Inter-city powerboat records ‘up for grabs’

by Bob Wonders on 17 Jun 2009 Australia’s flamboyant ‘hairdresser to the stars’ Steve ‘Stefan’ Ackerie has shelved plans to return to offshore racing for the moment, but next year intends to make an all-out assault on a variety of inter-city powerboat speed records.

Commercial fisherman and former abalone diver, Gunther Pfrengle, currently holds five inter-city records recognised by the Australian Powerboat Association (APBA).

Ackerie, who has held several inter-city speed records, including the marathon Cairns-Brisbane, said he was prepared to put up '$1 million-plus' to chase some of the records.

His ‘assault’ will take place next year.

'I have to get the boat ready and with my business this year is already too far gone,' he explained. 'I’m taking 300 of my staff to Hong Kong in groups of 70 or so this year, so that rules out any record chasing for the next few months.

'Nonetheless, I’m certain to begin the campaign in 2010. 'I decided to open this campaign simply because people still talk to me, ask me all about the glory days of my boat racing career; it’s obviously a facet of my life people recall well and have an interest in, 'he added.

I spoke with Gunther Pfrengle this week and, what may surprise some, he expressed ‘sheer delight’ that someone would ‘take a crack’ at his records. 'That’s absolutely terrific,' he said when I informed him of Ackerie’s intentions.

'Records are made to be broken and who knows, if Steve succeeds maybe I can get my act together and try to win them back,' he said.

For the record, the five officially recognised inter-city records held by Pfrengle are;

Melbourne to Sydney, June 2, 2001, 15 hours, 12 minutes
Sydney to Brisbane, June 14, 2001, 11 hours, 56 minutes
Brisbane to Sydney, June 20, 2001, 11 hours, 23 minutes
Sydney to Hobart, December 15, 2002, 18 hours, six minutes
Hobart to Melbourne, December 17, 2002, 14 hours, 30 minutes.

All the records were established in a 36’ Harris Cat that Pfrengle had purchased from Melbourne-based offshore racing identity Tony Low for $9000.

He powered the boat, with sponsorship from Yamaha Motor Australia, with two 250hp Yamaha two-stroke outboards, replaced after the first two records with two 225hp Yamaha four-strokes.

Pfrengle’s first record run, Melbourne to Sydney, was done with co-pilot Chris Twikler, but all subsequent records involved son Gunther Jnr as #2 man in the boat.

Pfrengle also lays claim to another three records, but for reasons he cannot explain despite having lodged the required paperwork with the APBA has never received the certificates confirming the records.

These runs were Melbourne to Launceston (five hours, 15 minutes), Launceston to Melbourne and the round trip Melbourne-Launceston-Melbourne.

Gunther told me they were 'absolutely hammered' crossing Bass Strait on the return run from Launceston.

'It was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything bar the screen on the GPS plotter,' he recalled. 'I had spent so much time starting at the screen I think I sustained vertigo; several times I thought we were upside down!

'My son had to assure me we were still right way up, I thought we were either underwater or about to be,' he said.

'It was not until the King Island lighthouse came into view that I could really gather my wits about me.'

The southern records were established without any need to refuel, while on the Sydney-Brisbane and Brisbane-Sydney runs the team refuelled at Port Macquarie.

Coincidentally, in almost every coastal and Bass Strait run, average speed worked out to about 80km/hr.

'The Yamaha engines were absolutely outstanding, as was the support we received from the company, 'Gunther said.

'Without such support we could never have anticipated chasing the records. 'Afterwards, we could have handed the engines back to the company, but instead they allowed us to purchase them at cost,' he added.

I should note here that Gunther’s 18 hour, six minute ‘gallop’ down the coast from Sydney to Hobart is not the fastest ever achieved by a powerboat.

One of Tasmania’s world renowned wave piercing catamarans, designed and built by Robert (fine Christian name, that) Clifford’s Incat, covered the distance somewhere around 17 hours, but it was done ‘solo’ without any official APBA involvement.

I really hope Steve Ackerie and his big, bright pink catamaran ‘Stefan’ sets a string of new marks.

Primarily because this may ignite a spark in a few other daring boaters to ‘have a lash.’

Power boating would be the eventual winner thanks to the publicity a chain of record attempts would generate.