Tavares Winter Thunder Regatta - January 17-19, 2014

[Serious News]

The past will come alive as vintage and classic race boats of bygone eras return to Wooton Park in Tavares, Florida for our annual Tavares Winter Thunder Regatta. Tavares is now a major stop on the CRA Florida Vintage Race Boat Circuit, and this winter's regatta expands to 3 full days, with over 75 beautifully restored vintage and classic race boats running demonstration laps on a 1 mile oval course on beautiful Lake Dora. In addition to seeing and hearing these unique and beautiful boats run, spectators are invited to view them close-up in the pit area at Wooton Park on both Saturday and Sunday.

And joining the local fleet of vintage race boats during the winter months when the northern vintage events are in hibernation, the snow birds are increasingly hauling their beautifully restored vintage and classic race boats down to Florida to enjoy the sunny and warm Florida weather and to participate on our Florida Vintage Race Boat Circuit. With the flat water on the small inland Florida lakes, these regattas are attracting large boat counts with well over 75 vintage and classic race boats at the last several events. The crowds are huge and the Pit passes allow entry into the actual race boat area during the noon lunch break for photos and a chance to talk with the drives and crew. The regatta participants have fun running their beautifully restored vintage race boats at speed on a race course in the warm Florida sun, and the public gets a chance to see, hear and experience the rich history of powerboat racing. The sights and sounds are just magnificent, come join us for our next event !!!

With the local CRA group providing the support and volunteer base, Tavares is well known for running on a tight, published regatta heat schedule, running vintage heats every half hour for two full days. All the vintage race boats are run at least twice a day. So if you want to see lots of vintage race boats running hot laps, you gotta come to Tavares!!!

We will be running large heats of all vintage classes, including outboards, small hydros, mid-hydros, large hydros, runabouts, flatbottoms, skiffs, speedsters and magnificent Gold Cup racers. The Invitation/Registration Packets were mailed in December to all past Tavares participants and we are posting each registered entry as received and assigned to a vintage heat. If you have not participated at Tavares but want to join all the fun, please contact Bill John at John1948@metrocast.net

[Serious News]

[Madpoodle]

Jersey Skiff pitched two people out yesterday in testing, they were medi-vacced to Orlando. I have not seen an update on their injuries yet, praying for the best outcome.

[Serious News]

Boat accident occurs on Lake Dora

Posted: Friday, January 17, 2014 8:21 pm

Austin Fuller | Staff Writer austin.fuller@dailycommercial.com

Two people were involved in a boat accident on Lake Dora near Wooton Park in Tavares on Friday between 5 and 5:30 p.m., according to Bill Neron, the director of economic development and grants for the city of Tavares, and Bill John, the president of the Classic Race Boat Association. Neron said he arrived at the location around 5:10 p.m.

“I got here right around ten after five I think and they were coming. I think they had just picked them up off the water,” Neron said.
John said the day’s events for the Tavares Winter Thunder Regatta were over at the time of the incident and that he had left around 5 p.m. and got a phone call at 5:30 p.m.
“The event was over for the day, gates were closed, no boats were authorized to go out at all,” John said. “It was a civilian boat ride. It was not part of the event.”

He did confirm that the boat involved was a member of the event itself, even though it was not authorized as part of the event to go out. The name “Kathy Shuler” was painted on the boat as the owner and driver, but her involvement in the incident could not be confirmed. Neron said the event’s rescue boat was on the water setting buoys at the time of the incident, but the event’s course itself was closed. “The CRA event, the course was closed. The rescue boat was out setting out buoys for tomorrow and these other gentleman were out on the course without authorization,” Neron said.

Neron said he was told by Tavares police that both people were transported to Waterman Hospital and were then transported by helicopter to Orlando Regional Medical Center. Florida Fish and Wildlife will be handling the investigation and could not be reached immediately for comment.

http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/...019f20f24.html

[Ratickle]

The only update I've heard is they were both conscience yesterday. Nothing new today.