Chris Faria: Honolulu Police Chief

[Ron Hill]

I met a lady at Parker, last weekend from Honolulu and I asked her if she knew Chris Faria...? When she said, "No, I realized I hadn't seen Chris since 1988..."

Chris always had the ALOHA spirit. He's tell my dad that taking pineaplles (PINE as he called them) wasn't a crime as long as you only had 5 or less....He was the Chief of police, but drove his onw car while on duty....He had those little light you can put on top....if you neede to..

Chris announced at CANOE Races and worked at APBA races when Dave Packer lived there. At the time they had about 15 boats, all different classes, but they all raced every class. At one time Honolulu had High Point Champions in ever OPC class.

My brother waas Region 12 Chairman, and he was asked to go to a race and be the referee....The race was schedule to satrt at 9...At 11:00 therre were no boats there...They had failed to tell my brother they raced on HAWAIIAN time....

My brother was quite shocked to find out they only had a 15 boats and 15 National High Point Champions...Seemed everyone had a good time racing and Chris Faria loved to announce...

Chris and his wife,Willie, would come to the Main Land for holiday, and Chris would buy a motorhome..He considered himself a dealer as he bought a new one every year...Drove it around here....Then sold it, and went home.... Worked quite cool. He came to the Rose Parade with us a couple of times, as we always used to rent a space on Colorado Blvd. and party the New Years away....Capnzee wopuld be there, too...Drink bloody mary's and making a lot of illegal noises!!!!!

Chris is in the yellow shirt and my dad is next to him...This was in my parent's backyard...

Second picture is my mom, Willie Faria, and my dad...

Chris was good for boat racing!!!!

[russhill]

Chris got rich (his words) and bought a pent House above Honolulu. I haven't seen him since about 2000. He was/is a good old boy. He'd come to the annual APBA meetings and bring a lei for each of the head table ladies (No, not that kind of a lay)

We together once and somebody asked us when or how we met. We both said hell, we never met, we've always know each other. Chris promoted an Offshore race around the Island of Oahu in about '65. I went over to referree it. I never wanted to go to Hawaii until I had to for a boat race. I've been back about 100 times (literally) since.

I presented an APBA flag to Hiram Fong at the post race banquet. Hiram was the U. S. Senator for Hawaii then. Chris was responsible for the brains, the labor, the enthusiam, the APBA ties and everything else that made boat racing happen in the Hawaiian Islands. Boat Racing means more than just POWER boat racing. He was president of the Hawiian Canoe Associan, which had about 5,000 members and events on every Island

[Bunker Hill]

I didn't think that you had even brought offshore racing to California by 1965. Besides, I believe that you went in the fall of 1970. Mom, (Judy Hill) had visited Hawaii for her first time during spring break 1970. You said you had "No interestet in going to a goddamned island, so Mom began booking a summer of 1971 vacation for me, Georgie and herself. In the fall of '70, you were needed to referee an offshore race around the island and after being JOJ (Just Off of the Jet) for an hour or so you called mom and informed her that there would be no hawaiian vacation with out you and for the rest of her life, there wasn't! We hill's had some 40 trips to Hawaii including 17 consecutive X-mases ( yes, I believe in putting the "X" back in christmas) to Hawaii, and RUss and Carolyn continue the tradition today!!

Bunker

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Well... I guess Russ... we must have crossed paths at Honolulu at least twice. We stay with friends up on a hill about 20 minutes from downtown. I forget the name of the place they live, but the powerplant is at the bottom of their hill.

I will never forget you telling me about the binoculars at the top of Diamondhead and at Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I will always drop my quarter at a scenic point and think of you.

BTW, I once got a letter forwarded from PowerBoat editor Bob Brown inquiring about plans for a Butts Aerowing to be built to scale for an RC. This was a way back. Around 1976. I'll see if I can find it and post it on the RC thread in case anyone knows the inquirer.

[Skoontz]

Ok, i gotta ask....We have this uglier than sin aldrething whose district is Pacific Beach named Donna Frye and if you ever get a shot of her on TV, you will know exactly what I am talking about With a deep smokers voice from inhaling too much dope before surfing, she was sponsored heavily by organized labor to run for mayor in 2005...She used that phrase, Ron "Aloha spirit" What in God's green earth is that supposed to mean anyway? I have no clue, I'm just a simple cave man landscaper who is educanating hisself about that boat racing thing....

[Master Oil Racing Team]

It's kind of off track from the subject Skoontz, but I think I get the drift of her thinking. As you may or may not know "Aloha" is a greeting of both welcome and see you again. In short, Hello and Goodbye! So I think her "Aloha Spirit" must refer to taxpayer's money.

[Skoontz]

Thank you ,Wayne. Yes, off topic, but since the phase was in the post, inquisitive minds had to know....

[HPBA]

Chris retired from the HPD as a Sergeant. He had some 30 odd years as a police officer. Started just as WW2 broke out in Hawaii. His wife that you all remember in Hawaii is Leinani. She passed in 1978 I think. Chris and Lei really got the Hawaiian Powerboat Assn going. Packer and his boats, Twin Sin? Twin Merc Twisters on a McCall.. Steven Soon, an 17 high school senior in a Kober tunnel with a stacker. Best closed course race I'd ever seen. The Kober had him in the turns and McCall had the straights. Went for 5 laps that way. Don't remember who won but it was something to see. Soon moved on to a Schultz tunnel with a C6. Hiram had a Molinari with a injected Chevy and a Mercruiser outdrive. Fast but unreliable. Packer had a great race against him too, one of the few times it ran! The Brockmans and that heavy *** Ron Jones outboard. He moved on to a Crusader as did a few of the racers there. Danny Pak was a master Merc mechanic. I remember when the stackers first came out and they worked all weekend getting it dialed in. Then the water injection for it. Anyone remember Kenny White? He was a water skiing champ before racing boats. He raced a flat bottom Kober. The Magoos pizza guy, Gil, had one too. I think at one point there were 6 or 7 of Kobers boats racing in Hawaii. The Checkmate V bottoms. Squirly! Fast! That was the hey day of boat racing in Hawaii. Chris and Lei, Dave and Kenny ( I think they stole each others girlfriends too) Hiram and Glen Wakamatsu. They had inboard flat bottoms too. H class, SK's SS's. Outboards FJ, SJ's V bottoms. The tunnels, McCalls, Schlutz's, Jones, Kobers, Molinaris, twins too. Crusaders. I saw lots of blow overs and some serious injuries. I witnessed the changing of the guard when the outboards got faster then the inboards. What an era. Thanks to all who made it so exciting to grow up in.

[Ron Hill]

I don't recall Kenny White. I do remember Hiram Mueke???? Was that his last name...

What about Ed Stewart? Was he part of the Hawaiian Hay Days???? My brother, Russ Hill, Jr. was a referee at one of these Hawaiian races...

[HPBA]

Hiram Fong Jr, the senator. Richard Stewart was there too. He and Steve Soon went to high school together. Kenny married Laura Hunt then divorced. I remember your brother. Bunker and Georgie too. Russ always talked to me about mean piston speeds and acceleration vs rod length and crank length. He always made me think. made me a better engine builder. Of course it was just a hobby. Georgie and Bunker will remember Leinani. She saw them as they grew up. Russ and Chris were long time friends. Chris was a goof ball with those motor homes! Fiberglass dings easy! and fixes easy too. Wille stayed with Chris till he died. She was just what he needed. There were the inboard guys, Albert Sampio, Adam Tavares, Art Kalahiki. Dragon crafts, Raysons and Hondos. Its strange that jet boats never made it there as racers. I saw some great K jet races at Long Beach in the 70's.