Peter Bonham Christie has announced he has taken over as custodian of Apache 555, the Don Shead-designed offshore racing boat that won the 1972 London to Monte Carlo race and the 1979 World Class II Championship in Venice.
The boat, one of the most decorated hulls in British offshore racing history, changes hands after 14 years under the care of Nick Wilkinson, who restored her and returned her to competitive racing.
“My connection to Apache and to the Hagan family goes back many years, and it is something I have always valued. Having been involved in both power and sail racing for much of my life, I understand what this boat represents within the sport and within offshore racing history.”
– Peter Bonham Christie
Bonham Christie confirmed Apache will race again this season. He said he has been joined by a team whose families were involved during the boat’s original World Championship-winning years with David Hagan. Further details on the team are expected shortly.
From HTS to Apache: A Boat Built for Endurance
The 33ft hull was built by Souter’s of Cowes in 1969 to a Don Shead design, using three laminations of cedar and one of mahogany in their cold-moulding system. She was a sister ship to Tommy Sopwith’s T2.
Commissioned by transport magnate Ralph Hilton, the boat was originally named HTS after his company, Hilton Transport Services. She carried the race number 858, Hilton’s east London area dialling code, and wore a distinctive pale blue and white livery matching his company vehicles.
Powered initially by twin Leyland diesels, HTS entered the 1969 Daily Telegraph and BP Round Britain Race. Despite engine problems that would plague her early career, she won the 178-mile Inverness to Dundee leg in dense fog. Further engine failures forced retirement from that race and the subsequent Cowes-Torquay-Cowes.
London to Monte Carlo
Re-engined with Ford Sabres, HTS found her form. In 1972, crewed by London dentist Eddie Chater, marine engineer Mike Bellamy and factory foreman Jim Brooker, she won the London to Monte Carlo race, still regarded as the longest offshore powerboat race ever held.
The boat passed through several owners, including David Blackford, Charles Gill and John Craxford, before David Hagan acquired her and renamed her Apache. Under Hagan’s ownership, fitted with larger Ford Sabre engines, she won the 1979 World Class II Championship in Venice in the boat’s tenth year of competition.
Hagan subsequently presented Apache to the Motor Boat Museum at Basildon, where she spent nearly 30 years on display. When the museum closed, Hagan recovered the boat.
Wilkinson’s Restoration
Nick Wilkinson, a member of the Classic Offshore Powerboat Club, purchased Apache from Hagan around 2011. He undertook a comprehensive restoration, fitting twin Perkins 300hp diesels, ZF gearboxes, Lancing Marine surface drives and Clements shafts with surface-piercing propellers. The hull was repainted in her original colours, rewired and replumbed.
Wilkinson returned Apache to competitive offshore racing, entering the 2013 Venice-Montecarlo Prologue with co-driver Matt Wilson carrying the number 555.
“I would like to thank Nick Wilkinson for his care and dedication over the past 14 years. During his ownership, he not only preserved her but returned her to offshore racing, which was no small achievement.”
– Peter Bonham Christie
The New Custodian
Bonham Christie is a Hampshire-based entrepreneur who founded Straight Eight Logistics in 2012, a company specialising in the transportation of classic and race cars by land, sea and air. The company provides logistics for events including Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood Revival, Le Mans Classic, Monaco Historic Grand Prix and the Mille Miglia.
His background in motorsport logistics, combined with what he describes as a longstanding connection to the Hagan family and involvement in both power and sail racing, positions him as someone who understands both the competitive demands and the heritage responsibilities that come with Apache 555.
Don Shead’s Legacy
Apache is one of the most successful products of Don Shead’s drawing board. Shead, who died in February 2024 aged 87, was responsible for some of the most influential offshore racing designs of the late 1960s and 1970s. His boats won four world championships, eight European championships and 10 Cowes-Torquay races. He later became the naval architect behind Sunseeker’s early production models, starting with the Offshore 28 in 1978.
The hull lines used for HTS were shared with other notable Shead designs including Avenger 007 and Miss Dunhill, all carrying the same 25-degree deadrise that became a hallmark of his offshore work.
Apache 555 is expected to race in the 2026 season. Bonham Christie said further information on the team and schedule will follow.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
