1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were o ...
, three
motorboat racing
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wat ...
events were contested. Various sources refer to the sport as "water motorsports", "motor boats",Cook, p. 227 and "power boating". The 1900 and 1908 Summer Games were the only ones to feature motorised sports (
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...
was featured in
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...
). The IOC has never decided which events were "Olympic" and which were not.
All three events used the same distance: five laps around an 8- nautical-mile course for a total of . In each of the events, multiple boats started; however, only one finished due primarily to the
gale
A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ).John Isaac Thornycroft FRS, the great Victorian engineer, previously the designer and builder of the world's first torpedo boats and torpedo boat 'Destroyers'. Development of the technical features of ''Gyrinus'' (combining speed with good seaworthiness, as demonstrated in the 1908 Olympics) was described in 'Engineering', the Proceedings of the Society of Civil Engineers, on March 12, 1909. His son, Isaac Thomas Thornycroft, the ''Gyrinus'' helmsman, became a yacht designer and helmsman of J-Class racing yachts. Thomas's son, Commander Peter Thornycroft (1914–1987), carried on the family tradition, developing the SPMH as the standard Nelson Class of Pilot Boat for Trinity House (1964 to 1987) and, later, up to much larger sizes of offshore patrol vessels. The US Navy's 350 ft./114-metre/3,200-ton/45-knot USS ''Freedom'' is the largest SPMH launched to date (2006). It combines a higher speed-for-length than would be possible with a conventional destroyer hull, good seakeeping at speed, and a high payload—characteristics that enabled the little ''Gyrinus'' to win her famous Olympic victories.
Class C — 6.5–8 metres
The first race of 29 August was the small class of boats. ''Gyrinus'', which had won the B class the day before, appeared again. This time her competition was ''Sea Dog''. Again, however, ''Gyrinus'' was the only boat to finish, as ''Sea Dog'' experienced engine problems and had to be towed off the course.
Crew lists
France
''Camille''
* Emile ThubronDe Wael claims three unknown crewman served with Thubron on ''Camille''.
Bernard Boverton Redwood
Bernard Boverton Redwood (28 November 1874 – 28 September 1911) was a British motorboat racer who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.
As crew member of the ''Gyrinus'' he won two gold medals in the only motor boat competitions at t ...
Joseph Frederick Laycock
Brigadier-General Sir Joseph Frederick Laycock (12 June 1867 – 10 January 1952), sometimes known as Joe Laycock, was a British Army officer and Olympic sailor. He was at one time a Deputy Lieutenant, Lord Lieutenant and, in 1906, High Sher ...
List of Olympic venues in discontinued events
For the Summer Olympics, there have been fourteen Olympic sports that have been discontinued from the program as of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. For the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, golf and rugby union were reinstated as Olympic ...