Donald Campbell and the Bluebird K7

[Supernova]

I’m sure you know that the Bluebird K7 is the very machine that Donald Campbell broke the world water speed record with before dying tragically on Coniston Water in the Lake District in 1967.

What you possibly won't know is that Marillion wrote a song called  “Out of this World” about Bluebird and a gentleman named Bill Smith, having heard Marillion’s song spent some years searching for and successfully finding the Bluebird K7 and Donald’s remains at the bottom of the lake in 2001.

Bill spent more than a decade restoring Bluebird to fully-operational condition and successfully returned her to the water on the Isle of Bute in 2018 where she was run up to a speed of 157 mph.

Bluebird K7 and Bill are up for Classic Boat Magazine’s award for the outstanding restoration of a powered water vessel.

If you have the inclination to vote for this wonderful piece of history and have the time to click a finger, it's free to vote and it would be awesome to win an award for the Bluebird and for Bill Smith.

TYIA

The link is here:

http://profiles.responsemail.co.uk/linktrack.php?pf=maril&l=14&cid=645&esid=22278861&url=http%3A%2F%2Fawards.classicboat.co.uk%2Frestored-powered-vessel-under-40ft-12-2m%2F


The link to a YouTube video showing Donald and Bluebird in preparation for the event and ultimately the tragic event itself along with the Marillion Song - Tighty look away now (!) - which inspired the quest to find Bluebird and Donald's body is here:

https://youtu.be/n3ftZfB-VNQ


It would be fantastic for Bill to get this award. Yes you need to validate you are a real person  etc but please don't sign up for the mailing list! Thank you to those of you who vote x

[booder]

Done

[Dewi_cool]

Done

[Supernova]

Thank you for voting! I'll let you know if he wins it.

[Supernova]

Bluebird Won! With 2,224 votes, Bluebird is, by a perhaps unassailable margin, the most popular winner in Classic Boat Awards history.  That really is Out of this World 

Restored Powered Vessel Under 40ft - BLUEBIRD K7

On 4 January 1967, Donald Campbell flipped his jet-powered Bluebird K7 end-over-end in a fatal 320mph crash on Coniston, in an attempt to beat his own outright world water speed record. The meticulous 12-year restoration carried out by Bill Smith and volunteers was vindicated last year, when Bluebird screamed across Loch Fad on Scotland’s Isle of Bute in a 150mph, jet-powered salute to history.With 2,224 votes, Bluebird is, by a perhaps unassailable margin, the most popular winner in Classic Boat Awards history.

Designed by Ken and Lew Norris, built by Samlesbury Engineering, 1955, Length (inc rudder) 26ft 5in (8.1m)

Thank you so much to all of you that voted for her!