Virgin Atlantic Challenger ll in Mallorca

Virgin Atlantic Challenger ll has been sitting in a Palma shipyards for the past seven years.
It has been seven years since Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Challenger was towed into the STP dockyard in Palma but now she is going to be sailing back home to Britain next month.
Plymouth-based boat builder Dan Stevens, a merchant navy officer and mater who also runs the Mount Batten ferry and harbour cruise vessels in Plymouth, was approached by Brian Thornton of Performance Marine in Ireland who thought Stevens would be the person to take the powerboat, which has been languishing in a boatyard in Mallorca, on.
Dan Stevens told the Bulletin that he closed the idea to purchase her just two weeks ago and work on refitting her is already underway. “She’s had a few owners over the years but nine have the passion or inclination to restore her to her former glory. “We’re talking about an iconic power boat and I didn’t take too much persuading.   “Right now, a van packed with parts is heading down to Palma and then in the middle of next week a crew of four will be flying over to begin what we’re calling a cosmetic refit. Her engines were only fired for the first time in seven years a few months back and we need to get her fuel tanks sorted.
“But, she’s only got 810 hours on the clock, she’s hardly ever beef used since breaking the record all those years ago. “So, we’re going to give her a basic going over, install a few new electronic packages and then embark on the sea trials in the Bay of Palma until she is ready for the journey back to Plymouth.

Source – Majorca Daily Bulletin – April 2013