Sitting in the lounge of Clive and Anne Curtis, overlooking Southampton Waters, it was like reading one of those books you can’t put down, as Clive recounted his experiences and participation in powerboat racing throughout most of his life, and revealed a vast knowledge of the sport and its history.

Who would believe that the man behind the internationally acclaimed Cougar brand is in actual fact a genuine Cockney, born in 1933 within earshot of London’s Bow Bells. Had the family not moved to Essex, and when, at the tender age of nine Clive became a fully fledged member of the Sea Scouts, Cougar Racing may never have emerged to be one of the main influences in the history of British powerboat racing. In his formative years, a competitive nature was already beginning to flourish as Clive enjoyed taking part in many motorcycle scrambling races and he also took a few spins around the speedway race track at Rye House. However, motor cycling was for those who liked getting their hands dirty and being covered in mud, so sailing soon became a passion in his very first boat a Sharky 14 foot sailing dinghy built by himself. He took up the sport competitively with the Banelagh Sailing Club, Putney and one very significant victory was in the Merlin Rocket class when against 90 rivals on the Thames; Clive collected the winner’s trophy.

Little did I know at the time, but in the late 1950s when I would travel to Earls Court Boat Show with my father, as we approached London we used to pass a boating shop on the main road near Hammersmith. On the roof of the building was a Merlin Rocket and the company was C&B Marine founded by Clive Curtis and Robin Beauclair, which initially specialised in repairing alloy masts for Proctor.

Until 1959 outboards built in the USA were not available in the UK as the government would not issue an import licence, but in 1959 all that changed and C&B became dealers for American built Owen Sportsboats and Evinrude outboards. At the time the only recognised powerboat racing in the UK featured hydroplanes but when Clive struck up a friendship with Geoff Tobert, the importer of Owen Boats and Gales Outboards, it heralded the beginning of a new era in powerboating.

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