Save the Old Race Tales

[smokeybandit]

Someone posted on the "Save the Old Race Boats" thread about wanting to hear stories from the Michigan races. I might be overstepping my boundaries, but I thought it would be appropriate to start a new thread for old stories by some of the racers on here. I think it's a great way to keep the history of the sport alive.

[h2oMag]

Lake St Clair [L.S.C.] was ground zero for offshore racing here in Michigan. In 1972 the Donzi, Cigarette & Magnum guys were ready to go from bar racing [Pat O' Brien's & Brownies] to racing out on the lake. In the summer of 1972 LSCORA was formed. The first race was the 1973 Brownies Cup, and the rest is history. I was lucky to have been there, and have saved some of the stuff from back then. Today I collect any items that I can find from this historic past, and will post what ever I have from Back In The Day. These pic's are from the beginng on LSC.

[MarylandMark]

Those are some bad azz pics!! Good stuff!

[smokeybandit]

Great pics and great tale.

[Davidmnc]

I don't say much on this side of the site, but I love the pics and stories from the elder statesmen of the group. Thank you for sharing. I could read these stories all day. And you know what; I would have less time to post stupid stuff if I had more stories to read!

[smokeybandit]

I had the good fortune of talking with Billy Martin at a race back in the mid 80's and hearing about the races in South America. He told me those were the wildest days. Amazing how when I raced in the 80's I felt like I missed the best time in the 70's. I'm sure every generation of racers feels that way about the previous generation.

[Lee]

Lake St Clair [L.S.C.] was ground zero for offshore racing here in Michigan. In 1972 the Donzi, Cigarette & Magnum guys were ready to go from bar racing [Pat O' Brien's & Brownies] to racing out on the lake. In the summer of 1972 LSCORA was formed. The first race was the 1973 Brownies Cup, and the rest is history. I was lucky to have been there, and have saved some of the stuff from back then. Today I collect any items that I can find from this historic past, and will post what ever I have from Back In The Day. These pic's are from the beginng on LSC.

Hey Mark,
Tell the story about Kurt Russell in KW:rofl::rofl:

[h2oMag]

The guy in the blue Donzi [holding the bottle] is Jack Mathes a founding father of LSCORA, racer, [Li'L SMIDGEN & Maverick] and owner of Emerald City Harbor, LSC's ground zero. He is a great friend who let's me pick his brain for offshore history. If anyone here had the chance to come to our offshore reunion this last June, he was the center of attention. Here are some pic's of Jack, & Wally Harper,, in Wally's Magnum at the Brownies Cup race. Note the stock seats and windshield, back in the day !

[h2oMag]

Hey Mark,
Tell the story about Kurt Russell in KW:rofl::rofl:

Will save that for later, I think he is still mad at me.

[Top Banana]

I had the good fortune of talking with Billy Martin at a race back in the mid 80's and hearing about the races in South America. He told me those were the wildest days. Amazing how when I raced in the 80's I felt like I missed the best time in the 70's. I'm sure every generation of racers feels that way about the previous generation.

We were down in Mar del Plata.....Argentina. It was exacttly 30 years ago this month. It was the location of the World Championships. Every year they would be in a different place. '77 they were in Key west, '78 Argentina. '79 Venice, Italy, '80 Australia etc etc. It was a real World Championship as everyone from all over the world would come and compete.

Anyway, we are in Mar del Plata...which is 250 miles south of Buenos Aires. Chile and Argentina are on war alert with each other....they are almost, but not quite at war. The Southern Ocean is huge.....waves really big and the wind blowing hard. Everyone is there but the Italians...their ship was late getting to Buenos Aires. The logistics were for the Americans....load your race boat and trailer and everything else you might need on a ship in Miami about 6 weeks ahead of time. It would arrive in Buenos Aires and then you had to get allof it through customs and hire a truck and get it 250 miles south to Mar del Plata. We all agree to wait another day for the Italians....and we all hoped the winds would die down a bit.

Two new boats have arrived and are under wraps. Tom Gentry with a new 38 foot Scarab..American Eagle. And the first ever boat that would later be forever known as the Top Gun....it was the 37.6 Cigarette, Ajac Hawk of Jerry Jacoby.

Richie Powers was in charge of the American Eagle as well as being throttleman on it. The boat was outstanding in preparation and cleanliness. Bob Saccenti was the throtlleman on Ajac Hawk and it was a pleasure to behold, right down to the silver bolster.

So, while we are all sitting around killing a day, Billy Martin decides he is going to make up some..."Rocket Fuel". He starts with a big drum and puts a black garbage bag in it.....next a large variety of bottles are opened and dumped in...vodka, whiskey, gin, brandy, etc etc. I think they used an oar to stir it. Cups and mugs and jugs were passed around and..... the day passed very quickly. No boys and girls...there wasn't a breath test for the crews the next day!!!

The Italians arrived the next day...everyone raced..... and an Italian won the World Championship.....Cosentino, in an aluminum 38 footer.

Here are some shots of that race....you can see the water is not a good day for a 50 foot Mystic cat. The shot of the Cigarette that I took, showing the 37.6 designation on the rear quarter. Last photo is Richie Powers, Bob Bieich and me on American Eagle in the pits.....I handed out a lot of Banana Boat co t-shirts down there....maybe they are still there.

Next story is the same race ....Bill Elswick sinks his race boat and gets in a life raft. Remember the war alert? Well that meant no patrol boats were allowed way out there ....you were on your own. Just before dark, the crew is rescued from the life raft by a passing freighter....more details later.

[smokeybandit]

Now that is what I am talking about! The b&w of mich light is unreal. I don't think I have ever seen that one. The rocket fuel story is the one Billy told me. I was 20 at the time and totally in awe. Charlie, when did you stop racing? I'm not sure if I ever had the pleasure of meeting you in person. I raced from 83-86.

[glassdave]

I had the good fortune of talking with Billy Martin at a race back in the mid 80's and hearing about the races in South America. He told me those were the wildest days. Amazing how when I raced in the 80's I felt like I missed the best time in the 70's. I'm sure every generation of racers feels that way about the previous generation.

Very true, i started in about 03 and and sometimes feel like i missed the heyday in the 80's and 90's but i gotta tell ya i am having the time of my life with the people i race with now. Great group in the OPA, so we make our own history. I see Billy often in the pits and enjoy talking to him, he does have some great stories though huh :D :D

Brownies another one. Wonder if he would mind if i cut an paste some of the stories i have see in other threads. The one that comes to mind is how he described the Favya Shoes stuff and aftermath. Quote that comes to mind, i chuckle every time i read it.


