Powerboat races returning to Fall River next year

It might have been the Portuguese food, or maybe the polite police, or maybe the parents and children reverently reviewing the race boats.

By Kevin P. O'Connor Herald News Staff Reporter

FALL RIVER — It might have been the Portuguese food, or maybe the polite police, or maybe the parents and children reverently reviewing the race boats.

Whatever: Fall River worked its magic on the Offshore Powerboat Association, Michael Lund said.

“They loved the city,” he said. “We will be back.”

The OPA will hold a race weekend on the Taunton River on Aug. 20 and 21, 2016.

Lund, the owner of Borden Light Marina, sponsored the OPA races on Aug. 15 that brought some of the worlds fastest powerboats onto the Taunton River. The boats raced on a course that ran under the Braga Bridge and past the U.S.S. Massachusetts.

“The organization was absolutely thrilled,” Lund said. “They loved the city, they loved the response they got from the crowds, they loved the course.

“I met with them this week. We will be doing it again.”

The OPA hosts a series of races, most of them on the eastern seaboard, though two are on the Great Lakes and one on the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.

In Fall River, 38 racing boats pulled into town on the weekend before the race, setting up in a race village that was open to spectators. Several thousand people went to the waterfront on Sunday to watch more than a dozen heats run from just off Lower Kennedy Park to Point Gloria.

There will be changes next year, Lund said. A procession of boats is planned for Saturday morning, from Gates of the City to Bicentennial Park and back with boats on trailers rolling by for people to see.

The boardwalk at Heritage Park should be open to give spectators a better view. Plans are being made to cut trees and brush and Lower Kennedy Park and erect bleachers for spectators there, Lund said.

“People told me they saw a lot of boats, but they didn’t know what was happening,” Lund said. “I’ve spoken to WSAR and to local cable. We are working on a live broadcast.”

Lund met Thursday with Mayor Sam Sutter, to relay information he got from meetings that week with the OPA and the Coast Guard.

“It was great for Fall River,” Sutter said. “I’m so happy about what Mike Lund is doing. It was a great weekend last summer. We need more weekends like that.

“We hope to do even better next summer.”

The city’s willingness to help impressed race organizers. The races were held during a weekend when Battleship Cove was holding its 50th anniversary and a parade was held through downtown to Heritage Park.

“It will be a singular event that weekend, so it should be easier,” Lund said. “That said, it was great working with Battleship Cove.

“And the city really went out of its way to help. One of the truck drivers said he couldn’t believe how helpful the Fall River Police were. The police officers directed traffic to help when they were moving the boats.

“The drivers said they don’t always run into that.”

Besides planning, Lund said he is already lining up sponsors. More prize money attracts bigger and faster boats, he said.

“Last year, the day after we finished, we all sat in the marina office and said: Never again,” Lund said. “Now, we are really, really looking forward to this.”

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