The one race in particular that had me confused was the A Runabout. The other was B Runabout which Bobby Wilson remembered, but was not contested as a World Championship race. The A Runabout was, and Bobby won it. This is the race as I remember it. I could have happened at either race, except I don't remember the water hyacinths interfering at any other race. Problem is I don't remember Jerry Simison or Kay Harrison breathing down my neck, and I did not show up in the results of the NOA finals. But the hyacinths were moving like they did on the NOA finals on Sunday. So I concluded that since no one remembers, this race must have occurred two weeks later, even though what Floyd Hopkins posted in THE ROOSTERTAIL is nowhere close. So while I think Floyd might be in error, and I think this race might have occurred two weeks earlier, the only way it could have happened was I jumped the gun (most probably) and Jerry Simison was far back (highly unlikely.) Anyway, I only tell this because I can remember so vividly the race, but not the day. And I only remember racing against Bobby Wilson. He didn't remember it.

Got a good start that I remember in A Runabout. (might have been close and I was DSQ, but I always thought I was legal). I was surprised to jump out in front and get a good lead. Not being a good runabout driver, I pressed as hard as I could to keep from being caught. The bottom turn was kind of funky. It was a surveyed course, but the exit bouy had been surrounded by about a 60 foot diameter of water hyacinths. They had drifted in there and been hung up for almost an hour after the wind had died down. Baldy had conferred with the referee and said day rules were that the third bouy did not have to be cornered until notice came from the judges stand.

By the time the A Runabout race started, the water hyacinths had drifted clear of the whole course, although patches were still all around. When I broke into the lead, I did what I always did. I drove the whole race course without thinking about it. I thought Bobby Wilson would come up and pass me, but he couldn't. He would if he could. I remember being surprised that no one was coming close except Bobby. I was able to hold him off through the turns in which he was superior, but I had enough acceleration and top end that he couldn't lop off any distance through the corners.

Bobby and I were pretty much equal except I was in front, and I could choose the line into the corner. Bobby had been following me the whole race, and if I made one bobble, he would have gotten around. Except I wasn't making any bobbles. I wish Bobby would have remembered this race when I asked him, but he didn't. I don't know if he had planned it or it was a last minute maneuver, but he executed flawlessly.

Since I had the lead, we were running the whole race course, and nobody from the officials on down thought about the previous ruling regarding the final turn bouy from nearly an hour earlier, I ran the full course as had all the other boats following me. At the apex bouy in the middle of the turn, Bobby Wilson made his final turn for the finish line. This middle bouy was the one being used for the previous several heats when the ruling was made. Thus Bobby's shortcut sprint for the checkered flag was legal and he beat me by a few feet.

After that race, the course was declared open again. We had a good laugh about how Bobby played it. I wish he would have remembered because Baldy and I always laughed about it and thought how clever he was and I always wanted to know when he planned to make his move.