. . . . . Li'l Fayva magically transformed into an acre of orange plywood in 1 unbelievable second Thanks to our cameraman, about a hundred million people got a firsthand look at our engineering capability.

Lots of the pieces were tethered together by wires and hoses and such, and I towed the whole mess a couple of miles to the beach. There was still one engine and drive intact. It was at that point that we decided to only build raceboats out of materials with a specific gravity of 1+, so that at least, it would have the courtesy to sink.

clip . . . ouch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjPfKW7YRDM


.

[Top Banana]

Now that is what I am talking about! The b&w of mich light is unreal. I don't think I have ever seen that one. The rocket fuel story is the one Billy told me. I was 20 at the time and totally in awe. Charlie, when did you stop racing? I'm not sure if I ever had the pleasure of meeting you in person. I raced from 83-86.


I started in the 50's ...but I haven't raced for the last 6 months or so...... my last race was June 08, in the Miami to Bimini, Don Aronow Memorial race, in the first ever race boat that Don ever made for himself from one of his own companies. Photo below.

A bunch of us stopped in the early 80's and went car racing.....IMSA. Sandy Satullo, Preston Henn, Clauser, and me. The best of us..Preston Henn, won the Daytona 24 hr race driving with some Texan guy...AJ Foyt.

Check out my boat co site for more racing...boats and car stuff.

www.bananaboatco.com

You could also ck out ....youtube ...Bushmills 1979

[Toasty]

Sitting in drivers meeting in 2006 OC MD with Ed Space Toth (41 apache) and Bill Martin Sr. We are getting ready to race my sutphen Billy Sr. Jr in their cigarette in class 4 us in class 5. Well Billy got to talking about old Lester and fuel for their 41 apache leathel weapon in a race in the 80s or 90s. So Billy and Ed are the two best story tellers in the world cause its true like, and these guys are real, not some little rich pieces who had the silver in their panties, these guys work...so anyway Lester dont listen to nobody and tops of the fuel tanks in his 41. The problem is everyone pre ordered their fuel before the race and certain boats get certain amounts. Well lester screwed it up now for everyone. now Ed goes to put the high octane in his 41 and he comes up short. so they are all on the dock, no motors running and Eds really hot. and sees Billy and doofy looking Lester. So Ed comes over to Leathel Weapon cause Billy either throttled or drive for them and liked billy, billy told lester to only put a certain amount in so Eddy says "If we run out of fuel and you happen to go by us, Billy you duck cause i am going to shoot Lester with the flare gun."

C

[Toasty]

Another race in the Sutphen and we have a few more laps to go, and its real rough. well we are running the front next to the beach, i am throttling Ed is driving and my best friend is along for the ride pulling lap tape. Well i have the boat cooking tying to look at the water but not going for the big picture just looking at whats in front of us, so over the motors i hear this loud whislte noise and i am thinking what the hell is that? guages look ok i dont hear nothing clanging, and its all within a few seconds i look over and Eds got the boat right along side of surfers the lifeguards are blowing us offshore and i am trying to outrun cresting rollers on the port side. so then in the same race i was just looking down to see how many laps. sometimes you try to count in your head but things are bumpy and looking at guages and thinking about fuel and other stuff messes it up. So i look down and we must (3 of us) all must been looking at the same time cause just as Joe (best friend pulling lap tape) pulls one a piece of fresh imron paint comes with the tape. So Ed looks over laughing and says "**** head musta used the wrong tape, he used black duct tape instead of the black elec tape" i told joe to pull the rest real slow, but not to worry its only a boat.

hope i didnt bore you with the stories...
C

[glassdave]

Hey Chris . . . .can i tell the GPS story one more time . . . :D


Great storys Toasty . . . .now i know why they make us run so far off shore in Ocean City lol :D

[ygrowup]

We were down in Mar del Plata.....Argentina. It was exacttly 30 years ago this month. It was the location of the World Championships. Every year they would be in a different place. '77 they were in Key west, '78 Argentina. '79 Venice, Italy, '80 Australia etc etc. It was a real World Championship as everyone from all over the world would come and compete.

Anyway, we are in Mar del Plata...which is 250 miles south of Buenos Aires. Chile and Argentina are on war alert with each other....they are almost, but not quite at war. The Southern Ocean is huge.....waves really big and the wind blowing hard. Everyone is there but the Italians...their ship was late getting to Buenos Aires. The logistics were for the Americans....load your race boat and trailer and everything else you might need on a ship in Miami about 6 weeks ahead of time. It would arrive in Buenos Aires and then you had to get allof it through customs and hire a truck and get it 250 miles south to Mar del Plata. We all agree to wait another day for the Italians....and we all hoped the winds would die down a bit.

Two new boats have arrived and are under wraps. Tom Gentry with a new 38 foot Scarab..American Eagle. And the first ever boat that would later be forever known as the Top Gun....it was the 37.6 Cigarette, Ajac Hawk of Jerry Jacoby.

Richie Powers was in charge of the American Eagle as well as being throttleman on it. The boat was outstanding in preparation and cleanliness. Bob Saccenti was the throtlleman on Ajac Hawk and it was a pleasure to behold, right down to the silver bolster.

So, while we are all sitting around killing a day, Billy Martin decides he is going to make up some..."Rocket Fuel". He starts with a big drum and puts a black garbage bag in it.....next a large variety of bottles are opened and dumped in...vodka, whiskey, gin, brandy, etc etc. I think they used an oar to stir it. Cups and mugs and jugs were passed around and..... the day passed very quickly. No boys and girls...there wasn't a breath test for the crews the next day!!!

The Italians arrived the next day...everyone raced..... and an Italian won the World Championship.....Cosentino, in an aluminum 38 footer.

Here are some shots of that race....you can see the water is not a good day for a 50 foot Mystic cat. The shot of the Cigarette that I took, showing the 37.6 designation on the rear quarter. Last photo is Richie Powers, Bob Bieich and me on American Eagle in the pits.....I handed out a lot of Banana Boat co t-shirts down there....maybe they are still there.

Next story is the same race ....Bill Elswick sinks his race boat and gets in a life raft. Remember the war alert? Well that meant no patrol boats were allowed way out there ....you were on your own. Just before dark, the crew is rescued from the life raft by a passing freighter....more details later.

That shot of the Scarabs & CUV (?) rounding the turn is old school heaven!

Attached is a cool old ad re the 38 Cig's evolution...

