PDA

View Full Version : Hot Seafair Weekend in Seattle



Serious News
07-30-2015, 06:31 AM
A lot of folks are getting excited for Seafair weekend. It'll be my first Seafair, and it's going to be one of those hot summer weekends - the kind that urges a jump in the lake! Fantastic weather to be out on the water, but if you're not taking a dip it's going to feel a little uncomfortable.

The forecast calls for temps to reach 90 Thursday through Sunday with lows only cooling to around 60. We're also going to see an abundance of sunshine with this high pressure ridge in place, so the UV Index will be high. That means sunburns in 20 minutes or less.

While we might be just shy of breaking any daytime high records, it's likely we're going to break the record for the most 90s in a given year. We have eight so far; the record is nine.

We'll probably see heat advisories go into effect later this week as well. We've said it a lot this summer, but it's going to be another steamy stretch of weather. If you're going to be outdoors, make sure you're drinking water even when you're not thirsty and take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning.

http://www.nwcn.com/story/weather/2015/07/29/seafair-weekend-hot/30832205/

Serious News
07-30-2015, 06:36 AM
Seafair Weekend brings the roar of hydroplanes, Blue Angels, Fleet Week

It’s Seafair Weekend on the water, land and in the air at the Hydroplane Races and Air Show Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 31-Aug. 2. Colorful hydroplanes racing on Lake Washington, a local tradition since 1951, draw thousands of spectators in boats and onshore for qualifying races leading up to Sunday’s Seafair Cup championship race.

Genesee Park and the surrounding area will be full of activities, including Kids Zone, hydroplane display and drivers autograph booth, military village, a cooking stage, food court and three beer, wine and spirits gardens. Mainstage entertainment will feature Navy Band Northwest daily, UW and WSU marching bands Saturday and Seattle Sounders Sound Wave Sunday. Weekend themes are Family Day Activities Friday; College Zone Spirit Day Saturday; and Seattle Sports Day Sunday, celebrating the Mariners, Sounders, Reign and Seahawks and featuring a 12th Man Hydroplane.

Blankets or folding chairs for seating come in handy, though many spectators simply sit on the grass or stand near the lake. Grandstand seating is available at an extra charge. Fans are welcome to bring outside food and beverages but no alcohol. Pets and firearms are also prohibited. Tours of Stan Sayres Pits, with up-close views of the hydros, are available daily with purchase of a Pit Pass; closed-toed shoes are required in the Pits.

Seafair Weekend

Time: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, July 31-Aug. 2

Cost: free admission Friday; Saturday/Sunday: adults $30/advance, $35/at the gate, seniors and ages 6-12 $10/advance, $15/at the gate, ages 5 and younger free; $45/reserved grandstand Friday, Saturday, Sunday; $10/day Pit Pass and tour

Location: Genesee Park, 4316 S. Genesee St., Seattle

More info: 206-728-0123 or seafair.com.

Let’s get to what everyone wants to know — when do the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform and when will I-90 be closed for their shows? The Blues take their spectacular precision show to the air above Lake Washington at 1:40 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, starring in the daily Air Show that also features aircraft from the Flying Heritage Collection, the Air National Guard, U.S. Marines and Breitling Jet Team. The I-90 bridge is scheduled to be closed to traffic and pedestrians from 11:50 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. all three days, though times may vary somewhat.

Spectators can watch the Blue Angels take off and land near the Museum of Flight where they’re based while they’re in town, with Jet Blast Bash Blue Angel-themed activities inside and outside the museum Saturday and Sunday.

If you’re a casual fan and/or on a tight budget, Seafair Weekend admission is free Friday. Discounted advance tickets for Saturday and Sunday are available online through Friday, July 31. Military members with ID are admitted free daily, with a special $10 rate for their family members.

