Can America ever have a real open ocean offshore race series again?

[Pete B]

The first Miami-Bimini race was held in 2008 in conjuction with OSS. Not OPA. your fact checking up to speed!

And I dont mean the first one ever! the new age event if you will. which was a great event.

[Ratickle]

Yep. I wonder what is going to happen with it this year? Has anyone talked to Brad and Larry? Maybe OSS and HORBA will take it back over?

[Bobcat]

In the 90's Japan was on a roll financially, and was into racing. Right now China is on a roll, get them interested in competing in America.

[Pete B]

In the 90's Japan was on a roll financially, and was into racing. Right now China is on a roll, get them interested in competing in America.

Dont they own us??

[Pete B]

Yep. I wonder what is going to happen with it this year? Has anyone talked to Brad and Larry? Maybe OSS and HORBA will take it back over?

That would be a great task for one Ratickle, to do tomorrow, I am skeptical that it will happen though.

[Top Banana]

Yep. I wonder what is going to happen with it this year? Has anyone talked to Brad and Larry? Maybe OSS and HORBA will take it back over?

I saw a post recently that it will not run this year. It was a good start to open ocean racing again, but it suffered from some problems that were not the race promoters fault.

HORBA was involved in the first year and we could see very early on that it was hampered by first .....the date.

In June, it is usually very calm on the waters between Florida and the Bahamas. So as pointed out, that would not help the older boats hoping for an even playing field with rougher water. It provided a great venue for those who judge solely by high speeds....allowing Aqua Mania to post something like a 145 MPH average for the 106 miles.

The second big problem was ....the date.

By that point in June.... the boaters who live up north in the summer, already have their boats back up north. We only had a couple who were willing to tow back to Florida and then back home again. This kept the total number of entrants down. Although it was held in conjunction with the OSS race weekend, those boats are not really made for open ocean racing, from the size of the fuel tanks to the actual construction, so we had just few entries from the many race boats on hand.

As we hope to only do a couple of these races a year, we are trying to attract..."Sportsmen" as they were once called. Guys who love fast boats but don't want to spend a whole season traveling the circuit. These races are a chance to try racing without a big budget and still be able to enjoy their boats for the rest of the year.

The first Around Long Island race was held as Hurricane Igor hit the northeast. We raced on Saturday and on Sunday another race group in New Jersey cancelled because the water was too rough. September is usually a little rougher than the rest of the year, but that year was very rough with the effects of the hurricane.

[Ratickle]

I wonder if there is any possibility of doing something in conjunction with the OPA Championships in October from Jupiter?????


Would the weather and timing be better for a race then????

[Top Banana]

I wonder if there is any possibility of doing something in conjunction with the OPA Championships in October from Jupiter?????


Would the weather and timing be better for a race then????

October would be a nice tie in with HORBA's NY races in September. Especially the European boats who do Cowes Torquay too.

August they do Cowes...Sept they do New York.... October they do a Bimini run from Palm Beach and then they just stay and enjoy the Key West races in November. Peters and May said they can ship the boats back out of Jacksonville when they are done here.

Now all we need is someone to run the open ocean race out of Palm Beach.....

Sorry Rat....yes, the weather would be much better for real ocean racing in October......

[Ratickle]

What about leaving from Jupiter and going to Freeport??

[Top Banana]

LOL great map. Immediately brings to mind the Bahamas 200 race back in June 80. We raced around Grand Bahama island and then to keep us all honest, they sent us from Freeport out to the
lignthouse on the north side of Bimini....straight shot out and back to the finish line.

As usual the water was flat calm and Ajac Hawk and Top banana battled side by side flat out over and back.....I pulled out ahead with about 30 miles to go by just trimming up so much the only thing in the water was the skegs and props....very flighty though.....then one of my engines started to tighten with about 5 miles to go and they started to catch and finally pass me ....they won, I came second by 30 seconds. The actual race distance over that course was 205 miles.

At the awards dinner that night they called the winners up....I marched right up and grabbed the big trophy. The APBA guy, Art Hafner looked confused. I said look at the name of the race on the trophy...Bahamas 200. Well, at the 200 mile mark I was in the lead, so it must be my trophy. We all laughed and then someone pushed Jerry in the pool and we got ready for Detroit, the next race on the circuit that year.

Back to your point on Jupiter....sure anywhere along there for a point from Florida........make it Jupiter...Freeport...Bimini...Jupiter. Really doesn't matter as long as we have 360 degrees of unbroken horizon for the race.

