Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club

Originally published by the Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club in 1985,“The Club on the Park” chronicles the 109-year history of motor boat racing on Oulton Broad from the inaugural steam launch race organised in August 1903, to the 100 mph craft of the present day, thus making it the world’s oldest motorboat racing venue.

Produced in a larger format, new chapters are devoted to the pre-war influence of Brooke Marine and the enthusiastic support of Howard Hollingsworth - who donated Everitt's Park to the local council - and Daily Mirror director Guy Bartholomew.  This led to the formation of the original motor boat club in 1933 by local dentist Charlie Nichols with support from the influential American Treglown family who owned a convenient Broadside property.

The story continues throughout the post-war era, a period which attracted huge crowds to the Nicholas Everitt Park to witness local outboard favourites such as Billy Nichols and Alan Darby, and spectacular inboards like “Rooster”, the iconic Chevrolet-powered hydroplane piloted by Gt Yarmouth businessman Toby Sutton.

The following decade saw the introduction of the sports runabout - popularised by the St Olaves-based Albatross Marine -  and the sensational twin-hulled catamaran which revolutionised the world of powerboat racing, leading to the formation of the factory 'works' teams led by East Anglian's Tom Percival and Bob Spalding.

It concludes with the successful organising of UIM World and European championships on the Broad and at other venues, plus a 11-page appendix listing the achievements of LOBMBC race competitors at both national and international level.

The original publication has seen a major revision and expanded to 114 pages and now includes over 200 photographs.