[Steve 1]

Elswick's boat was the John Player Special (Now Black and Gold) from the infamous Blonde race boat or spear, there is a photo of it stuck in the side of a large cruiser Anglo and myself rigged the Boat at Haggertys shop.

Billy had us install a pair of two man life rafts in the boat, which always puzzled me anyway they were in front of the cockpit bulkhead access thru a round hole when the boat went down they got one out ok but somehow pulled the cord on the second one I do not know if they got it out or the three crew fit into a two man raft!

He hit something and ripped a drive off the boat.

[smokeybandit]

I guess I'll add one since I started the thread.

1985 race in Barnegat Bay. I was racing my 21' Superboat (see pic below). Green flag comes up and I have a 22' velocity running right next to me. He trips and spins right in front of me. The driver gets thrown out of the boat and I run right over him. There was absolutely no way to avoid him, in fact he's lucky I didn't spear him. I'm figuring for sure this guy is dead and I'm going to have to live with this the rest of my life. We turn around and there's the orange helmet bobbing in the water. We motor over to him and the he's fine. We helped him back into his boat and they wound up finishing the race right behind us.

9770

[Ryan8886]

Someone posted on the "Save the Old Race Boats" thread about wanting to hear stories from the Michigan races. I might be overstepping my boundaries, but I thought it would be appropriate to start a new thread for old stories by some of the racers on here. I think it's a great way to keep the history of the sport alive.

That was me that posted that....and thanks for starting this thread. The pics and stories so are great. :26:

[smokeybandit]

Ryan,

I don't know how old you are, but if you were at the Grand Haven race in 86 you saw my worst moment in racing. I was racing my 24' Skater "Renegade" in the old stock class. I stuffed it less than a mile from the finish. I got busted up really bad and my t-man was in a lot worse shape than me. Stuffing a boat really sucks. It's like hitting a brick wall. Thankfully it happened in fresh water. My eyelid was hanging off after the boom on the mic broke from the force of the water and sliced my eyelid. If that was saltwater it really would have stung.

[Steve 1]

Grand Haven was rough we ran it that year!!

[Ryan8886]

Ryan,

I don't know how old you are, but if you were at the Grand Haven race in 86 you saw my worst moment in racing. I was racing my 24' Skater "Renegade" in the old stock class. I stuffed it less than a mile from the finish. I got busted up really bad and my t-man was in a lot worse shape than me. Stuffing a boat really sucks. It's like hitting a brick wall. Thankfully it happened in fresh water. My eyelid was hanging off after the boom on the mic broke from the force of the water and sliced my eyelid. If that was saltwater it really would have stung.

I was about 16 then. Didn't see the race that year but seems to me I remember hearing about that. I have family that spend the summer over there so that's likely where I heard it. Skater's were always a local favorite around there!That had to be brutal! Were they still racing out of Saugatuck that year?? Seemed to me they moved them somewhere else around that time...that or we stopped going there during race week.

I don't know how you guys do it. In the short time I've owned my boat, I've gained tremendous respect for what you guys do. 35mph in a 3-4 foot chop is enough to rattle my fillings loose...don't know how you do it at 60-70-80+

[ygrowup]

Grand Haven was rough we ran it that year!!

For what it's worth, I thinks GH '86 was the rare sunny & smooth Lake Mich event....Jesse James (what a gorgeous piece that was) put a thumpin' on the Cougar & Apache cat guys in that mill pond. 1987 was godawful snotty (Kaiser's revenge & Velocity's bobbing skyward in the channel) and 1985, well, seem to recall that god just forgot everybody's name out there! When Big Al mutters 'I think we need a bigger boat' on the deck of his crinkled & rivet-popped 50-foot Popeyes, you get the idea that this great lake takes no prisoners.

As a sidebar, we still laugh about those days & lessons learned....when Rajah Rogers said '3 to 5's out there, let's race' (from the helicopter), you just converted that from feet to meters and you were right in the ballpark!

Bring on GH to Chi-town or Milwaukee!

[BOJOE2]

great thread its all great

[smokeybandit]

Wow, Rajah Rogers. That's a blast from the past. He sent us out in some pretty big stuff. I remember GH in 85. Nasty, nasty water. We were stomping the whole field. Kurt had it humming. We passed most of the modified fleet and a good portion of the open fleet. Wouldn't you know it, we broke a prop and didn't have a spare on board. S**t happens.

[MarylandMark]

Wouldn't you know it, we broke a prop and didn't have a spare on board.

In todays "racing" (no disrespect to the current racers) you wouldn't have time to change a prop before the race was over...

[glassdave]

In todays "racing" (no disrespect to the current racers) you wouldn't have time to change a prop before the race was over...

True that, we finished the first two races in Key West in about fifteen minutes each. Lucky if i can change my mind that quick. :ack2:

[ygrowup]

For what it's worth, I thinks GH '86 was the rare sunny & smooth Lake Mich event....Jesse James (what a gorgeous piece that was) put a thumpin' on the Cougar & Apache cat guys in that mill pond. 1987 was godawful snotty (Kaiser's revenge & Velocity's bobbing skyward in the channel) and 1985, well, seem to recall that god just forgot everybody's name out there! When Big Al mutters 'I think we need a bigger boat' on the deck of his crinkled & rivet-popped 50-foot Popeyes, you get the idea that this great lake takes no prisoners.

As a sidebar, we still laugh about those days & lessons learned....when Rajah Rogers said '3 to 5's out there, let's race' (from the helicopter), you just converted that from feet to meters and you were right in the ballpark!

Bring on GH to Chi-town or Milwaukee!

Babbling about Velocity's going vertical brought back memories of an old oso post I threw out there:

The 30 Velocity / Putt Putt reminded me of B-Fast, which ran out of the great lakes mid to late 90's. Ralph & Tom usually managed to keep this fast, but unpredictable beast in a straight line. But every once in while, she'd show her mean streak by spitting out one or more of the crew. Louie "the buoy" was navigator & chief rag waver at the turns & S / F. He also held the distinction of getting tossed with alarming regularity. Key West ~'95....they're in a huge pack of B boats coming into the first outside turn in typical KW nastiness. As the spray settles and the scrum is sorted out, the turn buoy is destroyed and Louie has once again gone swimming. Although ok, bad news is the slower B boats and an even larger fleet of A boats are now turning on the only orange thing in the water...Louie's head! And the Detroit legend of "Louie the Buoy" was born.

[Buoy]

Great thread!
Keep going guys - we're eating this stuff up.