PS After the race we found Top Banana had a broken fuel transfer pump. That meant we had about 700 pounds of fuel we couldn't get rid of. The waters were unusually very rough for the week leading up to the race date. Race morning was flat calm, but we had filled up every tank on board preparing for a rough race. During a rough race, we would shift the weight around by transferring fuel.....if you didn.'t need the fuel in the end, you just pumped it overboard......not very politically correct, but reality back then.

[Ratickle]

Which year was it the Bahamian won the Bahamas 200? From what I recall reading once upon a time, the islands really rocked after that one......

I'll do some digging too.....

[gearhead]

Just a thought, and this might even up the playing field a little bit.
What if we do something like bracket racing, every body has to figure out how fast they can run their boat that day and state the times they will cross certain check points. Then let the slower boats go first and time them so all the boats should get to the finish line at the same time and the boat that runs closest to their time wins. It would make drivers and navigators do a lot of thinking and planning and would make for quite a finish!
When drag racing you have to know your car and your own limitations, and alot of times the slower car wins.
Just a thought????

[gearhead]

Don't forget Like in drag racing you have no way to time yourself and if you break out you lose. You figure your time, you take off with your compass and no GPS. Wouldn't it be fun to win against a million dollar boat?

[Ben]

Don't forget Like in drag racing you have no way to time yourself and if you break out you lose. You figure your time, you take off with your compass and no GPS. Wouldn't it be fun to win against a million dollar boat?

Sort of like this?

Teach Me About Predicted Log / Cruiser Navigation

[gearhead]

Something similar to that but we would need differant classes like pleasure craft, sportsman, pro, super pro and unlimited.

[gearhead]

It would quite a sight to see a group of say 10 boats converging on the finish line after a 200 mile race, each one trying to figure out who has been sand bagging and if they should try to pass them up. Who ever wins gets the pot and a trophy and will hold the record time untill someone else does better. Their time might get upped the next race or stand for 10 more races.
The crowds like to see an exciting finish instead of one boat ahead of the others by an hour or two.
If anybody has done any brackett racing you will understand that there is a lot more to racing than just building the fastest and baddest car or boat, brackett racing challenges all aspects of the race. You run your race, and whoever runs the best race wins.
Once you learn brackett racing, it's as fun and challenging as it gets.

[Ratickle]

That certainly is a very interesting concept. Although, without GPS only a compass, we may not make it back.....

[T2x]

That certainly is a very interesting concept. Although, without GPS only a compass, we may not make it back.....

Please...no more GPS/bracket racing...Predicted log was an APBA class for years and it disappeared... Car rallies in the 50's and 60's also bit the dust...

Why, you ask....?

Because it wasn't...and isn't .....racing!!!!!!

This break out nonsense may work for a guy with a Camaro at his local dragstrip who can't afford to fix his car in flat out race mode....but Offshore racing is designed to test man and machine in a no holds barred race to the finish line.... anything else is a big yawn for all but the participants and their family and friends.....

T2x

[gearhead]

Hey I would like to build boat that would beat Mrs. Gieco, would you sponsor me?
Bracket racing is fun and we don't use GPS.
You can count me out cause I sure can't beat Mrs Gieco and I can't find a billionair that would sponsor me or you.
Have fun playing by yourself.
I would like to see 10 boats fighting for the finish line, not just one!
Might even be exciting for the spectators. You are living in the stone age, you might want to let some of the younger people with less money have some fun and their interest might develope into a real lively sport and their boats will get bigger and faster too.
Just like me in bracket racing I started with a cheap car and now I have a car that will run in the 8's.
Maybe someday I will be racing John Force!
Maybe someone will start out small and eventualy be able to race Mrs Gieco but if you don't develope an interest, Mrs Gieco will be playing by itself!
Remember how offshore racing started with some cabin cruisers and even houseboats, maybe we should get back to our roots!
Racing is racing whether its on your trike or your crotch rocket!
By the way, when bracket racing you run all out or you lose!

[gearhead]

I think you guys have forgot what offshore racing or any racing is! It is the story that you can tell your freinds and children, it's a story like the one Charlie wrote about going around long Island, it's not about the 50ft twin turbine that ran on flat seas from bimini and back in 45 minutes. It's the adventure and we need to get more of the younger crowd interested to continue this sport.
That is why this sport is dying, you shouldn't have to be a millionair to join in.
If I want to go fast I will get into my plane and pass up any boat that you have rode in, including Mrs Gieco.