custom handlebar, under-bar mounted mirrors, fork-mounted turn signals, slammed speedometer mounting bracket and lightened fork brace. A unique dual texture solo seat fits the lone rider, while a passenger pillion, footpegs and backrest are some of the many accessories that can be added.

From the Colombo shipyard comes this 26 cruiser that will also for sure make a nice tender for bigger yachts. It is the first one out of a new line of exclusive crafts from the small boatbuilder close to the Como Lake in Italy. It’s a big little boat because it offers everything you may desire in a limited space to spend pleasantly your time on board. From earlier on we know that the Colombo yard makes some nice stuff and the 26 Bellagio shouldn’t be any different in that way mixing materials and colors in a great way.

The stern is closed by an electric door that transforms into a swimming platform that doubles as a gangway when boarding. There is a sofa, a wet bar and a refrigerator.
The seat next to the pilot’s features an adjustable backrest that permits to sit counter march to practice water skiing sport. The aft sun pad is perfectly made, so that the cushions contribute to make the livery of the motorboat magnificent.
Out front under the deck you’ll find a cabin with a king size bed and bathroom making the Bellagio unique.
Like on the old wooden boats of the right type, teak and mahogany are used for the deck and gunwales, while a painted line decorates the sides of the hull which with their cream colour give a noble elegance to the model.
In addition to style and elegance the 26 Bellagio possesses all the seaworthiness of Giacomo Colombo boats, the guys comparing her with a modern sportscar. With twin Volvo Penta 5.0 GXI 270 hp engines she runs 40+ knots with a cruising speed of 36.

Dimensions and technical data
Construction material: fibreglass
Decorations: teak e mahogany shiny varnished
Length o.a.: 7,48 m
Beam: 2,47 m
Dry displacement: 2150 kg
Fuel tank capacity: 265 l
Fresh water tank capacity: 70 l
Engines: Volvo Penta 5.0 Gxi DP 270 hp
Speed: 40 knots
People on board: 8
CE omologation: B

London-based, Powerboat P1 Management Ltd. announced today it plans to export its successful powerboat racing series to the United States with the formation of a North American subsidiary, Powerboat P1 USA. "The United States market is critical to any multi-national company involved in motorsports marketing," said Asif Rangoonwala, Chairman of Powerboat P1. "We view participation in the USA as an essential element in our growth as a World Championship and as a business."

Powerboat P1 has spent the last two years in the US market developing awareness of the unique opportunities and format provided by Powerboat P1.  Series organizers have also been researching possible racing venues to add to the Powerboat P1 World Championship, which has held events on three continents, all sanctioned by the international governing body, the Union Internationiale Motonautique (UIM).
With the recent evolution of powerboat racing in the USA, Powerboat P1 determined that its considerable resources and unique racing format could best be used to help refine the sport in North America, sanctioning with the USA representative to the UIM, the American Powerboat Association (APBA).
"The APBA represents 107 years of powerboat racing heritage, and is the oldest powerboat federation in the UIM," said Rangoonwala.  "The APBA provides a high level of credibility to the sport, and we look forward to producing world class events with its sanctioning."
In December, APBA President, Mark Weber, hosted a meeting at the APBA headquarters in Eastpointe, MI, where he invited all of the US organizations to attend and discuss the future of the sport.  The outcome was a positive exchange, where APBA expressed its desire to embrace offshore racing and bring the sport back together under a common national and internationally-recognized entity. 
A central theme of the meeting included a sentiment that the autonomy and individual identities of the current racing series are important to maintain. However, the credibility and growth of the sport would still rely on a single governing body that can offer prestige and heritage, internationally-recognized records and titles, as well as APBA "Hall of Champions" recognition and speed record validation.  Due to the size of the US market, the existing regional-based series' could operate under a single national authority [APBA], just as the individual national federations operate with the UIM as the international authority.