[ygrowup]

Wow, Rajah Rogers. That's a blast from the past. He sent us out in some pretty big stuff. I remember GH in 85. Nasty, nasty water. We were stomping the whole field. Kurt had it humming. We passed most of the modified fleet and a good portion of the open fleet. Wouldn't you know it, we broke a prop and didn't have a spare on board. S**t happens.

Should be the official title for Offshore, except maybe with Expensive in front of it!

Had another flashback from Grand Haven (officially called the Spirit of America / Run For Glory) ....post race '87, we're sprawled around on the grass in front of the Grand Isle showroom sipping 12 oz. smart juice and comparing war stories of whose stuff was busted up worst. A buddy (with cold cans duct taped to his mangled elbow & knee) chimes in that 'they should rename this suicide mission the Run For Your Life!'

[Top Banana]

Odell Lewis...... was supposed to drive the turbine boat at the Steel Pier Offshore Atlantic City race in '67 (Were some of you guys born then??) Anyway, Mr. Kiekhaefer changed his mind and wanted the boat back in Fond du Lac for an open house he was doing there.

So he sends Odell and Dale Thayer in this outboard instead. Now the boat didn't meet the minimum requirements for length, so they stuck on this beak...(Oh, you thought someone else thought that up 20 years later!!!) and the boat was legal.

Odell had a bet with another Mercury driver, that he would be the first outboard home.....so he was pushing it a bit. He figured out that he could run the boat wide open on some legs... as the waves (swells) were just far enough apart, that he could run up the front of the first wave, jump the second and land on the backside of the third.

Went just fine for a while...but waves being waves, they tripped on one and ended up stuffing the nose (First stuff in offshore?) The boat filled with water and the rescue boat that happened to be near them came rushing out to help.

But, Odell and Dale being Odell and Dale...waved the boat off, pushed the throttles up and the boat began to move and empty of water. One motor was dead, but they got it going and bailed with their helmets and.....yup, finished first outboard.

[Brownie]

Did not!

[glassdave]

Odell Lewis...... was supposed to drive the turbine boat at the Steel Pier Offshore Atlantic City race in '67 (Were some of you guys born then??) Anyway, Mr. Kiekhaefer changed his mind and wanted the boat back in Fond du Lac for an open house he was doing there.

So he sends Odell and Dale Thayer in this outboard instead. Now the boat didn't meet the minimum requirements for length, so they stuck on this beak...(Oh, you thought someone else thought that up 20 years later!!!) and the boat was legal.

Odell had a bet with another Mercury driver, that he would be the first outboard home.....so he was pushing it a bit. He figured out that he could run the boat wide open on some legs... as the waves (swells) were just far enough apart, that he could run up the front of the first wave, jump the second and land on the backside of the third.

Went just fine for a while...but waves being waves, they tripped on one and ended up stuffing the nose (First stuff in offshore?) The boat filled with water and the rescue boat that happened to be near them came rushing out to help.

But, Odell and Dale being Odell and Dale...waved the boat off, pushed the throttles up and the boat began to move and empty of water. One motor was dead, but they got it going and bailed with their helmets and.....yup, finished first outboard.

was that boat related to "Spooky"? :D

[Steve 1]

For what it's worth, I thinks GH '86 was the rare sunny & smooth Lake Mich event....Jesse James (what a gorgeous piece that was) put a thumpin' on the Cougar & Apache cat guys in that mill pond. 1987 was godawful snotty (Kaiser's revenge & Velocity's bobbing skyward in the channel) and 1985, well, seem to recall that god just forgot everybody's name out there! When Big Al mutters 'I think we need a bigger boat' on the deck of his crinkled & rivet-popped 50-foot Popeyes, you get the idea that this great lake takes no prisoners.

As a sidebar, we still laugh about those days & lessons learned....when Rajah Rogers said '3 to 5's out there, let's race' (from the helicopter), you just converted that from feet to meters and you were right in the ballpark!

Bring on GH to Chi-town or Milwaukee!

May have been 87 We had the Thriller Jaguar Cat there is a picture of it about 15 feet up and climbing.

[nocigarette]

Great thread guys.....

[ygrowup]

May have been 87 We had the Thriller Jaguar Cat there is a picture of it about 15 feet up and climbing.

...and a Thriller it was! Key West '87 was my very first race in Pro Stock. We're barreling along on the outside in that typical Worlds slop and I happen to glance over and back and there's Thriller about to blast by us. From there it got surreal. They hit one of those ohmigod holes and put that big b-itch on its side and then completely upside-down and proceeded to skip like a stone at a 45 degree....right at us! Luckily, the wheel on our rig was on the far starboard side, so our driver saw them and started sawing the wheel to port like a madman. Shame there wasn't a flim crew above for this rodeo...an upside-down cat chasing three rather concerned stooges towards the island! Seemed like forever, but in an instant, the Thriller somehow snapped back over and slid to a stop. After the ugliness there in '85 and '86, we had a sick feeling as we came back around to check on them. Happy ending...Jaguar Jack and Ed(?) popped out of those capsules with the same astonished, I need a LOT of drinks look that we had on our faces. After making sure they were ok, we blasted off to finish the race and I remember thinking to my young self:

A> thank god for canopies

B> I really should've went bowling!

[Davidmnc]

...and a Thriller it was! Key West '87 was my very first race in Pro Stock. We're barreling along on the outside in that typical Worlds slop and I happen to glance over and back and there's Thriller about to blast by us. From there it got surreal. They hit one of those ohmigod holes and put that big b-itch on its side and then completely upside-down and proceeded to skip like a stone at a 45 degree....right at us! Luckily, the wheel on our rig was on the far starboard side, so our driver saw them and started sawing the wheel to port like a madman. Shame there wasn't a flim crew above for this rodeo...an upside-down cat chasing three rather concerned stooges towards the island! Seemed like forever, but in an instant, the Thriller somehow snapped back over and slid to a stop. After the ugliness there in '85 and '86, we had a sick feeling as we came back around to check on them. Happy ending...Jaguar Jack and Ed(?) popped out of those capsules with the same astonished, I need a LOT of drinks look that we had on our faces. After making sure they were ok, we blasted off to finish the race and I remember thinking to my young self:

A> thank god for canopies

B> I really should've went bowling!



Great story!! WOW

[Top Banana]

Did not!


I know you were there.....it was the Miss America race after all......Dale Thayer told me the story....do you have a clarification of the finish of the outboard class?

[Top Banana]

was that boat related to "Spooky"? :D

No.... Spooky was a California 16 foot Formula, that had the "Beak" added to make it a 21 footer, for minimum length.

