U.S. Offshore Archive Test and Information, 1966

[Serious News]

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1966 Motor Boating and Yachting, UK

CARNAGE IN THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA
Dick Benram's "Brave Moppie" foundered in a 1OO fathoms of Florida Strait and the British entrant "Surfury" went to the aid of her crew. Just one of the surprises in the Sam Griffith Memorial powerboat race run out of Miami recently, which saw the first confrontation between racing powerboats and ugly weather conditaons. The result of this confrontation may stimulate a revision in powerboat design and in the international rules which govern the sport.

PETER FEVERSHAM takes a look at the race and draws his own concluslons.

THE thirty-one strong powerboat fleet of I the third annual Sam Griffith Memorial Race burst out of Biscayne Bay on Tuesday, 22 February, with all the fanfare of a Cecil B. De Mille extravaganza. The time: 7.30 in the morning, or as one American observed, "early enough to scare a year's growth off the sleepy-eyed waterfowl in Mami Bay waters". The waterfowl in sheltered Biscayne Bay may have been sleepy-eyed, but out in the Straits of Florida a frothing, boiling, wind and rain-swept Atlantic Ocean gave conditions far from conducive to sleep. Against some of the toughest weather imposed on a
powerboat race, only two competitors completed the course. One of them was a tiny outboard and the other an awe-inspiring gas turbine boat. A third boat was called into Bimini by race officials 70 miles from the finish and declared eligible for prize money.

Out of Biscayne Bay and into trouble, as the powerboats bucked and reared in a nasty Gulf Stream swell. Eight to ten foot seas were running, churned up by winds of force 4 gusting to 5. First to go was the giant 47 ft. Cummins powered "Orca" driven by Gar Wood, Jn-r. "Orca's" hull stove in offCape Florida on Key Biscayne, and her owner was forced to beach to keep his boat from sinking.

Engines Drowned
The early leader, Jake Trotter, driving a 28 ft. Donzi "008", charged into the Atlantic like a man with fully paid-up insurance premiums, only to have his engines drowned by a wave as the 70 m.p.h. craft leaped skywards and settled stern-end into the sea. Bill Wishnick, who won the race in 1965, turned back his 28 ft. Donzi "Broad Jumper", after co-driver Allen Brown was slammed down on the deck so violently that both his ankles were badly sprained.

The worst was yet to come, as committee boat "Disco Volante", of Thunderball movie fame, crackled news of the carnage out in the Straits of Florida. Only ten of the starting fleet were still running after the second check point at the sea buoy off Fort Lauderdale. Boat after boat either broke down or headed home as drivers exercised their discretion rather than valour. Of those who battled on, Dick Bertram's "Brave Moppie" and Englishman Charles Gardner's "Surfury" were leading. Then only four miles out from Fort Lauderdale "Brave Moppie" punched her bottom out in the heavy seas, sending Dick Bertram and his crew of Don Wilcox and Doug Baker scurrying into the life raft. The famed racer which had carried Dick Bertram to victory on so many occasions, including the 1965 Cowes-Torquay event, and which set up a world record for a diesel-powered boat, sank in less than five minutes.

As "Brave Moppie" foundered, Jim Wynne's turbine "Thunderbird", which had started some eight minutes after the field, came thundering past Gardner's "Surfury". "Thunderbird" was putting up an amazing performance and was to complete the course in a surprisingly fast time. Charles Gardner saw little hope of catching "Thunderbird", and seeing that the weather showed no sign of abating, he put back to rescue Dick Bertram and his crew. "Surfury" sustained some damage on the port side of her hull, but will be in fighting trim for the Miami-Nassau race in April.

Jim Wynne and his 32 ft. aluminium hulled "Thunderbird" crossed the finishing line first, after averaging 36.95 miles per hour. However, "Thunderbird", powered by two 445 h.p. United Aircraft 5T6 gas
turbine engines, was not in the running for local prize money. It received only experimental classification from the sponsoring Offshore Powerboat Racing Association of Miami, and the sanctioning American Power Boat Association.

