Ross ‘Rossco’ Willaton – The Sorcerer of Screws…

As one of the longest serving members of the Maritimo Team, Ross ‘Rossco’ Willaton has contributed an immeasurable amount to the success and high standing of the Maritimo brand worldwide. Initially engaged at Maritimo as a highly valued marine mechanic, Rossco’s breadth of skill led him to being responsible for delivering Maritimo vessels in to new markets all around the world.

Rossco’s experience, passion and skills in power boat racing, also partnering with Maritimo’s owner Bill Barry-Cotter and more recently with Bill’s son Tom, has also contributed to Maritimo’s enviable level of international success in the sport and kept the silverware cabinet topped up.

Rossco’s working relationship with Bill Barry-Cotter was established prior to his tenure at Maritimo, and it’s clear that a strong mutual bond of trust and loyalty had already been forged between the two prior to Rossco joining the organisation full time in 2005.

July 2024 marked the 50th Anniversary of Rossco’s powerboat racing career. With 16 Australian and 3 World Championship titles under his belt, it has also been a very rewarding half century.
A recent chat with the ‘Sorcerer of Screws’ (as Rossco is referred to by some in the know) uncovered a little more about a very rich career history.

“I’ve always liked marine engines. I’ve been a marine engineer since the mid-seventies.”

“So, over the years with boat shows, doing commissioning and warranty work, shipping and racing, I’ve seen a fair bit of the world. I’ve run a boat in the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. I’ve taken a boat off the docks in Tilbury UK and run it down the Thames and around the White Cliffs of Dover , in to the Solent and down to Poole in Dorset.”

“I’ve run boats up and down the Eastern side of the USA, from Miami, up to New York and around Chesapeake Bay where I’ve done Annapolis Boat Shows , I’ve lost count of how many boat shows I have done here and around the world . I’ve delivered boats in to New Zealand, New Guinea ,China, Japan the Seychelles, Fiji, Puerto Rico Dominican republic and all over North America including Canada ”

“One of my most interesting deliveries was to the Port of Vladivostok in Russia where the delivery entailed taking the owner and his mates out deer hunting. They got one and prepared it on board and they all took a meat tray home.

“My travel over many years has given me a great network of friends all around the world. I have raced successfully internationally with Maritimo in the Middle East, Europe China and the USA. I’ve made some great mates in a lot of the race teams.

“I started racing when I was at school. I wanted to be a Formula One power boat driver like the Formula One car drivers. Back in the mid 70s when I started, there were full-time factory race boat drivers and that’s all they did. They were professionals getting paid to go full time boat racing and that’s what I wanted to do right from when I was 12 years old. However, back then there was no junior racing, not like there is today in J1, J2 & J3 classes where the kids start as young as 9 . You also had to be 17 years of age and get a license to go boat racing in my day so at 16 I put my age up to get a licence. The smallest class back then was 25 horsepower and that’s where I started .

“Crashes are a part of it, they happen. The one at the opening of the 2018 season in the UAE wasn’t my only crash” says Rossco and one he admits he was fortunate to survive. “I’ve got a few plates, screws and a lot of scars to show from my racing exploits over the journey. That particular crash was a big one though. I have to say the rescue teams are superb. They’re the best in the world, and without them I probably wouldn’t be here.”

“I got knocked unconscious in the crash, so I couldn’t put the regulator in my mouth. I was stuck in the boat which was upside down. They couldn’t get me out through the emergency tunnel hatch, so they ended up having to take the cockpit hatch off and they pulled me out from underneath the upturned boat. Once above water they revived me on the rescue boat.”

“I’m claustrophobic even though I like being in a race boat. That’s different!!. After the crash I was hospitalised and had to get my lungs drained. I’ve drowned once before and that time they put tubes in my lungs to suck the water out. With this accident they fitted a horrible pressurised claustrophobic mask thing that hurt like hell. It pushes air in to your entire system and water comes out every orifice you’ve got!”

“Our racing directly leads to all sorts of advances in the technology of our production boats and lots of trial and error and testing in harsh conditions. Well obviously it doesn’t matter whether it’s a race boat or tug boat, propellers are what pushes the boat. It’s the most important part of the drive line. The ‘Sorcerer of Screws’ nickname comes from my work with all our propellers and the fact that I’ve been modifying and experimenting with props from way back working in my dad’s propeller shop as a kid.

From being in this industry my whole life I’ve obviously gained extensive experience from the likes of modifying my own race propellers to racing with Maritimo then being out in the field working for Maritimo on the production boats to now specifying all the props for the motor yachts .

“It’s a contest for me. I’m one of those people that doesn’t sort of step away from a challenge. I get job satisfaction when I make something happen and that other people mightn’t have been able to make happen. It means I’ll stick my neck out and have a go at something to which other people would say, ’Oh, I don’t think we should try that we don’t know if it’s going to work.”

“I rely on my gut a little bit and also a little bit on experience and all my collected data over the years. There is also a little bit of risk involved as I will happily go and chop up a $10,000 propeller which hopefully is going to improve it. And you know what? Probably 8 out of 10 times I do get it right so I haven’t trashed that many props…”

“Working with the Maritimo team is great. There’s such a wealth of talent and ability. What the team members can do is unreal plus, I only know boats. I don’t know anything else. So I’ll just keep going but obviously I don’t want to be a burden. If I don’t think I’m performing 100% then it’s time to hang up the tools. It’s the same as the racing, I’ll keep racing – but only if I’m still fast and competitive!”

“I’m mentoring a young junior race team at the moment. It’s so good to see juniors learning the race craft and getting experience at an earlier age than I did. That’s what I wanted to do. What I was always going to do probably. I think that always wanting to race and to win is why I can probably take on the odd challenge here and there, like what I’ve done with all the overseas work.”

“I always want to win at what I’m doing. I don’t want to let the project I’m doing beat me. I want to beat it.”