18/05/2026
Good morning everyone… it’s nice to have a lie in today.
Now we have a bit of time I want to give a brief overview of the past week.
Firstly this event was about putting Bluebird K7 back on Coniston Water, that was the main objective.
It is nearly 60 years since Donald Campbell was tragically killed on the same lake and we chose 2026 because it is 70 years since he achieved his first world water speed record on Coniston Water.
Secondly anyone who expected either pilot to get on the water on the first day and do 150mph frankly needs to have a word with themselves.
Neither pilot has ever driven K7, she has a new engine in her and to satisfy the insurance company we first had to get the pilots used to the craft by doing a series of familiarisation runs, there was a restrictor fitted to the engine so we did not initially have the thrust to plane, we knew this and once the familiarisation was completed the restriction was removed.
We then found there was a fuel starvation problem, so a new boost pump was fitted.
And then at 16:30 on Friday 15th May, Bluebird K7 got up on her points and planed across Coniston Water at 100mph, something that hasn’t been done since that fateful day in 1967.
We had inclement weather all week which we battled with, a few times we had to call runs off because it was too dangerous on the water.
We then had an issue with the catch on the canopy bending. Everything was a work in progress and we were bound to have issues that had to be dealt with on the hoof. Donald Campbell spent months waiting for the right conditions.
The first day was a bit of a whirlwind and we took on board the comments about keeping people updated, and as the week progressed we got slicker with launching and getting the boats out.
K3 was on the water for the first time since 2018, and the crew also needed to check a few things over which can’t be done until the boat is on the water.
The naysayers saying it would have been better if Bill Smith had run it, they also had issues at Bute, they lost a canopy and also had problems to deal with, but we also had original members of BBP on our team this week so it wouldn’t have been any different.
The complaints about paying £25 a day for parking to watch a free event and see history in the making are mind boggling. We rented fields so visitors could park close to the event but this wasn’t compulsory, there was plenty of cheaper parking in the village and we even put on a shuttle bus for people to go back and forth.
We achieved what we set out to do, which was to put Bluebird K7 back on Coniston Water, we exceeded our expectations by having her plane at 100mph and at 17:00 on Saturday 16th May, we took her home to Pier Cottage nearly 60 years since she left.
This week has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Working with the best team ever. We all came together for the first time on Monday and gelled immediately, the respect we have for each other is second to none.
The question we’ve been asked most this week is, will you do it again?
Our reply is Bluebird K7 is an old lady, every time she runs there is a risk and she is a one off priceless piece of history that needs protecting. We will never say never. We may look at doing it again for special occasions but putting K7 on Coniston Water is a massive undertaking, and if we do, it will be with the same team.
So we would like to thank everyone who came to watch history being made and for the messages of support we have received. We’d like to thank Bill Smith and the Bluebird Project for recovering and restoring Bluebird K7, because this wouldn’t have been possible without every single one of them.
Thank you all for being a part of this amazing week. 💙💙💙
Bluebird out…….
