Last updated at 09:30, Tuesday, 08 November 2011

HISTORY will almost be repeated at Coniston Records Week if Jim Noone gets his way.

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This week Mr Noone is hoping to test out the craft K777, which draws on the design of Donald Campbell’s ill-fated Bluebird K7, which sank on the lake in 1967.

He stressed that K777 was not a Bluebird replica.

Mr Noone, 53, said: “If you want to build a British jetboat and gather data for subsequently breaking the absolute speed record, then the design of Bluebird was a good place to start.

“It’s similar but it’s not meant to be an exact copy.

“This is not in any way a slur or saying anything bad to Donald Campbell or his family. It’s an absolute tribute.”

He said the D-type hydroplane configuration of the boat was the same, but other aspects, like its aluminium construction, were different from the steel Bluebird.

K777 is also a slightly different shade of blue.

Mr Noone said the last coat of paint had barely dried on the boat when it was transported to Coniston from Helical Technologies in Lytham-St-Annes, Lancashire, where it was built.

He said: “You only get one Records Week and we wanted to maximise the opportunity for it to run here.”

It will not be clear what speed the boat can achieve until it has been tested on the lake.

Helical and Mr Noone hope to use K777 as a “stepping-stone” towards designing a boat to break the world water speed record.

Mr Noone himself is no stranger to speed as a record-holding pilot used to travelling at over 150mph.

He said: “That’s pretty scary to be honest, but it’s also a great thrill. You have got to have your wits about you.”

Sadly, the wind had so far made it impossible to launch the boat.

Mr Noone said: “If you can see the leaves fluttering, then it’s too much.”

Although the wind has stopped some of the most powerful boats running this week, records of all kinds have still been set and broken.

One of the week’s record breakers was Nick Gilley, 47, from Southampton, who set a world record on Monday and then broke it yesterday in the Marathon E class, going at over 74mph.

A few ripples are no problem for Mr Gilley’s boat Swipewipes, which usually runs on rough seas off the South Coast.

He said: “It feels pretty slow on this lake. It’s so flat and smooth.”

Coniston Records Week chairman Alison Whalley said 30 competitors had gone to Coniston so far.

The event was growing as different classes of boat were added to the competition, she said.

She said: “Record breaking is seen as the pinnacle, it’s what people really aim for.

“Coniston is seen as the home of record breaking and the number of UK record holders is vastly increased wholly because of our event. We are very proud of that.”

First published at 09:30, Wednesday, 02 November 2011
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk