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    F1 boat racing like ‘putting your head in a paint shaker’
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    If it floats, Mike McLellan has raced it.

    The 50-year-old from Kelowna has been to the start line in the water in bath tubs and see-doos, and even did a stint in hydroplanes. He’s now in his third season the USF1 Powerboat Tour,*where he pilots a 2.5-litre Mercury V-6-powered tunnel boat. The boats can get up to speeds of 140 miles per hour.

    McLellan and his Autoplace F1 Team are at the Vancouver International Boat Show at B.C. Place this weekend. He took a little time out from that to chat.

    Question: How different are the F1 boats to hydroplanes?

    McLellan: They’re quite different. I find that I draw on things from when I was racing Jet Skis and Sea-Doos. You’re applying things from different areas. Luckily, I’ve had access to great people who have really helped the learning curve in a Formula One boat. Things happen fast in the Formula One boat. You need to be paying complete attention every single micro-second, because things can go wrong in a hurry.

    Question: That’s the thing — how do you deal with the idea that things could go wrong in a hurry?

    McLellan: It’s a genetic flaw. (Laughs.) That’s the only way I can describe it. We have the best safety equipment. We have the best emergency staff. I’ve crashed it twice. It’s something you are aware of, but you don’t dwell on it. You can’t.

    Question: What’s the worst thing that’s happened?

    McLellan: In Port Alberni, at the Alberni Valley Regatta in 2015, I was working with Mike Maskall, who’s been racing these things for years. He leant me a prop, and it lit my boat up like a Christmas tree. It was this magic combination. I was flying. I was going faster than I had ever gone before. Well, I was 10 laps into a 12-lap session when I ripped about eight feet out of the bottom of the boat. I didn’t realize it at the time what had happened, but all of the sudden we’re not going around the corners like we had before. All of the sudden, it was like putting your head in the paint shaker at Rona, or what I assume it’s like putting your head in the paint shaker at Rona. I mean, I could look in the mirror and see parts flying off, but I didn’t know exactly what was happening. I had Mike on the radio, telling me what to do, and we managed to get it back closer to shore before we had to shut it down. The safety guys were right there beside the boat when I got there. They had an absolutely top-notch safety team. We just let it sink. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. We got lucky.

    Well, I was 10 laps into a 12-lap session when I ripped about eight feet out of the bottom of the boat. I didn’t realize it at the time what had happened, but all of the sudden we’re not going around the corners like we had before. All of the sudden, it was like putting your head in the paint shaker at Rona, or what I assume it’s like putting your head in the paint shaker at Rona. I mean, I could look in the mirror and see parts flying off, but I didn’t know exactly what was happening.

    Question: You did a little stock-car racing when you were in your teens. In your mind, how much is racing on the water like racing a car?

    McLellan: In a car, the race track is basically always the same. For us, it’s changing all the time. The surface is different all the time. The water will suddenly get rougher. Maybe it’s the wind picking up. Maybe it’s that you’re two more laps into the race. There are so many different variables.


    http://theprovince.com/sports/f1-boa...a-paint-shaker
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    Growing up on Vancouver Island, Mike McLellan’s initial love of “boating” came from taking part Nanaimo’s infamous bathtub race.

    He then moved on to jet skis and power boats. That's when his need for speed truly began and he moved on to hydroplane racing at Kelowna’s now defunct Thunderfest, an event dedicated to speed junkies like himself.

    So it’s no surprise McLellan purchased a Formula 1 tunnel boat four years ago and took to the circuit. Formula 1 Powerboat racing is a water sport that sees drivers race around a designated course at high speeds and taking corners at speeds up to six Gs. McLellan admits the sport is considered dangerous.

    “You are doing 160-miles per hour,” he said. “But I do everything I can to minimize the danger.”

    To that end, McLellan depends on top-of-the line safety equipment, including a life jacket and six-point safety harness.

    “But you know, sometimes it’s just as dangerous stepping off a sidewalk,” joked McLellan, who drives a Greyhound bus when he’s not racing across a lake at extreme speeds. “But we take risk management very seriously.”

    McLellan is at the Vancouver International Boat Show at B.C. Place this weekend showing off a new boat. He’s looking forward to meeting not only fans, but also anyone who wants to find out more about the sport.

    “A big part of the boat show is meeting fans,” said McLellan. “They love boat racing and what we do and it’s awesome.”

    The 55th annual boat show includes more than 250 exhibitors and 140 seminars with a great line up of events to keep the whole family entertained. Besides Mike McLellan, visitors can meet Captain Harold Lee Rosbach from Bravo’s hit television show Below Deck, who oversees command of a 154-foot super yacht.

    Event highlights include the return of the Hands-On Skills Training clinics at the Granville Island Floating Show, with sessions designed for those who want to learn fundamental close quarters boat handling skills.The first-come, first served learning events are hands-on experiences that put you at the helm. Reserve your spot by visiting vancouverboatshow.ca/education/hands-on-skills/.

    Also at Granville Island, check out members of Canada’s flyboard team, Team Canfly, who will demonstrate one of the newest water sports around. Flyboarding sends participants up to 45 feet in the air using jet propulsion technology.

    In addition, the show has a kids’ zone equipped with a Nautical Play Centre filled with arts and crafts, paddleboat rides and interactive displays.

    The Vancouver International Boat Show offers free shuttle buses and water ferries operating continuously between B.C. Place and Granville Island. Visit VancouverBoatShow.ca for a full schedule. The boat show runs until Jan. 22.

    - See more at:
    http://www.vancourier.com/living/boa....jB3VfsAS.dpuf
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