The engine was put in the middle of the boat and the driver sat with his legs on both sides of the engine. The crewman was put outside on the transom with a seat bolted into a cage.

Brownie actually rode in this thing, so he may be able to fill in more details for us.

[Davidmnc]

No.... Spooky was a California 16 foot Formula, that had the "Beak" added to make it a 21 footer, for minimum length.

The engine was put in the middle of the boat and the driver sat with his legs on both sides of the engine. The crewman was put outside on the transom with a seat bolted into a cage.

Brownie actually rode in this thing, so he may be able to fill in more details for us.

WOW that's crazy........would love to see pics of it.

[Steve 1]

...and a Thriller it was! Key West '87 was my very first race in Pro Stock. We're barreling along on the outside in that typical Worlds slop and I happen to glance over and back and there's Thriller about to blast by us. From there it got surreal. They hit one of those ohmigod holes and put that big b-itch on its side and then completely upside-down and proceeded to skip like a stone at a 45 degree....right at us! Luckily, the wheel on our rig was on the far starboard side, so our driver saw them and started sawing the wheel to port like a madman. Shame there wasn't a flim crew above for this rodeo...an upside-down cat chasing three rather concerned stooges towards the island! Seemed like forever, but in an instant, the Thriller somehow snapped back over and slid to a stop. After the ugliness there in '85 and '86, we had a sick feeling as we came back around to check on them. Happy ending...Jaguar Jack and Ed(?) popped out of those capsules with the same astonished, I need a LOT of drinks look that we had on our faces. After making sure they were ok, we blasted off to finish the race and I remember thinking to my young self:

A> thank god for canopies

B> I really should've went bowling!

It was a tough Airex boat first open class with canopies ,we got the gimbals replaced (both broke Helmets the hard way) I did a quickie engine hatch and it raced in the saturday race. Some strange things happened nav lights shaved off decals gone the fuel pickups at the top of the Bladders.

[glassdave]

No.... Spooky was a California 16 foot Formula, that had the "Beak" added to make it a 21 footer, for minimum length.

The engine was put in the middle of the boat and the driver sat with his legs on both sides of the engine. The crewman was put outside on the transom with a seat bolted into a cage.

Brownie actually rode in this thing, so he may be able to fill in more details for us.

sounds . . . . uhhh . . . spooky :D

[glassdave]

WOW that's crazy........would love to see pics of it.

theres video of it in "Run Sunward" i believe its avaliable on the HORBA site. There are a few more pics floating around.

[Top Banana]

Did not!


John Stenbeck.....did and you were second, (First overall in your class).

Brownie, we agreed that we were not going to let the truth get in the way of a good story didn't we?

[ygrowup]

It was a tough Airex boat first open class with canopies ,we got the gimbals replaced (both broke Helmets the hard way) I did a quickie engine hatch and it raced in the saturday race. Some strange things happened nav lights shaved off decals gone the fuel pickups at the top of the Bladders.

Airex. As smokeybandit would say, there's a blast from the past! It must've had an attraction as ours was built with it also. Had completely forgotten that name until today. Their logo was emblazoned right into the little upkick on both sides in front of the tri-stripes from Pantera......

[Steve 1]

Nice looking boat!

[MikeyFIN]

John Stenbeck.....did and you were second, (First overall in your class).

Brownie, we agreed that we were not going to let the truth get in the way of a good story didn't we?

ohh you old Gentlemen ( spelled F**ts], you crack me up...
Yes I was born 1967...:rofl:

[Edward R. Cozzi]

That 1986 Grand Haven race was a great one for me too. I was throttling a 32' Cobra called "Obsession II" for the owner, Bob Oetringer with a friend of mine Warren Schintzius as the rookie navigator. We were in the Sportsman D class and won because Warren kept us on course when everybody else followed the pack and covered several unnecessary miles. The seas were very calm and we had set-up the boat for rough water. (Figures)!

Anyway we could see the finish line and one engine ran out of fuel. We were so far ahead, we were able to transfer fuel, re-prime and finish on plane. I thought for sure we had missed a lap and were going to be disqualified. I wasn't convinced until we were handed the checkered flag that we had actually won. A perfect example of the Tortoise and the Hare.

[smokeybandit]

Okay, my DVD Recorder/VCR is on it's way. I can't wait to convert all of my tapes to DVD. I will try to post some clips and not infringe on anyones copyright. I was watching some great racing between Jesse James, Rolling Thunder and United Racing Engines. Mark Lavin was extremely talented. When Mark was killed in 86, I believe it was like a punch in the gut to the whole sport. That's not meant to take anything away from any of the others whose lives were tragically cut short, but Mark was taking the sport of offshore racing to new levels.

[Edward R. Cozzi]

In 1986 we raced "Obsession II" in the Lake St. Claire race. It was a real hot one that day and our black racing suits with our Lifelines didn't help. About half-way through the race while the engines were purring nicely, I had been looking at the gauges when the tachometer flicked and I felt a very slight loss in power. I instinctively shut-off that engine immediately. We had to idle from the farthest point on the race course back to the pits in the hot sun. It was murder.

After we returned to Chicago and pulled that engine, it was a valve in the process of dropping. It was a miracle that we didn't window the whole engine, as I had shut it off before the valve had hurt the piston in that cylinder. Oetringer still can't believe I heard that and stopped it in time. I told him that Zen-like I had become "One with the Engines" and did not want them to suffer.

[MikeyFIN]

Okay, my DVD Recorder/VCR is on it's way. I can't wait to convert all of my tapes to DVD. I will try to post some clips and not infringe on anyones copyright. I was watching some great racing between Jesse James, Rolling Thunder and United Racing Engines. Mark Lavin was extremely talented. When Mark was killed in 86, I believe it was like a punch in the gut to the whole sport. That's not meant to take anything away from any of the others whose lives were tragically cut short, but Mark was taking the sport of offshore racing to new levels.

It was, I followed the sport from overhere constantly and when the news arrived I was tearful over the matter.
A year later Didier Pironi died and that put a big cloud over here over the sport but the biggest blow globally would be Stefano Casiraghis death.
That put a Big cloud over the sport to this very day over here and the awareness of offshore racings dangers to the general public.
The death of Stefano was just as big news as the deaths of Grace Kelly, Lady Diana or ELVIS.

[smokeybandit]

Somebody please help me with this whole video thing. I finally got my DVD Recorder/VCR. I was able to record the VHS tapes onto DVD. What software should I use to make clips, and is youtube the best site for posting videos? There's some good stuff that I would really like to share.

