Peter Rothschilds 44' aluminum diesel powered Thunderballs.

Hey Marco - great shots. Got any more??

Hereīs one after Della Valle won yet again at Cowes with guest driver (at least to the marina) the one and only Don Shead - more of a legend in my eyes than heīs ever received recognition for.

The other Rotschild's famous boat was the Cary 32' in 1969.
Hower that tin boat 44' designed by Rotschild himself was original with a cockpit early sixties style.
It seems that he had a Cigarette 40' thunderballs II in 1976. Anyone know something about?

Here for you too Nigel!
I have found my pics from the 38' of Alberto Smania burned.
The first image was taken at the Gorgona isle during the VBV 1980 moments before the boats went on fire. The wake looking it's that of the Toleman's Bertram running toward the victory.
It seems that the cause of the fire was due to an intake valve blocked closed of one MerCruiser with the consequent fuel overflowing.

Others two images of the 38' burned. In spite of the elevated heat of the fire the fuel on the tanks was not so much because it happened in the last part of the race. Only the thin part of the engines hatches was destroyed but the aluminium of the sides and the hull held on and the 38' was ready in the next season,with a new designed wind shield and engines hatches.

Very similar to the fire on board Thuraya last year. Great photos!

Thanks Marco, that looked very nasty. Lucky the fuel tanks didnīt explode! From what I understand they are more volatile when near empty.

The tanks have a vent-hole but that explain the "miracle" only in part. The oher inexplicable thing was that while the crew(Alberto Smania,Alberto Diridoni and Fabrizio Smania) was swimming away from the burning boat the fire ceased without an apparent logical explanation.

Going on with a little history of the CUV,the first two 38' designed by Shead from the original 37' Enfield of Sopwith in 1971(a lenghtened version of the 1970's 33' Miss Enfield II that was fast but very unstable) was builded contemporary in 1976-77. Here the first one where we can see the frames and the beams.

In the second picture on left the first 38' it's ready to be rigged and the other one it's have the first tin panels on the deck. The material was PE45(PE it's Peralluman) with the following thins: Bottom 5mm,frames 2,5mm,sides 3mm,deck 2mm.
The firsts two boats was: #19-Alitalia Uno(Cosentino-Wilson/Diridoni) and #39-Alitalia Due(Niccolai-Pescaglini/Wilson).
The Team Alitalia-Cigahotels was managed by the new-founded Navalconsult of the Commander Petroni and the staff included three riggers-throttlemans, the American Davey Wilson(former Balestrieri's T-man) and the Italians Alberto Diridoni and Pescaglini.
In the third image testing the new boat are Cosentino and Davey Wilson.
The inscription "Picchiotti 38'" was due to the fact that the boats was commissioned by the most famous Picchiotti shipyards to the new-comers Cantieri Uniti Viareggio.