Nic Compton
VIVA TRIDANTÉ! had been out of the water for about 30 years when Matthew and Ronnie Reed bought her in 2016. Although the 1964 raceboat has been refitted primarily for family outings, Matthew has pushed her to 36 knots on solo runs.
Matthew and Ronnie Reed were looking for a family boat to cruise the local waters near their home in Kingswear, Devon, England, when they spotted a rare—some might say collectible—boat for sale. VIVA TRIDANTÉ! was a 23′ speedboat, built to a design by Sonny Levi, that had raced several times in the Cowes-to-Torquay Race and won her class in the Torbay 100 Race in 1970, beating the likes of Sir Max Aitken in his famous (and much bigger) GYPSY GIRL. There’s even Pathé news footage of her holding her own among some of the top racing boats of the day, a plucky little pocket rocket battling against the elements and helping to cement the Levi legend.