Thanks

[smokeybandit]

Funny thing is that I work for a CD/DVD duplication and replication house. You would think I would know how to do this stuff, but we don't do authoring.

[Edward R. Cozzi]

I keep remembering things from the 1986 season! Sorry if it bores any of you gentlemen.

The World Championship that year was a two-race format for Sportsman D class. We raced on Thursday and then again on Saturday that year.

Thursday's race was the one that Mark Lavin regrettably lost his life in the tragic stuff of the Jesse James Conquest cat. (None of the racers knew until after the race unless they saw it happen and stopped to help.). The Obsession II 32' Cobra was purring along nicely until we became airborne and landed in a giant bed of floating seaweed. Our water intakes were solidly plugged and we had a DNF.

Saturday, under the gloom of Thursday's happening, started pretty good for us. We stuffed so badly out at the reef about 3/4 through the race that the water coming over the deck broke my snap-on face plate and cut open my cheek. For the rest of the race I couldn't hear because the wind was blowing my blood back into my ears. We finished on two healthy engines, but no thanks to my throttling. One of the throttle cables had pulled out of its jacket and only one engine was being feathered while the other one was zinging like there was no tomorrow. How it stayed together I'll never know. When I took off my helmet the look on everybodys face was priceless when they saw all the dried blood on my face. Ah, the good old days!

[MarylandMark]

I keep remembering things from the 1986 season! Sorry if it bores any of you gentlemen.

Keep typing!!

[smokeybandit]

I was converting more of my VHS to DVD last night and I came across Introduction to Offshore Racing from 1984. Awesome! I haven't watched that one in many years. There is great racing footage of Super Brut and many others. If you get the chance to watch it, is a must see (and not just because my boat was in it).

[smokeybandit]

10542

OK, I finally learned how to do the whole video thing.

[NNRT]

Hi Rob - glad you got it under control - however ! - when you copy from a VHS - you get a Grainy home video look - no worse than VHS- which was the format for home video at the time. For selected videos that you really enjoy - contact T2X - and get it duped from the master which is a broadcast format and have it duped directly to DVD - A world of difference in quality !

Happy Holidays to all

Phil
nnrt.films@verizon.net

[smokeybandit]

Here's a video from the 1986 Liberty Classic on Barnegat Bay. This is my first race after the stuff on Lake Michigan. This was my throttlemans first time in the boat, so it gets a little hairy. T2X did not narrate this one. Narration is by Steve Berger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNZ5eAjERGc

[NNRT]

Here's a video from the 1986 Liberty Classic on Barnegat Bay. This is my first race after the stuff on Lake Michigan. This was my throttlemans first time in the boat, so it gets a little hairy. T2X did not narrate this one. Narration is by Steve Berger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNZ5eAjERGc

Hey Rob - your speed is off - as it makes the boat look like its going faster than it is - also I can tell from the voice - higher pitched and a quicker cadence than usual - check it out -

Phil

[Toasty]

wow very interesting! is that kurts brother in the heli speaking? awesome run! what did your dad do in the apache?

[smokeybandit]

Hey Rob - your speed is off - as it makes the boat look like its going faster than it is - also I can tell from the voice - higher pitched and a quicker cadence than usual - check it out -

Phil

And I thought I was flying. Now I know why it looks so fast. I just started playing with the software, so it might take me a little time to get the hang of it. You guys must have had the patience of a saint in that editing room.

Phil, my older son said if he hears that music one more time, he's going to throw my videos in the garbage. I told him to me, that music means racing.

[smokeybandit]

wow very interesting! is that kurts brother in the heli speaking? awesome run! what did your dad do in the apache?

Yes, that's Kurt's brother Steve narrating. I can't recall where T2X was that day. Probably searching out a Switzer.

[smokeybandit]

Here's another one. This is Key West 1985. Without a doubt my best personal memory of racing. There is no feeling like winning a world championship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjDZ9JsZz-0

[Toasty]

how are you guys all related? what are you running now?

[smokeybandit]

No relation. My father was the $ man. In the Chris Cat I drove and Kurt throttled. In the Skater I drove and Tom Newman throttled until our accident.

No boat for me right now. Hopefully this summer, but that could be dictated by the economy.

I just took out all my old videos and started converting them to DVD. Once you start watching, it's hard to stop. I can't wait until the individual races are available on DVD from T2X. I hate to always sound like I'm a pitchman for these videos, but if you have never seen any of the videos by NNRT, you have no clue what you are missing. Phil and Rich's passion for the sport comes out in every tape. And for those who race now, I have no idea what the video coverage is like, but it was hard to beat Phil hanging out the chopper almost sitting on your deck, and Rich telling him to get closer.

[NNRT]

haha - Rob- thanks for the compliment - but it was not Richie to tell me to get closer - THAT was MY Idea- many times Rich would ask me- do we have to be that close ? I would say -get closer ! we always tried to get the feeling of being there - the noise, the excitement of the moment - cant pretend to be excited when you see a boat become airborne -(if you are in a studio over narrating) - but if you see it live- you say what you see - and thats what we did !

Turn the music down - when you watch the video - maybe the narration too - as Richie used to ask me- "did you listen to the narration when you editied" - I would tell him NO - heard it once LIVE - I did not want to hear it again - then I would see steam coming out of his ears - enjoyable steam to watch too ! haha !

Our colaboration was just fun - never seemed like work - it was Team work - Richie, the pilot - did most of the work - I just put it together - and one thing I always did- was to upgrade equipment - Chyrons - digital effects- everything - it all started with an idea and a 100 dollar super 8 sound camera - and look what happened- who would have thought I would have all the same equipment of a full blown broadcast format studio - !

The people I met and the places I filmed over the years were priceless - I took a chance going to Argentina in 1978 - or to New Zealand in 1986 - but it paid off - soon I got invitations to go to Japan, Monaco - Dubai - and also film for U.I.M. in Europe- on their PAL format too - all from a simple idea and a few bucks -

Just goes to show - dreams do come true - and thanks to People like Rich Luhrs, and several Vietnam pilots - NNRT became what it was.

