Remembering Lost Water

[seacow]

Years ago I raced in region 11. Recalling those days I am aware of how many NorCal venues have been lost to racing. Here is a partial list: Stockton, Modesto Reservoir, Lodi, Berkeley Marina, San Leandro Marina, Richmond Red Rock, San Francisco Lake Merced, Lake Beryessa, Fresno, Fremont Marine Stadium, Woodside, Redding, Oakland Airport Estuary, Lexington Dam San Jose, Watsonville and now even Salt Springs Reservoir has become lost water. In those days I also came down to region 12 and raced at Hansen Dam and Apple Valley. Years before I was in region 11, there was also racing at Oakland Lake Meritt, Lake Tahoe and San Francisco Marine Stadium.

[1100r]

Not sure if they are lost waters or what happened but region 11 also held races at 2 different sites at Rollins Lake, Camp Far West, and one at Copperopolis.

[bill boyes]

Copperopolis is not lost water. Had a change of management. They want us back.
Lodi is not lost either they just raised the rental so high that the clubs cannot afford the fee . We have plenty of places to race. What we have lost is entries.
Racers do not want to go back to Camp Far West nor Rollins Lake when we have Minden.

[1100r]

Bill,
To bad there is lack of racer interest here in region 11 as it sounds having raced here for so many years. Not sure of the reasons as I have been away from boats for over 12 years but all the courses above were fun and filled with racers and made for many great races for many years along with great friends and memories.

[seacow]

Not sure if they are lost waters or what happened but region 11 also held races at 2 different sites at Rollins Lake, Camp Far West, and one at Copperopolis.

Todd: I think that you and I might agree that Lodi was perhaps the best lost water for the number of spectators, a close-in exciting race spectacle where spectators could feel like they were in the boat, community support, driver turnout and July 4th pageantry.

Back in those earlier days, we called Cooperoplis "Salt Springs". Last year the flood control district evicted the lessee who allowed us to race there. Steve Wilde and I tried to get the lease to preserve boat racing there but they gave the lease to an insider even though I believe our offer was better. Glad to hear from Bill that there is now a chance to return.

Your post jogged my memory more and now let's add to the list Shadow Cliffs. Clearlake CA was a venue up until the mid 50s. Ben Shepard and the Redwood Outboard Association put together a race north of Arcata CA at one of the oceanfront lagoons in the late 60s. Trinity CA was a venue that I drove at. I heard that in earlier days there were races at Pinecrest near Strawberry Lodge. There were OPC races in Benicia and I think some alky races in earliest years. One lost one that came back this year is Sparks, NV but in a different location.

In those days there were so many CA drivers that Northern CA stock boats had an "O" designation and SoCal had a "C" designation. (All alkys had "C" - north and south.) Part of the fun of racing was the fabulous variety and beauty in NorCal race sites.

Some of the venues were great for spectators and leveled the field for drivers because they were short course with one or two buoy turns -even for alkys. Lodi was one example but others were tighter including Berkeley and Oakland Airport. It was truly hair raising to see F and later 1100 hydros battle it out at Oakland on that very narrow estuary. It was so tight that once I flipped my B Sid runabout on a turn just testing but I still loved to drive that course. I remember Hale Yeary, "the flying fireman" winning CRR races with his stock CU 30-H fitted with stacks because he could turn tighter than the Desilva CRRs. In those days a flat turning runabout was a disadvantage on many NorCal courses. To this day I believe that long courses with wide turns are a spectator turnoff.

Race sites like Oakland, San Francisco and Lodi attracted spectators (and some became drivers) because they were easy to get to in population centers. That helped racing grow and maintain. Geographically remote sites and boring long and wide courses for spectators are accelerating the decline of our sport. Not much to do about that though, because drivers today do not want to race in salt water, they prefer long courses and populated venues outlaw racing or price the water so high we cannot afford to race there.

