Warbys go for new record

Ken Warby made world headlines on October 8, 1978, when he piloted his jet-powered boat Spirit of Australia to over 300mph to set the world record for speed on the water.

On that day at Blowering Dam near Tumut in NSW, Warby set the record at 317.6mph or 511.11km/h – a record which still stands today.

Warby remains the only person to officially travel over 300mph on the water and live to tell the tale.

Warby's friend and fellow record chaser Craig Arfons died when his jet-powered hydroplane crashed at Sebring at over 300mph during his first run in attempt to beat Warby's record in 1989.

And Donald Campbell was reportedly doing over 300mph when his craft Bluebird K7 flipped as he attempted another water-speed record in January 1967 on Coniston Water in England.

Although Warby is no longer fit enough to travel that fast, his son David who has been around fast cars and boats all his life, is having a shot. David, who has built many fast boats over the years, is currently building his own jet-powered hydroplane Spirit of Australia II.

Warby Snr said that he and Dave realised that the J-34 Jet engine used in Spirit of Australia would not get them the speed they want with the new boat. An afterburner was considered then rejected. 

Ken is probably one of the most experienced people with afterburners on J-34s in the world, and he has owned, built and raced many in jet boats and cars. Ken did experiment with an afterburner on the J-34 in a boat, but it was found to disrupt the stability of the boat too much (one of the factors that is said to have killed Craig Arfons).

So Ken went in search of a new jet engine. The search took him all over the world, and he finally found a suitable engine in Italy. The Rolls Royce Orpheus engine is used to power Italian fighter planes and has the required 5000lb thrust and is 150kg lighter than the Westinghouse J-34s he was used to.

Work is now well advanced on Spirit of Australia II with all the woodwork done and the engine installed. The boat is similar to the original Spirit of Australia, but the Warbys have made a few changes including the inclusion of a robust safety capsule for the driver which is now mandatory under the World Record rules.

All that's left to do now is test the boat so that the second generation of Warbys can challenge the record and be crowned the fastest man on water.

With Blowering Dam at near full capacity, the Warby duo says they are looking forward to returning to Tumut, catching up with friends, and breaking a new world water-speed record.

Will history repeat itself on Blowering Dam? We'll keep you posted.