A CHRISTCHURCH man has been named as one of the survivors of a horror powerboat crash which has left a teenager fighting for his life.
Simon Wood Power was one of four people rescued after a Vector powerboat prototype flipped over and crashed on Southampton Water on Wednesday morning.
He and two others were released after treatment at Southampton Hospital but 17-year-old Simon Dredge suffered a head injury and remains in hospital.
The youngster was with his father, Vector founder Peter Dredge, 52, Mr Wood Power and another man when the £1 million boat collided with a buoy.
It is believed that Peter Dredge returned to the stricken vessel to rescue his son, thought to have been unable to escape the cabin as it filled with water.
A spokesman for Vector today confirmed that Mr Wood power, in his 50s, was one of those on board.
Onlookers witnessed the dramatic crash which was captured on camera by photographer Daniel Ubertini, 66.
The 40ft-long prototype, said to be worth around £1million, is new to the company's range where similar vessels are said to reach speeds up to 138mph.
Mark Weatherhead, part of the Calshot RNLI inshore crew who rescued those on board, described the individual thought to be Mr Dredge as a hero by pulling the teenager from the boat.
He said: "They managed to open the cabin door and three of them got out and onto the work boat.
"The fourth person wasn't seen so he went back into the boat and pulled the fourth crew member out.
"It was brave going back into an upturned boat when you have opened the cabin door up to get out. There's the potential that it could sink at any time. Potentially by doing what he did he saved the fourth crew member's life."
Mr Dredge is the founder and chief technical officer of Vector World which designs and manufactures powerboats. He has been a competitive powerboat racer for more than 30 years.
He also held the post of Director of Powerboat Racing and Recreational Motor-boating at the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) for 14 years and was responsible for developing many of the safety standards and guidelines used today, in all aspects of recreational and professional powerboat racing.
He has won two World and three European Championships and has broken 21 World Speed and Endurance Records, 15 of which still stand today.
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