BS - Boat Stories

[geodavid]

It is great to see the posts by the Hill Brothers. I too have known both for fifty plus years. I can remember very well the first time I saw them race. It was at Hansen Dam, probably 1957 give or take a few years. Junior was in a hydro and Ronnie in a runabout. I could not believe how fast they were going and how close to the bank they would come by. My Dad introduced me to them, they shook my hand and made me feel like a real big shot. My Dad liked me, Ted May, Jimbo and others, but Junior and Ronnie Hill were his all time favorite racers! He beamed every time he saw either one of you guys win a race. To this day, whenever I see either, I still feel like a big shot. Or by now...maybe a sling shot. This morning I was thinking about Ronnie. I do not think I ever saw a boat dump him on his butt? Great job here by all! I have never posted before, however, could not help but get my two cents in here about the greatest family in racing. Junior, you should have been APBA President. I voted for you.

[russhill]

Alan,

Thanks for the kind words. First, one good part of my father's death about ten years ago was that the formal, official, and final name of Junior died, too. I actually quit racing because of that name.

Your father couldn't have been a fan of mine, because I was a fan of his first. I remembered him before WWII. He raced B and C (Alky) hydros. Or was it A and B? Anyway he had the world's classiest trailer. It carried two hydros - ON EDGE. He kept the trailer at Frank Lane's outboard shop on Long Beach Blvd in Comption.

When he came to the races with you guys years later, we always talked about his racing. I was probably the only one who remembered.

There are about half a dozen names of people who to this day, when I hear their names, my heart beats faster. George Ishii is one of those.

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Hi Alan: Long time no see or hear from you. Glad you have found BRF. I think your nickname truely should be "Big Shot". Not because of any personality trait but because of the bombs you used to bring to DePue in the late 60's and early 70's. I remember them going off when the Star Spangled Banner used to be played and they would put up a geyser of water that looked like somebody setting off a depth charge, right down by the boat ramp I believe was where you used to pit. They were some of the "biggest shots" I have ever heard or seen that weren't commercially made. I have always thought that when they outlawed "cherry bombs" that was a great disservice to the youth of this country. How else are the kids going to learn how to handle explosives. Hope you make it to the reunion at DePue this year and bring some "cherries" with you if you come.

Bill Van

[Ron Hill]

Alan....Ted May taught you how to set off "Fireworks".... Alan will make the Reunion, if I have to drive him there....

I'm like my brother....Though I'd never seen George Iishi drive, I was a big fan of his....and there was never a doubt in my mind that George didn't support my efforts for boat racing. George was a humble man, but he was behind boat racing 100%.....

I haven't really told Ted May stories about CHERRY BOMBS.....but in the 1960'sd , Ted would go to TJ, Mexico and come back with his T-Bird full of Cherry Bombs...and bottle rockets...

I remember racing at San Diego, 1962, (A kneel down throttle makes a PERFECT bottle rocket launcher)...Ted set off some bottle rockets that landed in the Coast Gurad's boat....The Coast Guard abandoned ship....(Patrol boat) and jumped over board)....Today, if anyone shot bottle rockets that landed in the Coast Gurad's boat, they'd spend 25 years in jail, along with the boarder patrol agents...

Ted would take two cherry bombs, and take masking tape, with a 3/8 nut taped together and drop it in the lake....Fish would be swimming around in circles, on their sides, for about 15 minutes...looked like dept charges going off...

Don't be a giving Alan too much credit...It was really TED MAY's teaching....

[geodavid]

Ted May is the biggest pyromaniac of all time. He always had some kind of fireworks with him. Sure do remember him "fishing" with them. I also remember the cherry bombs from DePue and everywhere else. I can recall him quietly knocking on Al Passantino's motel room in Stockton. When the door cracked, Ted had a bottle rocket ready to go. We could not stand up we were laughing so hard. Then here comes Al bolting out of the room...naked, chasing Ted in the parking lot. Needless to say, we did not ever return to that motel. I was so lucky to have had the giudance of people like Ted, Doc, Pop, my Dad, Ron, Russ Sr, and Jr and their lovely mom Laura. I was turning the pages of my feeble mind and recall seeing many of the posted photos at Ron's house. When I was a little guy, we would go over to their home to visit. I guess Ron was about college age. The best ones were with Ron and the famous wrestling commentator, Dick Lane. The pictures were great. As a 7 or 8 year old, I thought Russ Sr. had discovered the fountain of youth. I can recall the photos of him bald, then look at him and see he had a full head of hair? Can you imagine what a dilemma this was to a young boy? I think I better start saving my lunch money for one of those, it looked pretty good! I do not think I was even of racing age when I got one of the famous Laura Hill ribbed life jackets. I am sorry to say that my Dad gave it to Roger Williams for his son. Wish I had it. In looking through junk, I did find a Quincy jacket that my Dad had worn. Great piece of memorabilia. Ted and Ron really helped me a ton. Ted would tell me how to set up for the start. How to pick a landmark and time your approach. I can recall something Ron taught me. To look behind you both approaching and exiting a turn. This was after I had turned at the 500 foot buoy at the "M" Nationals in Long Beach. Ron, thanks to you, I never did THAT again.
Hey, Bill Van, I still have that motor for you in my garage. Have been waiting 30 years for you to pick it up.

