Ocean Signal backs Cinzano Team in Venture Cup Prologue Race

by Jules Riegal on 12 Jun 2013 Communications and safety at sea specialist,Ocean Signal sponsored the winning offshore powerboat race team in a thrilling four-day Venture Cup Prologue event from London to the Channel Islands and finishing in Bournemouth. Ocean Signal supported the three-man crew of Cinzano 558 by supplying them with its rescueME PLB1s and a SafeSea® E100G EPIRB for the exciting showcase event which started from London’s Tower Bridge on Saturday. Driver Simon Wood Power, navigator Stefan Whitmarsh and German racer Markus Hendricks, the throttleman and the owner of Cinzano, lined up in their open cockpit 11.5m (38ft) monohull against some of the world’s largest and fastest powerboats for the approximately 700-mile UK preview race building up to next year’s Venture Cup race from London to Monte Carlo.

After some unpredictable racing during which the boats encountered some tough sea conditions, Ocean Signal-backed Cinzano came out on top with an overall time over four legs of 12 hours, 53 minutes and 29 seconds, at an average speed of 49.93 knots. Cinzano started well and led the field in a curtailed Leg One which finished in Poole, rather than Guernsey as planned, due to the sea state. Joint American/Norwegian-entered 42ft boat Warpath and Cinzano were neck-and-neck as they shared the honours in the three races around the Channel Islands. Warpath then led the fourth and final 71-mile leg back to Bournemouth, but incurred a time penalty for a rule infringement, and it was Cinzano that finished on top of the podium in the overall standings. Driver Wood Power, who is the Managing Director of Poole-based Oval Stainless Ltd, was pleased with the team’s race and the performance of Cinzano, a Don Shead-designed aluminium boat powered by two Ilmor 725hp engines. 'We had to race very tactically over such a long distance, especially over the final leg, so we are very pleased to finish top overall,' said Wood Power after Tuesday’s prize-giving ceremony at Poole Quay. The Ocean Signal SafeSea E100G EPIRB was kept to hand during the entire race in an easily accessible locker behind the crew, while Wood Power carried his rescueME PLB1 in a convenient pocket on his racing suit After already experiencing one accident during his 35 years’ racing, Wood Power said he was happy to have the equipment on board and was impressed by the small size of the personal locator beacons. 'We were very keen to have the Ocean Signal equipment,' commented Wood Power. 'Obviously, if the boat is sinking slowly we would have time to activate the EPIRB and get in the life raft, whereas, if we are thrown out of the boat, the PLB will be crucial. [Sorry, this content could not be displayed] 'We did have one serious accident in Sweden when we rolled the boat and we were all thrown out, 20 miles off shore in very cold water. Luckily, someone spotted us from a distance away, but it makes you appreciate how crucial a personal locator beacon could be in an emergency.' With their boat often travelling at speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour and with a top speed of 104.5mph, safety is a priority for the powerboats and they are all equipped with life rafts, flares, VHF radios, navigational gear and EPIRBs. Also, all the crew have kill switches which cut the ignition if they go overboard and all the drivers have RYA qualifications, VHF certification and have completed sea survival tests. Ocean Signal’s Sales and Marketing Manager, James Hewitt, added: 'I am really pleased we can support the crew of Cinzano by supplying them with our PLBs and an EPIRB. The personal locator beacons in particular are very well suited to a huge range of competitive applications in sailing, powerboat racing and other water sports as they are so small and unobtrusive.' The Cinzano team will now look ahead to next year’s two-week, 2,500-mile Venture Cup race from London to Monte-Carlo, when they hope to race in a new, bigger 55ft boat, powered by three engines and with a canopy over the crew, which is currently under construction. Recent international successes for the Cinzano 558 team include victories in the 2009 and 2011 Cowes Torquay Cowes race and the 2010 Round Ireland race. In 2010, the team won the ISAF Powerboating Achievement of the Year award and in 2011 the team triumphed in the RYA National Marathon Class B category, as well as the UIM World Marathon Cup and 108-year-old Harmsworth Trophy. Venture Offshore Cup website Cinzano 558