Bluebird speed runs hit by further struggles
Matthew WillisFurther high-speed runs for Donald Campbell's restored Bluebird have been thwarted by wind, waves and an issue with its cockpit canopy.
The hydroplane, used to set seven world water speed records, returned to action on Coniston Water this week for the first time since the crash there that killed its pilot in January 1967.
As it finally reached 100mph (160km/h) on Friday, there were hopes Australian water speed record challenger Dave Warby would be able travel at 150mph (240km/h) on Saturday.
But an initial run was cut short with organisers saying the "upper wind and wave height" had been reached, and a later effort had to be abandoned on safety grounds with the canopy unable to close properly.
A week-long event is being staged close to the 70th anniversary of Campbell setting the first of four water speed records on the lake.
The chairman of Coniston's Ruskin Museum which owns Bluebird, Jeff Carroll, said Friday's run had been "what everybody has been waiting to see".
That followed two days of struggle with an Orpheus jet engine not providing sufficient thrust to enable the machine to "plane" - the point at which hydrodynamics enable it to skim across the surface of the lake.
The craft had been prevented from running at all on Tuesday because of winds, while Monday had seen two low-speed "familiarisation runs" following several hours in the workshop with engineers.
