One item that may not be well known is
that what became known as ‘good-natured
crowd control’ was pioneered by the police
and volunteer marshals around Bristol
Docks. The racing had become so popular
and for all but one year it was totally free to
watch – so imagine how difficult it would
have been to restrain the crowds surging
forward when any kind of incident happened
around the docks? Fortunately most of the
incidents were injury – free but just one
mention on the Public Address system asking
the crowds to stay back and let the safety
boat crews do their job was all that was
needed. The people of Bristol and those who
had travelled from further afield enjoyed
largely trouble-free spectating for all the
years the races were run.
One thing needs to be cleared up. It was
NOT the fatalities that stopped the Bristol
races from continuing to this day. It was
mainly a recession – an economic squeeze –
lack of sponsorship that sounded the deathknell for the Bristol Races. Our first
sponsors, WD and HO Wills, were by
government direction not allowed to openly
advertise cigarettes or smoking. Subsequent
sponsors came and went and all of them gave
the racing their very best shot by their
provision of funds, expertise in marketing,
publicity and hospitality to Bristol’s
Dignitaries on the City Council.
There was one other, very important
factor in the demise of the racing in Bristol
Docks. The racing, if you recall, had come
about in the first place because Dad didn’t
want to see the Floating harbour (Bristol
Docks) to be filled in and built on. He
achieved this – it is still not filled in and still
not built-on. However, directly because of
the races so many people looked on the docks
in a new light. Here was a large open space
with possibilities for year-round water-based
activities and leisurely walks, events and
even upmarket water-side apartments. The
residents, the activities organisers and the
many who now lived on the water in
houseboats, converted ex naval boats etc
were not keen to be inconvenienced by the
noise, disruption and general mayhem that
the powerboat races caused. Can you blame
them?
The very area that had been saved from the
bulldozers was now fit and well and could take
of itself thanks.
We’ll unfortunately never see that kind of
event again in Bristol and it’s not likely to be
anywhere else either. Dad, at one point,
travelled to quite a few places advising on
potential powerboat race venues. You may
know he instigated the Cardiff races, which
were sponsored by GKN. He was obviously
involved with the feasibility study for
powerboat racing in Catherine’s Docks,
London, which was good but a one-year
wonder; racing on the river in Dublin, again
very good but the Dublin City Elders weren’t
impressed enough to make it an annual
event; and Dad’s best story was of the
feasibility of International powerboat racing
in South Africa on one of their lakes. Dad
came to the conclusion it was not a good idea
racing at that particular venue because the
lake was full of piranha fish and the safety
boats would need to be replaced with or at
least backed-up by a fleet of helicopters with
winch-cables at the ready to winch out a
driver should he be flipped over as the
piranha fish could ‘strip’ him of flesh in 2.5
minutes!’
Mm! Piranhas. Powerboat racing was
dangerous enough back then without adding
any extra risks.