The Powerboat P1 USA events will build on the very effective "power to weight ratio" format that has been utilized throughout the European series.  Initial plans for the P1 USA series include three v-bottom classes.  Powerboat P1 USA would then represent a sub-set of other existing classes offered within the APBA offshore category, focusing on a limited number of classes for the Powerboat P1 USA Continental Championship.
The initial two-year plan includes intentions to work with the existing organizations in 2010 to more fully develop their regional races, laying the groundwork for joint productions of key race events in 2011. Powerboat P1 USA will also work on a focused marketing and promotional campaign to inform potential teams, venues and sponsors of the opportunities and value that a Powerboat P1 event generates on a global scale; but, stresses that it is striving for strong relationships with all of the current racing organizations and event producers.
"Powerboat P1 brings a respected level of professionalism to a series within the APBA," said Weber. "As an APBA sanctioned series, it will enhance the event value to local producers and to our current organizations."

"With strong regional organizations running their local series and hosting specific P1 USA series events, there's an opportunity for a genuine unification of the sport here that the vast majority of the racers support," said Powerboat P1 USA Director of North American Operations, Martin Sanborn.  "APBA has been the backbone of powerboating in the US for over 100 years, and it represents the credibility and consistency that offshore powerboat racing needs to finally bring the sport together with common purpose and internationally-compatible rules," he added.

Luxury motor yacht manufacturer, Fairline Boats has recently appointed Delta Boat Center B.V to resume and continue all sales and full service activities of former dealer, Brielle Yachting B.V. which built a strong reputation throughout the Netherlands and in Belgium during its years in operation. The new dealer, trading as Fairline Nederland, is located at the existing showroom in Marina Port Zélande, Netherlands..

"Our experienced sales and service team will offer the best possible service to all existing and potential Fairline boat owners, who have their boat located in the Netherlands or along the Belgium coastline," says Jelle Van Dijk, a Director of the new Fairline Nederland dealership.
Jelle Van Dijk has over 30 years experience within the marine industry and was previously a Fairline dealer for the region. Jelle returns to the Fairline dealer network with his son, Menno, who joins the sales and management team at Fairline Nederland. Amongst the strong sales and service team includes several members from the former dealer representing Fairline in the Netherlands and Belgium. Dutch, German and English language is spoken by the team.
A selection of Fairline motor yachts are available for viewing in the two-story Fairline Nederland showroom with on-site servicing facility, situated at the well-known Marina Port Zélande, Ouddorp (Zeeland), the Netherlands.
The Fairline Nederland team will also be on hand at the Fairline stand (E61 in Hall 6) throughout boot Düsseldorf (23rd - 27th January 2010).
For more infomation click here

Italian shipyard Absolute has a new model in the making. The new Fly will be launched in September 2010 during the autumn Boat Shows.
One of these boats is the Absolute 50 Fly – 16.20 m length and 4.65 m width.

This model will distinguish itself thanks to the Absolute mark both in the special design, innovative solutions, on-board comfort, and in its performance.The upper deck, a luxury living area designed to share moments of relaxation with friends features great brightness

offered by its wide windows and opening portholes.
The bow area is accessible from the cockpit and has a wide sunbathing area with adjusting backs.
The Fly was designed with the same philosophy, furnished with a comfortable dinette with a table and a special area for sun-lovers who like staying with friends.
The left side of the lower deck hosts the style-refined and functional galley, with a spacious free surface and a large fridge.
The night area is made up of 3 cabins with valuable-material furniture and refined stylistic devices.
The master cabin found in the bow is equipped with wide windows and a private toilet.
The VIP cabin features a double bed placed in the middle of the room easily accessible from both sides. The side windows allow extreme brightness to this wide cabin.
The third cabin offers two single beds, one near the other, and is enlightened thanks to the wide wall windows.
A second and roomy toilet with its shower for daily use is located in the area near the stairs accessing the lower deck.
The comfort onboard the Absolute 50 Fly is also granted by providing the boat with a crew cabin, a hydraulic platform aft and a Hard Top on the Fly, when required.
The motorization is another important element of comfort, both for the absence of fumes and for low noise emission, as well as for the reduced consumption. The 50can be equipped with 2 or 3 Volvo Penta IPS600 engines with the triple installation allowing sports performance.
For more information click here