Bligh Julius Joins Apache 555 as Throttleman

Bligh Julius has joined the Apache 555 offshore powerboat racing team as throttleman, bringing with him a depth of racing experience and a longstanding working relationship with driver Peter Bonham Christie that stretches back to the earliest days of his career.

A Partnership Renewed

The appointment is a reunion as much as a signing. Peter Bonham Christie supported Bligh during his Thundercat years, a period in which Bligh went on to win multiple national and international titles. The two men did not simply race together – they tested together, methodically and in detail, developing a working approach to performance that both describe as formative.

“Peter and I spent days and days doing two-boat testing. Sometimes in glorious sunshine, but often in pretty miserable conditions – waist deep in the water off Hurst Castle adjusting engine height by millimetres, making small changes and going straight back out to test again.”
Bligh Julius

The rigour of that process was not accidental. Bligh describes a testing methodology built around controlling variables: one change at a time, runs in both directions to account for wind and tide, then swapping boats and repeating. The aim, always, was to make sure the results meant something.

“When we were testing, we tried to control the environment as much as physically possible. We would change one parameter at a time, run tests in both directions to account for wind and tide, then swap boats and repeat the process. It was all about making sure the results were as accurate as they could be.”
Bligh Julius

The Boat

Apache 555, originally campaigned by David Hagan, remains one of the most recognised boats from offshore powerboat racing’s golden era. Under Peter Bonham Christie’s custodianship, the programme is focused on returning the boat to her original form and matching the speeds she achieved under Hagan’s ownership – a benchmark that demands both mechanical precision and crew experience.

The hull restoration work led by Dan Lee has been central to that process. Bligh’s arrival as throttleman completes the competitive crew.

Bligh Julius

Bligh started racing at 16 and has competed across a wide range of classes and boats since. Alongside his racing career he brings ten years of RNLI service and more than 18 years as a commercially endorsed skipper. He is also the founder of Onyx Events, a Lymington-based global events agency whose client list includes Google, Thule, and Rémy Cointreau.

His understanding of performance, he says, comes not from power but from precision.

“Getting a boat to go faster isn’t about throwing more power at it. It’s about understanding the boat properly and making lots of small changes that together create a big overall impact.”
Bligh Julius

Peter Bonham Christie welcomed the appointment in terms that reflect the deliberate, measured approach the project has taken from the outset.

“We’re very deliberate about how we build the Apache 555 team, and bringing Bligh in is a natural fit. Our focus is to return Apache 555 to her original form, matching the speeds achieved under David Hagan. Bligh’s experience and approach to performance on the water will be key to helping us achieve that.”
Peter Bonham Christie, Apache 555

The project is being documented across the Apache 555 channels: Instagram @apacheoffshore555, Facebook facebook.com/apacheoffshore555, and apache555.com.