Parking is extremely limited in the area; on-site parking is $35 in advance or $40 cash at the gate if it’s not sold out. A free shuttle bus from the Columbia City Link Light Rail station offers rides to the Seafair main gate 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Seafair’s website has a $10 coupon for all-day parking at SeaTac Airport Garage and information about parking near other Light Rail stations. There’s a bike corral near the Main Gate; bicycles aren’t allowed in the park.

Also going on: Fleet Week, Thursday-Saturday, when U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy ships come to town and the public is invited to tour some of them. Ships open to visitors are at Piers 66, 69 and 90 all four days.

http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/seafair-weekend-brings-the-roar-of-hydroplanes-blue-angels/

Serious News
07-30-2015, 06:38 AM
Jean Theoret and the U-96 have hydroplane rivals worried

80323

Jean Theoret has been trying to climb into the driver’s seat of the U-96 Ellstrom Elam Plus for 15 years.

Now that he’s finally in there, the driver who had been away from unlimited hydroplane racing for five years could get Ellstrom Racing back on top after two years of rebuilding.

The hydros race Friday through Sunday on Lake Washington as part of Seattle’s Seafair.

Last weekend, at the Gold Cup in the Tri-Cities, Theoret showed that he could well be driving the boat to beat this season. He was the top qualifier and he would have won the final had he not driven into a restricted part of the race course — dubbed the DMZ — and been disqualified.

“He kind of blew it,” said Chip Hanauer, a legendary driver turned analyst. “He had the fastest boat. There’s no question with everybody racing and everybody on the beach (that) he had the fastest boat.”

Jimmy Shane in the Oberto won the Gold Cup, but it was obvious his crew has work to do if it is going to repeat as national champions.

“They’re (the Ellstrom boat) going to be just as fast, if not faster, than Tri-Cities,” said Shane, the two-time defending drivers’ champ. “The rest of us as teams have to step up our games a little bit and do some work on our boats to try and catch up to the 96 boat.”

No. 96, which ran as the Spirit of Qatar from 2010-14, is back after a boat was built from scratch following a fire after a flip in Doha, Qatar, in January 2013.

The new boat debuted last year in Tri-Cities and was damaged the next week in a flip in Seattle. After running in only four races, the Ellstrom team treated last season like a redshirt year to get the boat ready.

“It didn’t come out of the box as we anticipated,” team owner Erick Ellstrom said. “There were a lot of things to change and fix.”

Driver Kip Brown injured his neck in the flip and aggravated it a few weeks later in San Diego. Theoret took over for the final race in Qatar.

Theoret had been talking to Ellstrom since 2000 about driving the boat. The Ellstrom team, along with the Steve David-driven Oberto, were the top teams in hydroplane racing over the decade since the dominating Miss Budweiser was retired in 2004.

South Kitsap grad Dave Villwock drove the Elam/Qatar boat to national titles in 2007 and 2011. Villwock and the Ellstrom team parted ways after the boat fire.

Ellstrom said he’d always been impressed with Theoret and kept in contact over the years.

“He did well with other teams,” Ellstrom said. “He took boats that maybe weren’t in the same caliber as the other boats and still beat them.”

Theoret was already a veteran and crafty driver when he entered the unlimited circuit in 2005. He’s one of the top drivers in Canadian boat-racing history with 43 wins in the Grand Prix class (which is the premier inboard hydroplane class in Canada) and several championships. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011.

He won Seafair in his first appearance, one of two wins that first season that earned him rookie of the year despite being 43. He backed up the first season by winning Seafair again in 2006 in the same boat, which had been sold to former driver Billy Schumacher.

Theoret nearly made it three Seafair titles in four years, but he was called for a penalty well after crossing the finish line first in 2008, handing a controversial win to Villwock.

Theoret, who lives near Montreal and co-owns an excavation business, drove for the Schumacher team and recorded six wins, including the Gold Cup in 2006, before leaving the team in 2009.

That season, Theoret nearly drowned during a race in Madison, Indiana, after a flip. The tube delivering oxygen was broken with Theoret still strapped into the driver’s seat and he took several mouthfuls of water. A rescue crew performed CPR before taking him to a hospital.

