Local power boating history will be made on August 22 when Vortex, formerly Aquamania, becomes the first turbine-powered boat to enter the Carib Great Race.Powered by two T53 engines (the same found on US military Cobra Tech helicopters), the 50-foot Mystic is one of less than a hundred of its kind in the world and is fresh from a prolific run on the American circuit stretching back to 2008.
Now manned by driver Nigel Bhagan, navigator Roger Bell and throttleman Alan Sabeeney, Vortex will be a major contender in the 130 mph class, where it will take on two-time defending champ Monster, 2012 winner Fire One and 17-time champ Mr Solo Too.
Speaking to the Guardian this week, Bell said the team was enjoying its rookie status.
"We are the newcomers on the block and there's no pressure on us," he said. "There are teams who are going for hat-tricks, teams who have won it before–a lot of seasoned racers who know this Great Race like their back yard. They are the ones who really have the pressure on them."
The crew gained a psychological advantage in the lead-up to the big event by winning two sprints during a recent regatta in Bayshore. In its preparation for the gruelling 115-mile trip to Tobago, it enlisted the help of the American company AMF Offshore Rigging, which also counts five-time world champion Miss Geico among its clients.
"They will spend a week with us going over the boat from top to bottom for the Great Race," he said. "What we have to do is try to get the boat prepared as best as possible so it will be ready for all types of conditions. It's had a very decent track record for reliability and performance and we hope to continue that."
Bell, a seasoned veteran of the American circuit going back to the mid-1990s, was last seen at the Great Race in 2013 when he and Sabeeney won the 95 mph D class aboard Stinging Metal.Like Monster in 2011, Vortex's entry has been the source of much anticipation ahead of the race. Veteran Mr Solo driver Ken Charles revealed that he put off his retirement just for the chance to compete against it.