Merry Christmas Rob -

Phil

nnrt.films@verizon.net

[nocigarette]

These are the threads that keep classic offshore racing in my bloodstream.....Great job guys and let it be known that people like me really appreciate what you guys are sharing.....:03::03::03::03:

[boatme]

One of the best threads on here

I live in Grand Haven /Spring Lake and the races here are what got me into the sport

I will do some digging through the holidays to find all my pictures from the races back in the 80's

I was out on the water when the race got black flagged do to big seas I think 50 boats started that year and only 15 finished (lots of damage) Keep up the stories and the old vidieo is unbelievable ahhh the good ol days

[NNRT]

One of the best threads on here

I live in Grand Haven /Spring Lake and the races here are what got me into the sport

I will do some digging through the holidays to find all my pictures from the races back in the 80's

I was out on the water when the race got black flagged do to big seas I think 5 boats started that year and only 15 finished (lots of damage) Keep up the stories and the old vidieo is unbelievable ahhh the good ol days



I think it was 1985 - rough water - Arneson was racing Kaama for the win - lots of dammage- I can remember landing our helicopter across the river from the Marina - great location- wonderful people lots of help - great time there - its also the race where I captured a still shot of a compass coming out of a boat - Sheer Terror - Bobby Sheer and his flight marine cat - the Lakes sure can kick up at times -

Phil

[smokeybandit]

One of the best threads on here

I live in Grand Haven /Spring Lake and the races here are what got me into the sport

I will do some digging through the holidays to find all my pictures from the races back in the 80's

I was out on the water when the race got black flagged do to big seas I think 5 boats started that year and only 15 finished (lots of damage) Keep up the stories and the old vidieo is unbelievable ahhh the good ol days


That's one of the videos I can't find. I remember how rough it was. We had a huge lead, but we broke a prop. That lake is just a freshwater ocean. When it's big out there, it's really big.

[Steve 1]

Here's another one. This is Key West 1985. Without a doubt my best personal memory of racing. There is no feeling like winning a world championship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjDZ9JsZz-0

Very nice Job!!

[MikeyFIN]

That's one of the videos I can't find. I remember how rough it was. We had a huge lead, but we broke a prop. That lake is just a freshwater ocean. When it's big out there, it's really big.

Thanks for the Vid..seems you were taking it safe.
And Nice to boot.

Yes all shallow waters sink ships fast...coastlines or lakes or seas.

[Philip]

Okay, my DVD Recorder/VCR is on it's way. I can't wait to convert all of my tapes to DVD. I will try to post some clips and not infringe on anyones copyright. I was watching some great racing between Jesse James, Rolling Thunder and United Racing Engines. Mark Lavin was extremely talented. When Mark was killed in 86, I believe it was like a punch in the gut to the whole sport. That's not meant to take anything away from any of the others whose lives were tragically cut short, but Mark was taking the sport of offshore racing to new levels.
Is this the video of the 4 engine Conquest Rolling Thunder running with Mark and Chris in their 30 Chris Cat?

Philip

[baywatch]

Keep the stories coming!!!

This is what these forums are all about. I loving hearing about the good ol days!!!

[boatme]

That's one of the videos I can't find. I remember how rough it was. We had a huge lead, but we broke a prop. That lake is just a freshwater ocean. When it's big out there, it's really big.

One of the announcers that year was Peter Hledin somthing you dont see much

Some great shots of the YOUNG Peter :)

I have no idea how to post it on line but i am going to put it on DVD this year to preserve it along with the Systems promotion video i have (real cool ) then maybe i will figure how to Put it on the net

[NNRT]

One of the announcers that year was Peter Hledin somthing you dont see much

Some great shots of the YOUNG Peter :)

I have no idea how to post it on line but i am going to put it on DVD this year to preserve it along with the Systems promotion video i have (real cool ) then maybe i will figure how to Put it on the net




Peter did narrate for us - actually he asked what he should do- I just said - "Say what you see" - for a quiet guy - he was perfect - He was fun to work with - as he is with boats, a true professional -

Phil

[T2x]

I had dinner with Peter Hledin on New Years night a few weeks ago, and he was remembering his announcing experience. We laughed about the fact that it's a lot harder than it sounds. I always enjoyed listening to other guys try it and hit what I called the "7 minute wall"..... No matter how many notes they brought, nor how many sentences they rehearsed....they basically ran out of things to say after 7 minutes of narration and began to repeat themselves or throw out platitudes like "Wow!" or "Holy cow!".

I was lucky enough to have a stream of consciousness thought process that paralleled the racing action...... and I also was watching the action elsewhere on the course so we knew were to go next in the context of the stories that were unfolding before us.

I am proud of the fact that we did manage to tell a story at each event, rather than providing required footage of specific boats and a vanilla, scripted narrative that was over dubbed later. I was constantly challenged by people who were sure that we did the announcing after the fact....... not true....it was done live, unrehearsed, and unscripted. There were times when Phil wanted me to say something about an owner or boat and it never really worked as well as the spontaneous stuff. If a boat was doing well, I said it...if it was stinking up the course, I either went into a bored monotone or made a joke about it ("We seem to have a navigation problem here folks. One of the crew wants to go left, one wants to go right, and the third wants to go home!")..... We were true to ourselves and, in the end, I'm most proud of that.

On behalf of our pilots Walt Mistyn and Frank DeBoard, our still photographer, Peter Lewis, our executive producer/cameraman, Phil Lewis and our technical advisors Darren Luhrs and Fritz....... This is T2x...wishing y'all........ Good Racing.

;)

[T2x]

By the way....Phil would keep saying "get closer" until fish were swimming in front of his lense..... He never took his eyes out of the camera's focus field, we actually almost went in the drink during the Atlantic City World's and, to this day, I swear, only the pilot, Frank De Board, and I were aware of it, but we got great footage of the sinking boat we were covering. It never dawned on Phil that he was looking up at the drivers on the deck. :p

T2x

[TGC-32]

Without detracting from the other guys that created offshore racing videos, it is beyond even discussing that the Needlenose coverage was far and away the best. The quality of Phil's video work was so professional, and the narration that T2x provided offered a level of competence and experience that was so much better than everything else. I remember a race in Barnegat Bay back in the mid 90's, when we were running 1st overall for several laps until a navigaion error changed things in a hurry! Rich's commentary was something along the lines of "...and Euromarine goes from first to fourth! How'd you do that guys?!..." If you were running great he would say so, and if you were stinking up the joint he would say that too! That type of candor made the whole product so much better!

Thanks guys, and the Needle Nose Racing Team offshore racing coverage is sorely missed!

Tom Caruso
Total Marine

[T2x]

Without detracting from the other guys that created offshore racing videos, it is beyond even discussing that the Needlenose coverage was far and away the best. The quality of Phil's video work was so professional, and the narration that T2x provided offered a level of competence and experience that was so much better than everything else. I remember a race in Barnegat Bay back in the mid 90's, when we were running 1st overall for several laps until a navigaion error changed things in a hurry! Rich's commentary was something along the lines of "...and Euromarine goes from first to fourth! How'd you do that guys?!..." If you were running great he would say so, and if you were stinking up the joint he would say that too! That type of candor made the whole product so much better!

