2:46 AM Sat 20 Jun 2009 GMT
 | | 'Gunther Pfrengle Senior (right) and Gunther Pfrengle Junior, the father and son team curently holding five recognised inter-city powerboat speed records. - inter-city'
Gunther Pfrengle
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Inter-city powerboat record attempts have been undertaken for quite a few years; I was once told by an old offshore racer that they were one of those things 'everybody says they intend to try some day.'
Would you believe I once tried it myself?
It was 1989 (20-years ago, good grief, was it really that long?) that I (foolishly?) decided to have a crack at the Sydney-Brisbane record held at that time by Peter Morley, father of offshore racers David and Steven.
The record I was chasing was 14 hours, 13 minutes, established in 1975 with a Haines Hunter 1800SO powered by a 150hp Mercury outboard.
Several attempts had been made on Morley's record over the years, all failing primarily due to engine problems.
My own attempt was made in company with Dean Cunningham, a skilled Mercury technician (for insurance) and thanks to John Haines, Mercury Marine, GME, John Smale and the then well-known Port Stephens resort Peppers, we had valuable sponsorship support for our plans.
The boat was a Haines Hunter 2100SO and was the very same boat in which John Haines himself had contested some offshore races, so we knew we had the 'right' boat.
In fact, that year (1989) it had been named Trailerable Fibreglass Boat of the Year.
Power, courtesy of Mercury Marine, was an XR2 outboard rated at about 160hp.
Although we were smart enough to recognise that the attempt would be no simple task, we were confident in that our boat was larger and our horsepower greater than that enjoyed by Peter Morley.
My task over several days was constant liaison with the Weather Bureau hoping for and looking for an agreeable 'weather window.'
Finally, after what seemed like dozens of telephone calls to the bureau, a pleasant-sounding forecaster said, 'Go, it's benign (according to the dictionary, benign, related to weather, means 'pleasant, delightful) out there.'
So, under the glare of television lights and cameras at about 5am one wintry morning, I open the throttle and raced for the Sydney Heads, swinging to port and heading due north.
'Benign out there?' - There's now no doubt in my mind that the forecaster must have meant 'by nine-feet'!
It was still pitch black and we were taking a hiding.
When daylight finally dawned, we were able to see our problem first hand- a quite vicious, 2.0- metre chop slamming into our starboard bow with end regularity.
At that stage, all we could do was hope that a further swing to port after rounding Barrenjoey would bring us improved conditions.
It was not to be.
Somewhat foolishly, we maintained course, constantly being battered by never-ending 'slop'.
Finally, nearing Port Macquarie, we called it quits- sure, we could have carried on to Brisbane, but by then we were so far off the pace for the record that there was little point.
Such was the hiding we took that everything aboard the boat sustained some form of damage, even our fresh water containers broke open.
The boat itself, the marine radio and the engine were all that came through unscathed.
I could not say the same about Wonders and Cunningham.
Would I try it again? Don't think I'd be that silly.
But, for those out there prepared to give it a go, it's an exciting task and if successful offers great 'bragging rights' down at the pub!
To undertake an official record attempt, the crew need to hold APBA offshore licences, be fully insured and clocked out and in by an APBA official.
Courses are on the APBA books - for instance, the Sydney-Brisbane course is from the Hornby Light, on South Head to the game fishing wharf on the Brisbane River at Hamilton.
Commercial fisherman and former abalone diver, Gunther Pfrengle, currently holds five inter-city records recognised by the Australian Powerboat Association (APBA).
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.
Australia's legendary hairdresser Steve 'Stefan' Ackerie who has held several inter-city speed records, including the marathon Cairns-Brisbane, intends to make an all-out assault on those inter-city powerboat speed records in 2010, but there is plenty of time to raise the bar ahead of then.
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.
by Bob Wonders
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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Macquarie Island, TAS
