Albatross in Monaco

September 11th to 15th was the the "Monaco Classic Week", a biennial event in Monte-Carlo, that gathers vintage sail,steam and speedboats.

It's a great opportunity to see a fantastic panel of shiny Rivas and Chris Crafts with their mirror-like varnish, but I was out there to meet John Fildes (from AlbatrossMarine.co.uk) who drove all the way down from UK towing 2 Albatross!

So I was in for a treat, a 45mn spin on-board one of these Albies, propelled at almost 70km/h (peak speed) by the rare Coventry Climax engine fed by two dual-barrel Weber carburetors ; the Albatross might very well have been the smallest boats of the whole event, but they sure were the fastest as well! My back vertebrae will remember this ride for quite a while!
Furthermore, John came with none other than the son of Archie Peace (the original creator of the Albatross)! Great encounter, lots of information, advice, tips and hints... Thanks again guys!

I managed to get a video from that ride at sea, but it doesn't do justice to the sheer speed of the boat and its engine roar : for that matter, the impacts on the waves and the water splashing actually killed my Lumix camera! See you in two years guys? Hopefully I'll join with mine as well!