Despite Jim Wynne's interesting performance in the race, the popular heroes and official victors were stocky Miami Beach marine dealer Jerry Langer and his co-driver Davey Wilson, who arrived home two and a half hours after "Thunderbird". Their boat, "Langer's Outboard", was a 20 ft. Deaco Craft powered by two 100 h.p. Evinrude outboard engines. Langer personally helped build his boat in two weeks at the Deaco Craft yard, beginning with a 24 ft. hull and eventually chopping it down to 20 ft. Work well rewarded, for Langer won the Hennessy Grand Prix trophy, $3,000, and the distinction of driving the first outboard engined boat to win a major offshore race.

Long after Langer and Wynne were safely home, Don Aronow's new 35 ft. "Maltese Magnum" crept pass Bimini with sputtering engines. The race committee, faced with weather conditions that were going from bad to worse and the knowledge that "Maltese Magnum" was the only competitor left in the race, called Aronow into port, where he was declared an official finisher.

Thirty-one had started; two had finished.

A pair ofexpensive boats had sunk, another had caught fire and still another had been abandoned. John Raulerson's 33 ft. aluminium "Tin Fish" was lost at sea because conditions prevented a safe recovery of the craft by the coast guard, who had to make a night-time rescue of the driver. Raulerson offered a $1,000 reward for its return.

These were results of the first confrontation between highly developed offshore racing powerboats and comparatively rough weather. It was a test to give designers much food for thought, and from which questions have arisen on the administration and rules governing powerboat racing.

Conclusions
The Sam Griffith Memorial Race was the first race to qualify for the annual U.I.M. World Championship for powerboat drivers. The result of the race has caused some confusion as to the clarity and interpretation of U.I.M. rules. Although "Thunderbird" was not classified by the bodies governing American offshore racing, Jim Wynne's craft was powered by standard engines (even though they were gas
turbines). Under U.I.M. rules, boats powered by engines available to the general public are eligible for championship points, thus Jim Wynne's performance at Miami is understood to give him an important lead in the World Championship. United Aircraft 5T6 gas turbines come expensive at some f 10,000 per engine, and it is debatable whether the championships should be open to those with unlimited resources to the detriment of less wealthy sportsmen. It will be remembered that in England following "Tramontana's" victory in 1962, the organisers of the Cowes-Torquay race put a stop to unlimited capacity engines for competing boats. By limiting the power of the engines they hoped to stop what looked like becoming an expensive arms race, although the major powers are still re-arming pretty expensively under the terms of the new convention. If Jim Wynne does take points towards the World Championship from the Sam Griffith Memorial, it looks as if we are in for a very expensive race indeed.

Another point of interest concerning the World Championship is the fact that the organisers of the Sam Griffith Race maintain that Don Aronow is eligible for championship points under a clause in U.LM. rules, even though he did not finish the course.

One could question the advisability of allowing the Sam Grifnth race to be run in what the organisers knew to be severe weather conditions. On the other hand it is difficult to judge just how much bad weather a powerboat can take, and the organisers lacked a precedent to help them in their judgment. We do not know how much responsibility for the mortality rate in the race rests with the drivers themselves. The leaders were setting a hot pace; had it been slower more competitors might have completed the course. It is interesting to note that while Dick Bertram and Charles Gardner kept out to sea on the first leg to Fort Lauderdale.,' Jim Wynne hugged the shore, and caught up a deal of time in doing so.

A sad consequence ofthe sinking of Dick Bertram's boat. is that we shall miss the battle of Titans which would have been fought at a meeting between Sir Max Aitken's new "Merry go Round" and "Brave
Moppie".
The total length of the course is 172 miles, Bimini being somewhat over half way from the start at Miami. Only two boats passed the control point at Bimini, while the majority were knocked out in the first leg betrrueon Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Results
1st. "Langer's Outboard" (Jerry Langerl; 20 ft. Deaco Craft. 2/1OO h.p. Evinrudes.
Time: 7 hrs. 12 min. 47 secs.
2nd. "Maltese Magnum" (Don Aronow); 35 ft. Magnum, 2/5OO h.p. Holman and
Moodys. (Called in at Bimini checkpoint bV race committee.)
First to finish. "Thunderbird" (Jim Wynne, Miami) : 32 ft. Thunderbird Maritime,
2/445 h.o. United Aircraft gas turbines. Time 4 hrs. 45 min. 23 secs.