1. ***1 TICKET BACK ON SALE***

    High Speed Action on the Solent with RAF High Speed Launch, HSL 102 buzzing the Paddle Steamer Waverley, 15th September 2017
The Solent, 2 Channel Way, Southampton SO14 3TG

***1 TICKET BACK ON SALE***

High Speed Action on the Solent with RAF High Speed Launch, HSL 102 buzzing the Paddle Steamer Waverley, 15th September 2017

Fast exhilarating impact photography in the company of HSL102 the RAF’s high speed recovery launch and the Paddle Steamer Waverley cruising the Needles.

£125.00

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About this event

If you love high speed power boats and fast pace photography this is just what the doctor ordered! A session sailing out of Southampton to pick up HSL102 in the Solent before making our way toward Yarmouth and on to the Needles. During the trip we will join forces with the Paddle Steamer Waverley which will also be making her way out to the Needles. What could be better than two great vessels in open water with the iconic Isle of Wight Needles as a backdrop. This is going to be a real one off and possibly a highlight of 2017!

With a top speed of in excess of 30 knots HSL102 will astound you as her skipper puts her through her paces doing figures of eight around us while we try to catch our breath before the next dynamic pass. And if that wasn't enough for part of our journey we will join up with the iconic Waverley as she cruises the Solent West to the Needles. Once at the Needles we will ensure you get plenty of photo opportunities with HSL102 buzzing the white cliffs and of course the brightly painted red Lighthouse.

HSL 102, the only survivor of the 100 class in the UK, launched in 1936 and was one of the very first, fast offshore rescue boats in service with the Royal Air Force. She was one of the most technologically advanced production craft of the day, the brainchild of Hubert Scott-Paine. From his powerboat racing days, he developed the concept of fast planing 'hard chine' powerboats. He realised that boats which travelled over the surface of the water could travel more quickly and more efficiently than those which travelled through.

Of mahogany double-diagonal construction, she was powered by three Napier Sea Lion petrol engines. During the Battle of Britain, she was mostly based at Blyth, Northumberland. Her war service also included periods based on the Firth of Forth at Calshot. In two months in 1941, she rescued thirty-eight aircrew from the North Sea, including the crews of two German bombers. As a result, she was inspected by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in July 1941. When working off Calshot, she was damaged by a Messerschmitt 109 and her radio operator was killed. In 1943, she transferred to the Royal Navy for target towing, and paid off in 1946. She became a houseboat in Mill Creek at Darmouth and was in a sorry state when acquired for restoration. The extensive work needed was carried out by Powerboat Restorations at Fawley between 1993 and 1996. Three six-cylinder 420-bhp Cummins diesels were installed, giving a top speed of about 38knots.

On 5 July 1996, HSL 102 was relaunched at Fawley by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and was subsequently based at Lymington, Hampshire. In late 2009, she moved to Portsmouth following her acquisition by the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust, with the help of a grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

Our trip will see us leave Ocean Village Southampton at around 10.00 and make our way out to the open waters of the Solent where we will pick up HSL102 initially on her way up from Portsmouth. From here we will shadow her West towards Yarmouth and then on towards the Needles. We also intend to take in the famous Hurst Castle and the old flying boat buildings at Calshot.

To complete the storyboard there will be 2 or 3 RAF Personnel on board 102, happy to have just been rescued from the waters icy cold Solent.

Our photo boat for the trip is Anchorman, skippered by Dave Mumford. Dave is our regular skipper when on the Solent and as well as being a very experienced sailor his boat a catamaran offers the perfect platform for photography, with its large flat rear deck. It also has the capability of keeping up with HSL102 with a top speed of 28 knots. 

This event will be limited to 11 photographers due to insurance, hence the price being slightly higher than our usual pricing policy.

Event cost £125.00 per person. 

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