Grand Prix Boat Racers Take Aim at Trophy With A Tale

The Grand Prix World Supercharged Hydroplanes champion receives the Secretary of the Navy Cup

Having served in the Navy for eight years and logged his basic training in San Diego, Sam Cole is a bit patriotic. He also loves boats and is president of Grand Prix World Supercharged Hydroplanes.

The boats are 26 feet long, 12 feet wide, reach speeds of about 160 mph and serve as a support class for the unlimited hydroplanes racing on Mission Bay this weekend.

Translated, they’re the Triple-A of hydroplanes.

With the 55th annual HomeStreet Bank San Diego Bayfair event wrapping up the hydroplane racing season, Cole longed for a signature trophy to hand to the winner.

“I wanted a trophy with a background, with history to culminate the season,” said the the 66-year-old Cole.

He had one other criteria.

“I didn’t want want bronze or copper.”

The man wanted silver.

Cole, who lives outside Sacramento, headed to American Power Boat Association headquarters in Eastpointe, Mich., to inspect possible trophy candidates. One struck his eyes.

It’s called the Secretary of the Navy Cup and was awarded at an APBA event raced on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., from 1926-31.

“It’s neat with the Secretary of Navy involved,” said Cole. “The words Navy and San Diego are synonymous to me.”

So come Sunday, the winner of the Grand Prix class will be rewarded with a 93-year-old trophy, which is actually a cup that no doubt could hold gallons of your favorite beverage.

As you would expect from something nearing 100 years of age, the Secretary of the Navy Cup carries some history. A Mrs. W.J. Connors is credited for owning the first winning boat in 1926. Name of the craft: Miss Okeechobee, seemingly based in Okeechobee, Fla.

There is no name listed for winning the trophy in 1927 and ’28.

According to Cole, organizers decided that if anyone won the race three years in a row, the trophy would be retired. Apparently not liking to share, C. Roy Keyes won the trophy from 1929 through ’31 in a boat named Carenaught.

Keyes kept the hardware in his Buffalo home before handing it over to the American Power Boat Association, where it collected dust for at least the last 25 years. Cole said the trophy was in decent condition.

“There were no dings, no dents,” said Cole. “It needed polishing.”

The original trophy featured the cup with an ornately decorated base, highlighted by a silver wreath. Wanting to protect the trophy, Cole paid $500 to secure the hardware atop a wooden base.

Arguably the most storied trophy in sports is the Stanley Cup. By tradition, players on the winning National Hockey League champions keep the Stanley Cup for a day. There are tales of Lord Stanley’s trophy spending time in topless bars, children being baptized in the cup and dogs eating out of it.

Cole said the Grand Prix winners will be given a plaque but won’t spend alone time with the trophy.

“I might let some guys drink beer out of it,” said Cole, “but we’re not going on tours. It’s too old. The trophy ought to be on Social Security.”

For now, he’s happy to have a piece of history to bestow Sunday’s winner.

Said Cole, “What good’s a trophy if you can’t race for it?”

Ed Preston logged the fastest Grand Prix practice time (123.530).