Theoret got back in the boat one more time that season before leaving, which was the last time he drove on the H1 Unlimited circuit before landing in the Elam. He said it wasn’t the accident that pushed him out of racing. It was that the racing team had lost its sponsor and was no longer competitive. He’s been waiting for a good situation to return.

“By the grace of God, I still have it in me and I’m still competitive,” Theoret said.

Now the Ellstrom team may have the fastest boat, an experienced and talented driver and one of the top crew chiefs in Mike Hanson, who joined the squad last season after crewing David and Oberto to six national championships.

And after a season away to get the boat dialed in …

“I think you’re seeing the fruits of those efforts of that year,” Hanauer said.

Seafair at a glance

What: Albert Lee Appliance Cup at Seafair

Where: Genesee Park, Seattle

Friday: Qualifying, 2:50 p.m.

Saturday: Heat 1, 11:15 a.m.

Sunday: Heat 2, 11:20 a.m.; Heat 3, 2:55 p.m., final, 4:45 p.m.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/sports/article29511619.html#storylink=cpy

Serious News
08-03-2015, 10:06 PM
J. Michael Kelly and Graham Trucking I declared Seafair winner after Jimmy Shane assessed one-minute penalty for bump
By Josh Liebeskind 

Jimmy Shane started the celebration on the way to the dock.

Meanwhile, coasting his hydroplane to land a few docks away, J. Michael Kelly didn’t resign himself to the disappointment of a loss.

And sure enough, the news soon came that he was the Albert Lee Appliance Cup champion, despite crossing the finish line second.

Shane was assessed a one-minute penalty for encroachment on the first turn of the final lap of the Seafair finale, bumping him to sixth place, but it wasn’t immediately radioed into the racers as officials reviewed footage from when the two boats made contact.

“It’s unfortunate for them and it was unfortunate for us to lose our rear wing,” said Kelly, who’s Graham Trucking I boat lost a part near the end of the previous lap. “Referee ruled it. Worked out for us in the end … champions again.”

Kelly, who’s from Bonney Lake and won the race a year ago, said he lost momentum when the two boats hit and thought Shane would be penalized. Jean Theoret and his Ellstrom Elam Plus boat took second while Scott Liddycoat with Les Schwab/Red Dot finished in third.

Shane was disappointed with the ruling.

“Very unfortunate, I think it was good, tight racing,” Shane said. “Very tight going into that corner where they made the call. Unfortunately, they said that I pinched him a little too tight. I really don’t agree with it. I just feel it was good, tight racing. Unfortunately, it took us out of the race.”

Shane wasn’t alone in his thinking.

Highly-decorated retired hydroplane racer, Chip Hanauer, who now broadcasts the Albert Lee Appliance Cup on KIRO TV, concurred with the defending National High Points champion.

“I would not have made the call – just me,” Hanauer said. “Because they’re both really good, they’re both doing exactly what they should be doing, what they’re paid to do … they both did their jobs, they touched, they both recovered and carried on, continued racing.

“Again, personally I understand the call. I would’ve let it go because they’re two kids that can handle it.”

Chief official Brian Hajny told reporters afterward that the violation was spotted by a referee in a helicopter and then was reviewed.

When the boats touched, it was pretty clear that the 10 feet that drivers are supposed to keep between them was violated, he said. The boat with the inside lane, in this case the Graham Trucking I, has the right to the area.

The waiting game isn’t new to Kelly at Seafair. He had to wait patiently last year as officials reviewed a potential penalty on him.

This is the third straight Albert Lee Appliance Cup win for Graham Trucking. The team started the streak three years ago with Shane. When he moved to the Oberto team, Kelly took over and captured the title last year.

http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/other-sports/j-michael-kelly-and-graham-trucking-i-declared-seafair-winner-after-jimmy-shane-assessed-one-minute-penalty-for-bump/