H/S/C Speedrunner 1 - Folkestone

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H/S/C SPEEDRUNNER 1

Grand Pavois - Photo © Michele Lulurgas, Piraeus, 07/01/07 #5591

Ship	Speedrunner 1 (2005)	Building Spec.	Incat, Hobart, Australia, 1990 – N° 025
Call Sign	MWJT7	IMO Number	8900000
GRT	3.003	DWT	201
Dimensions	74 x 26 x 2,4	Engines	4 Ruxton 16R K270, 14.592 kW
Speed	35 knots	Passengers	573
Seats	523 eco, 50 business	Cars	80
Garage	--	Sister Ships	Atlantic III Condor 10 Cyclades Express Emeraude France Patricia Olivia Pescara Jet Seacat Moorea Snaefell
Registry Port	Folkestone	Flag	United Kingdom
Former Names/Own.	Hoverspeed Great Britain – Hoverspeed 1990-04 Hoverspeed Great Britain – Ferrylineas* Argentinas 1992-03 (charter)* Hoverspeed Great Britain – Emeraude* Jersey Ferries 2004 (charter)* Emeraude Great Britain – Emeraude* Jersey Ferries 2004 (charter)* Emeraude Great Britain – Hoverspeed 2004-05
New Names/Own.	Speedrunner I – Aegean Speed Lines 2007-08 Sea Runner - Alpha Ferries 2008à
Line

She was built in 1990 at Hobart by Incat, acronym of International Catamarans Tasmania, ordered by Hoverspeed, a branch of the British Seacontainers group. The British group was very attracted by the idea of a fast ferry with a quite-good car capacity, which was the innovation of this Incat project, so they placed an huge order of five aluminium catamarans to the Tasmanian builders; another aim of the project is to gain the Blue Riband for Eastbound Atlantic crossings. Maybe for this reason it was considered to christen the ferry as “Christopher Columbus”; the idea was soon abandoned for a more conventional “Hoverspeed Great Britain”. Her delivery trip is very long: the ferry left Hobart for Punta Arenas, Rio de Janeiro, Nassau, arriving at New York on June 11^th, 1990; she left New York on June 19^th heading for Falmouth, where she arrived on June 23^rd after three days of crossing, seven hours and 54 minutes with an average speed of 36,6 knots, beating the legendary “United States” after 38 years. The “Hoverspeed Great Britain” remained holder of the Blue Riband – Hales Trophy for eight years, beaten in 1998 by the “Catalonia”, which reached a faster average speed (even if a longer crossing-time) and, after few days, by the current holder of the trophy, the “Cat Link V” (nowadays “Master Cat”), two days, twenty hours and nine minutes with an average speed of 41,3 knots between New York and Southampton. Her first months of life were annoyed by some little troubles; her regular services between Dover, Calais and Boulogne started only in 1991, after a little spell between Portsmouth and Cherbourg and the award of the Hales Trophy at the Pool of London, on November 1990. From December 1992 to March 1993 was chartered to Ferrylineas Argentinas for the Buenos Aires – Colonia line, being also reflagged to Argentina; back to Great Britain, was employed almost everywhere around England: Stanraer – Belfast, Dover – Calais, Dover – Boulogne, Folkestone – Boulogne, Belfast – Heyshamn until April 2004, when she was chartered to Emeraude Jersey Ferries for the line Saint Malo – Jersey – Guernsey, being also renamed “Emeraude Great Britain” on August 2004. The ferry was later transferred to Aegean Speed Lines, the company formed by Seacontainers and Eugenides; she arrived in Greece after the repainting and refitting work carried on at Viktor Lenac shipyard of Rijeka, Croatia, being employed on services to Western Cyclades and Paros. On 2006 the ferry was repainted with a new colour scheme and quitted the call at Paros; on Summer had also some troubles to a main engine, fircing the “Speedrunner 1” to make some round trips with only three main engines, causing some delays. On Summer 2007 she will call also at Folegandros.