Hamble Point Marina hosts 60th anniversary of the Fairey Huntress Motor Cruiser
by Susannah Hart 2 Jul 2019 05:23 BST
22 June 2019
Fairey Owners Club's boats tied up at Hamble Point Marina © Susannah Hart
On Saturday 22nd June MDL's Hamble Point Marina hosted the Fairey Owners Club's celebration of sixty years of the elegant Fairey Huntress motor cruiser.
To honour this timeless classic 17 boats and 65 members of the Fairey Owners Club gathered for a lunchtime BBQ on the green outside MDL's head office at Hamble Point Marina. The boats on display included one of every model from the Huntress to the last production boat produced by Fairey Marine, showcasing the complete history of the company.
Chris Davey, Treasurer of the Fairey Owners Club, comments: "We were delighted to be able to celebrate this amazing anniversary at Hamble Point, where it all began 60 years ago. The Huntress was really the starting point for modern motor cruisers, and it is a reasonable statement to say that most planing powerboats, RIBs and raceboats can trace their DNA back to that initial constant deadrise hull form launched in 1959 by Fairey Marine."
The Fairey Owners Club combined its summer rally and concours d'elegance to form this unique celebration and a prize giving followed the festivities. Trophies were awarded to various people in recognition of the work that they do to maintain and keep the aging boats going.
"We would like to thank MDL for its continued support of the Fairey Owners Club," continues Chris. "It makes important events like this possible."
The Fairey Huntress was developed by Fairey Marine from a Ray Hunt 'Deep V' design in the late 1950s in response to the demand at that time for fast motor boats. This single engine motor cruiser soon became synonymous with style and performance after being launched onto the world stage with a starring role in the 1963 James Bond film, From Russia with Love.
Following this, Fairey Marine, originally based at Hamble Point, went from strength to strength and at one time was the world's largest boat manufacturer outside of the United States, selling up to 1,000 boats a year across the range.
For more information visit the www.faireyownersclub.co.uk or www.mdlmarinas.co.uk.