[Ron Hill]

We were on our way home, when we got word my dad's cousin had died from lung cancer... So we headed to Nebraska to the funeral. We spent the night before the funeral in Arapahoe, Nebraska, my dad's home town... The local newspaper saw the boats and saw a story. This picture, was in the local paper....

This was before my dad got his "RUG"....

ADD: Guntersville....I remember Ted May buying like $200 worth of fireworks.....In Missouri....That was when $200 was a LOT OF MONEY!!!!


NOTE TO ALAN: My mom always wrote stuff on the back of pictures....and dated them...

[oldalkydriver]

Russ JR.! What, you think that you are a Sr. now? And I don't mean senior citizen either! My dad, you remember him, went through the courts after his dad died because he didn't want to be a JR anymore. After all the woopings he gave me at the races because you and your dad would throw me in, I laughed my butt off as the judge told him "he would always be a junior and when he passed his other son would still be the III!
I found a picture you might like when I got back to the Philippines on Wednesday. I'll post it in the next couple of days. Just promise me you won't get too upset!

All these years I still remember your last race at Long Beach, just after you got drafted. You told me that you were headed to Korea. For over 50 years I had believed that you went to Korea. Even during my tours in Viet Nam, I would think about what you told me on the beach.

About a year ago, Ronnie came to Yuma and we had lunch. I mentioned it to him, and he started laughing. Korea, hell he went to Germany! How can I take back those thoughts? Really nice to read some of your post. I always ask Ron about you, after all, I knew you and your dad more then I did Ron.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

This is one that may Dad used to tell around his bar whenever boat racing friends were over. As those who were there remember the bar not as a wet bar that you might think, but as an "entertainment bar". But my Dad called it his bar and that's where a lot of his BS stories took place. It snaked around a stove and grill facing my Dad where he animatedly repeated his many BS stories. The one I'm going to relate here came about as a result of his being elected Chairman of District 15-APBA.

The Year was 1974 and the APBA National Convention was in Cincinatti. My Dad, E.E. "Baldy" Baldwin got there the day before the events began, and it may have been a chance encounter with an Unlimited guy at a bar that the origins of this story began. I can't remember exactly. What did happen though was that my Dad had overheard conversations regarding the availabilty of Allison/Rolls aircraft engines that were in big demand by Unlimiteds in those days. He happened to casually mentioned he knew where possibly up to a couple of hundred were.

This of course created a little interest, but the Unlimited guys had never heard of Baldy Baldwin and how the hell would an outboard guy from South Texas know about such a stash of motors. My Dad had just thrown out some bait and it wasn't long before he had them hooked. He knew enough details about the engines and was undoubtedly providing such clues as to show that he knew what he was talking about.

Having served in WWII as an island hopping landing craft repairman he was in contact with a lot of large engines for PT boats and other craft. Also Texas probably had more air bases than any two or three other states combined. He captured and held the interest of a group of the U boat guys for a long time. They all had a great time, but he never would give up his secret. I can't remember what he told them to put them off, but it wasn't any kind of scratch-my-back kind of thing. He was a master holding an audience with his
BS and he reveled in it.

All through the convention one or another of the guys would approach him trying to gain some advantage over the others and find out where these motors were stored. In truth, there were several oilfield service companies that had large inventories of these motors for the purpose of a technique used in high pressure, low volume well treatment called "fracing" (frakking). I think Buddy Byers may have been one in this group and they later became friends, having served on numerous council meetings together. I don't know how many ever became aware of the actual status of these motors.

[russhill]

When I started this BS Thread, I said I’d tell you stories, including how Lake Ming got its name. So here goes.

Now this is no ****… Lake Ming is a super man made-for-racing lake in Bakersfield. I’m aware of at least one stock outboard and one “Alky” National Champions being held there. Being designed and built for boat racing it is a perfect place to race.

Manual Carnakis was a Bakersfield boy. I met him in 1942, at what I believe was his first race in Newport Beach, CA. His yellow and black “WOISME” DeSilva was a perfectly beautiful boat, as were his next 25 or so “WOISMEs - XXL+” He may have had more "WOISME" than there have been Super Bowls.

Anyway he was consistently elected to the Bakersfield City Council. Of course Bakersfield then was a little farm town. It’s now the 70th largest city in the US and the twelfth largest city in California. The Mayors were not elected directed by the people, but by the City Council. So, by the early 1950s, Manny had his turn to be mayor. During his administration, he had a lake designed.

Manny presented his beautiful lake plan to anybody who would look or listen. Of couse everybody he presented it to loved it. Except a Chinese-American dentist, name Dr Ming, also on the city council, who by this time was Mayor.

He came face to face with Manual Carnakis and said, “Mr Carnakis, this lake proposal of yours is obviously for your little hobby of boat racing and will ONLY be built over my DEAD BODY.” And I have all the support I need to kill it.

That had to slow down Manny’s constructions plans. So for the next few years he continued working the plans and adding a park like environment with a restaurant and hotel.

Now he approached Dr. Ming again a few years later. Now this really is no ****. Manny said, “Doctor Ming, you’ve been a supporter of this lake project all along, and if you could see fit to support it, we’d name it after you.”

Well, the rest is history.

[oldalkydriver]

Russ, I thought there had been two APBA National Championships at Lake Ming, but I could be wrong. I do know that the 'F' Racing Runabouts ( or 1100ccr as they are known today) has had several nationals there. If I remember correctly, the West Coast had the 'F' nationals most of the 50's and early 60's as this is where most of them were located.

Not to change the subject, but does this picture bring back any memories?