By kind permission of Beken Maritime Services Ltd of Cowes.

Surfury in Competition.
“Surfury” was sea trialed in the Solent and on the measured mile on Southampton Water. Information on her performance was never made public as Charles & Richard always maintained a level of detachment and understatement to the press and fellow competitors. Charles had no intention of allowing any insight to his competition of his new crafts abilities.

Jimmy Gardner reflected: “From about 65 mph onwards the hull left the water but the propeller remained in it, “Surfury” tended to turn against the revs so she did not always land on an even keel”.

Charles Gardner: “We reckoned that after we got to around 70 – 75 mph we could not control her any more - even though we were still not using all the power. We could not keep her straight - she kept on turning right. According to all our knowledge of props & torque she ought to have turned left. She didn’t, she wanted to turn right!”

Ivor Verlander however recalls several runs where maximums of over 80mph were achieved but these as usual were kept in the closest of confidence.

Surfury at near full speed on her way to winning the Wills Trophy 1968. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

In late August “Surfury” was entered into the Cowes – Torquay, she came home 3rd behind “Brave Moppie” driven by Dick Bertram and Merrick Lewis in “Thunderbird”. Due to mechanical problems “Surfury” had finished the last leg on one engine. The next day in the return race back to Cowes accompanied this time with Sonny invited on board, “Surfury” raced home an easy first with both the engines running well below maximum.

Surfury in her custom built launching cradle. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

The next year 1966 was again beset with development problems. “Surfury” was shipped to the United States to enter the Sam Griffiths Memorial Trophy Race in the Gulf of Mexico which was held in the most extreme of conditions & nearly prematurely ended both Charles Gardner and “Surfury” racing careers when running in second place, they hit a massive wave from which both Charles Gardners back and “Surfury” hull were both seriously damaged. Out of an entrance of 31 only 5 competitors finished with an estimate of $1,000 000 of craft sunk or damaged. Whilst the hull was repaired Ivor Verlander took her Daytona engines off to the legendary Sam Sara of the Daytona Corporation where they were tuned to produce an output of 1,050 hp. A V Drive failure sidelined her again in the 1966 Cowes – Torquay. As development continued problems were being resolved.

Charles commented: “The reasons were problematic and we never did completely iron them out; but we did form one theory to getting underway. We had to start on one engine and get that revving to 1,200 -1,300 rpm, we then had to match the revs with the second engine before engaging them together with the dog clutch. Unless you got the power between the two engines exactly the same there was bound to be a degree of “fighting” between them both, one either trying to help or hinder the other. I believe that it was during the short period of getting the speed up between the two engines that damage could be done. We were always the fastest boat - if we wanted to be. We very often ran number two, just as slow as we reasonably could but keeping an eye on the leading boat – just about two hundred yards behind.”

From this position in the latter stages of a race it was that Charles would unleash the power of the Daytonas with the clear knowledge that the competition was unable to match their finishing performance.

Ivor Verlander: “She would get on the plane at about 30 mph and from there rapidly accelerated to 50 mph when 4,000 rpm was reached. It was the boost gauge that really was my concern and the further the way from the 12 lbs maximum boost we were running with the better I liked it. Charles strictly governed the speed of the race; he never took her up to top speed during a race. There is no point in tearing your machinery apart by trying to win a race by 50 miles.”

Surfury passing Cowes in the 1968 Cowes - Torquay - Cowes. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

Success for “Surfury” finally came in 1967 by winning the Cowes – Torquay in the record time of 3 hours 44 minutes at a speed of 53 mph. “Surfury’s” start was awesome, Charles brought her close inshore as she passed Cowes to avoid the naval escort craft HMS Brave Borderer’s” wake her Daytonas thundering at close to full throttle, just managing to avoid the flotilla of dinghies, yachts and pleasure craft that had gathered for an optimumview.

Surfury avoiding the pleasure craft off Cowes on her return from Southsea 1968. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

Wilf Souter: “Each year I used to go and watch the race from Cowes sea-front. I was standing in a large crowd of people and watched Charles Gardner bring “Surfury” way inshore past Cowes Green, as he did so the clapping and cheering thrilled me to the bone”.

Surfury on her way to victory in the Cowes - Torquay 1967. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

The race was covered by helicopter borne cameras for the BBC and commentated on by Raymond Baxter. “Surfury” once again passed thousands of spectators on Portland Bill prior to entering Torquay 11 minutes ahead of “Delta Synthesis”. Next day aerial photographs of “Surfury” roaring across Lyme Bay adorned the front pages of the Sunday newspapers. She came second in the World Championship and Charles Gardner was voted “Yachtsman of the Year”, the first powerboat competitor to be so rewarded.

Surfury at near full speed on her way to winning the Wills Trophy 1968. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

In 1968 now “the peoples favourite” success continued with a victory in July in the Wills Trophy leading to what should have been a repeat victory in the now extended Cowes – Torquay – Cowes in difficult weather conditions. This time the Charles Gardner cautionary tactics failed, the smaller “Telstar” of Tommy Sopwith stole victory under the noses of the Gardner’s by taking a calmer inland course.

Ivor Vilander: “As we approached Torquay I had seen a helicopter flying low back toward the Isle of Wight, I assumed there was a race boat there and that it was likely Sopwith. I didn’t want to believe it, but there was a nasty feeling at the back of my neck….!”

Charles & Richard Gardner arriving at the winners berth in 1968, stunned to find that Tommy Sopwith with Telstar had already arrived turning their expected 1st place to that of runner up.

“Telstar” won the race by eleven minutes from “Surfury”, the Gardner’s did not known the result until they arrived at the finishing barge to claim 1st place only to only discover that Tommy Sopwith and “Telstar” had already arrived. A few weeks later “Surfury” won again in Deauville, France to secure a second place in the 1968 World Championship once again for Charles Gardner.

By 1970 both the regulations and engine technology had surpassed the design of “Surfury”, the regulations now allowed for closed craft to compete in Class1 without the hindrance of cabins, when combined with the advent of the “power – tilting” the higher-powered Mercruisers generated significant improvements in performance with average race winning speeds having increased by in excess of 30mph in the five years since “Surfury” had been launched. “Surfury” in her last Cowes – Torquay of her career claimed 3rd place at an average of 55mph, beating many vastly superior & technically advanced craft, underlining her true design and development pedigree this, arguably her greatest result.The following days Round the Island in which she again came third race was to be her last competitive race.

Surfury in her 'sunset' days. Courtesy of Graham Stevens.

So ended the racing career of “Surfury”. After considering but not commissioning a further radical surface driven design by Sonny Levi Charles & Richard also retired,

Charles Gardner: “We were getting old. The boat was getting old and beginning to give a bit of trouble at the bow - we had a jolly good five years and enjoyed it immensely but it was getting extremely expensive. We could not afford to build another boat & we decided to call it a day.”

Surfury as she now sits at the Motorboat Museum in Basildon.

For the next few years “ Surfury” was stored by the Gardner brothers on their farm in Sussex and on the 4th July 1985 presented “Surfury” to National Maritime Museum. After cleaning she was taken to the National Motor Boat Museum in Basildon, Essex.

Surfury being prepared to race in Cowes.

We would love to hear from you if you have any other accounts or photographs of "Surfury". Please contact chris.grayer@surfury.co.uk if you do!