Penningtons partner takes the helm in Round Britain Powerboat Race

David Graham-Smith, a partner in the Commercial Property Division of Penningtons Solicitors LLP, has played a key role in the first round Britain powerboat race in 24 years, which finished earlier this week in Portsmouth.

David served as the chairman of the race jury and was the nominated event spokesman in case of a serious incident occurring. With 25 years' experience of powerboat racing and his legal background, David was an excellent choice for this significant appointment. He also agreed to film the race for the Round Britain website and was thrilled to be invited to do some interviewing for the Top Gear camera team who were present during the competition.

David participated in one leg of the race - from Bangor in Northern Ireland to Oban on the west coast of Scotland, crewing on a super yacht through the Jura Sound. He commented: "This was truly the adventure of a lifetime and I am thrilled to have been a part of it."

In addition to David’s personal involvement in the race, Penningtons was delighted to have the opportunity to be one of its sponsors. The firm presented a prize and trophy to the team who showed the most perseverance during the race. The winners were Tom and Charlie Williams-Hawkes, two brothers in their 20s who bought a 25 ft Revenger boat on e-bay for just £3,000 and rebuilt it using cash they made from selling pieces of the boat. They completed all legs of the gruelling course safely and were 17th overall.

Competitors in the race - which ran from 21 to 30 June and has been nicknamed ‘The Greatest Offshore Powerboat Race of the 21st Century’ by some racing enthusisasts - visited nine ports around the UK. A wide range of classes took part – from open ribs with a single outboard up to full race boats of 2500 horsepower. The winner was the Greek-entered boat Blue FPT which completed all eight stages in 20 hours 36 minutes.