[1100r]

I remembered Shadow Cliffs after I sent my 1st post what a great place to race. The 1st year it was all rocks and gravel in the pit area now its all nice grass. Ran there many years and looked forward to it each year and if I remember correctly it was this time of year that we raced there. They also raced at Clearlake years later somewhere in the late 90's I believe but I do not remember if they raced there after that.
But as you put it Lodi Lake was, well something special for many racers and for alot of the town people as well. I looked forward to this race everyear to come and when it did it was always something to watch all the boats race on such a small course.
It was my 1st race that I had ever seen or been to which started in 1968 for me although I didnt not start racing until years later. I drive by the Lake a couple of times a day on my way to work and back and it just seems like its just such a waste with nothing going on there. The spectators were always cheering for all the racers no matter what classes were running at the time and there were plenty of them there. I ran FER and 1100r there and when I ran the 1100r there I remember Rucker wiring my pipes up so I wouldnt slide them looking back I am glad he did lol.
Times have surely changed for region 11 and I can only hope that things turn around for the racers that are still running here.
As Bill was saying they have plenty of water sites to use but need entries to support them and I wish all of them the best.

[bill boyes]

Lodi was one of the best and fun races. However, the Park took 4th of July away from us as they wanted the public to be there. So then they up'd the rental so high that we could not hold the event.
Shadow Cliffs was the best site we had. Some woman got on the City Council and she did not like the water park outside of the Lake. Used boat racers as an example. She is no longer on the council but the East Bays parks has had a change in management. It is not like the old days Calif is being run by tree huggers and they are becoming in grained into Parks, Fish and Game Excuse me now Fish and Wildlife. These clowns attend Berkley,Santa Cruz and San Diego state then go to work for Calif. Then we elect Idiots who cannot balance their check book but can pass laws like the no hunting of bears with dogs.

[1100r]

Bill,
I couldnt agree with you more. California sure has its issues. Fishing in the Delta is a chore for bank fisherman anymore as they have No Fishing signs posted everywhere on 1000 miles of Delta water ways.
Yes Lodi Lake was a blast as many of us here went to many City Council meetings over this race and plenty of them pretty heated at times. Now the Lake is pretty idol with a few functions throughout the year.
I agree Shadow Cliffs was the best site we had except I had more incidents there than I want to remember lol but had the best of times anyway and always enjoyed the dinners after the race by NCOA.

[smittythewelder]

Great thread idea, Seacow.

Best "lost water" in Reg. 10 is surely Crescent Bar out of Quincy in eastern WA. There's a wide spot in the Columbia River with a huge sandbar, and the river has cut into the bedrock to leave a high, sheer cliff on one side. We pitted on the sandbar, held a few races on the river side of the sandbar, but the great thing was to have the races in the backwater between the bar and the high cliff with its lovely red rock strata. The sounds of full fields of B Stock hydros and runabouts reflected off the water AND off the cliff were unforgettable, as were the sounds of megaphones and bounce-pipes on the alky motors. I think developers finally sold all the lots on the sandbar, the rest became a county park, and it was lost to us. Shame.

Well, then there's Green Lake . . . .

[Gene East]

Don't forget, we nearly lost the DePue Nationals this year due to low water levels.

Had it not been for a gallant effort by the people of DePue working their butts off to build a temporary dam and pump 28 inches of additional water into their "lake" the 2012 nationals may not have happened.

I had tears in my eyes when I arrived at DePue and saw the water level knowing that just 2 weeks prior cancellation seemed inevitable.

Race venues have disappeared around the country for numerous reasons.

Let's not forget the environmental issues.

As a citizen of Illinois, I am disappointed with the progress (or lack thereof) in the restoration of Lake DePue.

Don't forget the Asian carp issue either!

Followiing the Great Depression; many unemployed Americans, (my Dad included) found employment in the Civilian Conservation Corps also known as the CCC.

They built roads, bridges, parks, fought forest fires, replanted trees, etc.

Perhaps it's time to reinvent the wheel.

Let's put the lazy-asses in this country back to work doing something constructive.

Personally, I'm tired of paying able-bodied people to sit at home waiting for another handout.

Don't forget to vote Tuesday!!

Vote for jobs, not more handouts!!