Posted by David Bamford on December 19, 2003 at 22:11:58 from 203.10.110.131 user David.
In Reply to: Re: BLUEBIRD AT HOLLY HOWE posted by Robert Hill on December 19, 2003 at 20:13:25:
I remember seeing the movie footage of the accident; Bluebird's bow rose slowly, as though the slipstream had got under the bow and was lifting it. It continued to rise until the boat was completely airborne. All the momentum was in the aft-mounted engine, which continued forward while the slipstream pulled the bow backward. The boat then flipped over on to its back and crashed into the water. I do not think that the boat hit anything at all; it was just a case of aero/hydro-dynamics, which become so important at those speeds. This is why Grand Prix cars now have downward-pointing aerofoils all over them - to keep them in touch with the ground
David.