Thanks guys, and the Needle Nose Racing Team offshore racing coverage is sorely missed!

Tom Caruso
Total Marine

It was easy. I knew if I watched you long enough you'd figure out a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.....it was simply a matter of figuring out when in the race you would pull it off.... :D :p ;)

[TGC-32]

It was easy. I knew if I watched you long enough you'd figure out a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.....it was simply a matter of figuring out when in the race you would pull it off.... :D :p ;)

OUCH!!!! I would really be upset if it wasn't so true!

Happy New Year, Rich.

[NNRT]

Hello Tom -

Thank you for the compliment - however, I was just the one that put together a puzzle - It was a total Team effort - from Pilots, to Narration - and to our customers and clients that made it all possible. NNRT grew from an idea and a 150 dollar super 8 sound movie camera to full blown Broadcast equipment which made it possible for us to supply major networks with footage, including overseas such as Italy's RAI. It is my turn to repay the compliment to all the racers that believed in our work - Many Thanks to all of you !

Thank you again Tom - Rich too and the various Pilots that would scare Rich with joy ! haha !

Phil

nnrt.films@verizon.net

[TGC-32]

Nice to hear from you, Phil. You guys really were the best.

OK, in keeping with the title of this thread, here is another of our "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" tales. I don't know if Phil and Rich caught this race, but it was Ocean City in '92 I believe. By far the roughest race I was ever in, easily 8 footers. This was the race when Dan Campbell had to beach his 50' Jaguar cat, and here we are bouncing along in our 30' Chris-Cat Pro-Stock boat. Anyway, it is about midway through the race and we finally work our way up into the lead when my driver starts poking me and pointing to the steering wheel. To my amazement, the bolts holding the wheel onto the hub are starting to back off!!! What are we supposed to do, we're winning the race, gotta keep going, right? Anyway, its so f---ing rough it's not like we could do much about it. Another half lap later, he turns to me holding the wheel in both hands but it's no longer attached to the hub!!! It completely fell off the helm!!! We have stop for a minute or so to try and reattach it. By the time we get going again we are now in third place. We try like hell to catch up and were doing a pretty good job of it when they black flag the race!!! That one really hurt. You can't make this stuff up!

Let's hear some more war stories guys. I love this thread.

[T2x]

Nice to hear from you, Phil. You guys really were the best.

OK, in keeping with the title of this thread, here is another of our "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" tales. I don't know if Phil and Rich caught this race, but it was Ocean City in '92 I believe. By far the roughest race I was ever in, easily 8 footers. This was the race when Dan Campbell had to beach his 50' Jaguar cat, and here we are bouncing along in our 30' Chris-Cat Pro-Stock boat. Anyway, it is about midway through the race and we finally work our way up into the lead when my driver starts poking me and pointing to the steering wheel. To my amazement, the bolts holding the wheel onto the hub are starting to back off!!! What are we supposed to do, we're winning the race, gotta keep going, right? Anyway, its so f---ing rough it's not like we could do much about it. Another half lap later, he turns to me holding the wheel in both hands but it's no longer attached to the hub!!! It completely fell off the helm!!! We have stop for a minute or so to try and reattach it. By the time we get going again we are now in third place. We try like hell to catch up and were doing a pretty good job of it when they black flag the race!!! That one really hurt. You can't make this stuff up!

Let's hear some more war stories guys. I love this thread.

We were there. That was the race where the 40' Spirit of Norway Skater put a hurt on the 46' Apache "Tweets Revenge" in monstrous seas. Funny thing is everyone I speak to that was in that race.....thinks he won it....... except Tom...;)

Happy New Year right back at ya!


T2x

[Next Generation]

We were down in Mar del Plata.....Argentina. It was exacttly 30 years ago this month. It was the location of the World Championships. Every year they would be in a different place. '77 they were in Key west, '78 Argentina. '79 Venice, Italy, '80 Australia etc etc. It was a real World Championship as everyone from all over the world would come and compete.

Anyway, we are in Mar del Plata...which is 250 miles south of Buenos Aires. Chile and Argentina are on war alert with each other....they are almost, but not quite at war. The Southern Ocean is huge.....waves really big and the wind blowing hard. Everyone is there but the Italians...their ship was late getting to Buenos Aires. The logistics were for the Americans....load your race boat and trailer and everything else you might need on a ship in Miami about 6 weeks ahead of time. It would arrive in Buenos Aires and then you had to get allof it through customs and hire a truck and get it 250 miles south to Mar del Plata. We all agree to wait another day for the Italians....and we all hoped the winds would die down a bit.

Two new boats have arrived and are under wraps. Tom Gentry with a new 38 foot Scarab..American Eagle. And the first ever boat that would later be forever known as the Top Gun....it was the 37.6 Cigarette, Ajac Hawk of Jerry Jacoby.

Richie Powers was in charge of the American Eagle as well as being throttleman on it. The boat was outstanding in preparation and cleanliness. Bob Saccenti was the throtlleman on Ajac Hawk and it was a pleasure to behold, right down to the silver bolster.

So, while we are all sitting around killing a day, Billy Martin decides he is going to make up some..."Rocket Fuel". He starts with a big drum and puts a black garbage bag in it.....next a large variety of bottles are opened and dumped in...vodka, whiskey, gin, brandy, etc etc. I think they used an oar to stir it. Cups and mugs and jugs were passed around and..... the day passed very quickly. No boys and girls...there wasn't a breath test for the crews the next day!!!

The Italians arrived the next day...everyone raced..... and an Italian won the World Championship.....Cosentino, in an aluminum 38 footer.

Here are some shots of that race....you can see the water is not a good day for a 50 foot Mystic cat. The shot of the Cigarette that I took, showing the 37.6 designation on the rear quarter. Last photo is Richie Powers, Bob Bieich and me on American Eagle in the pits.....I handed out a lot of Banana Boat co t-shirts down there....maybe they are still there.

Next story is the same race ....Bill Elswick sinks his race boat and gets in a life raft. Remember the war alert? Well that meant no patrol boats were allowed way out there ....you were on your own. Just before dark, the crew is rescued from the life raft by a passing freighter....more details later.

Ha! There is a vidio of the forementioned ''Rocket Fuel'' mix being made on another site. Lmao!

Jr.

[Pantera24]

Best thread ever!
Tanks :)

[waterboy222]

What a thread to waste a morning on! Thanks everyone!