The Gator Classic in Florida

[John Howe]

Hey Buzz, if your serious about entering a vintage GN, ya might wanna give Duff a call. I have his phone number if ya need it. I know APBA is strict with the rules regarding vintage.

By the way, I checked out the UIM Lake Alfred event online, that's happening the same weekend, entry count.....109 entries!!! Now THAT'S a regatta!!! I went to it the last time it was at lake Alfred and had a GREAT time!!!

By the way, there's a Classic Raceboat Association event happening in November in Lakeland at Kermit Weeks air museum. That always draws a BIG bunch of "retired" race boats of all kinds of shapes and sizes, and the museum is jam packed with all kinds of flying machines!!!

[buz macdowell]

John, how many entries are they showing for the gator race now?..My boat is set-up for sking now...If they ever have any races in Fla or Miss again I would be glad to turn my motor around and go.....Are you talkng about the roar and soar event in November? Duff doesn't live very far from me.....If I had wings it would be about 5 or 10 min ...I just hate bothering him since he has retired and has all his projects....I know how I hate being bothered when I'm trying to get something done by myself...never enough clamps,stands, jacks,air pressure,thinner, gas,fittings, hose,light, space,tools ,etc.....you get the picture...don't Ya!

[John Howe]

Buzz, I'm not sure what the boat count is now as there hasn't been a web update in a few days. Most of the racing fleet is now located from about Virginia on north, so that's a long haul for the teams,

Yeah, that's the Roar and Soar event that happens in November that I was referring to,

[John Howe]

As in regards to entries for the Gator Classic, this was just now posted on the Yahoo inboard hydro site.
.................................................. .............................

1- Y (Running with S's)
4-S
2-A (Running with E's)
4-E
9-JS
5-SS or PS
2-K

5 vintage Hydro and 5 Vintage Skiffs

Little low, but that was also last week

John Krebs
Race Director

.................................................. ...................................

I sure hope there's a last minute surge of entries!!!!

[buz macdowell]

I read in the palm beach post yesterday that the race is in question, because of manatee's...Is there a phone # to call to see if it's still gonna happen...This is such B.S.....Those poor people that are trying to put this race on....I think they should start eating manatees......the article stated that they have found 34 carcases since 1974 out there....somebody must already be eating them....& if this economy doesn't start improving....we all might have to try them.....

[John Howe]

This was posted on the Yahoo inboard hydro site this morning. Jessica O'Conor, whom I've never met, is clearly a STRONG willed woman to go through all this to put the event on!!!!


Racers,
I want to give everyone a heads up we are hitting the environmentalists extremely hard with newspaper articles and the 6 o'clock news. They are requesting a helicoptor. We have 2 choppers and are ready for them. However, I feel it's important to give a good fight! The Feds are applying Off Shore Powerboat Race guidelines to our little regatta and I am fighting to have us put in the boat regatta division where we belong. SO, we are running very intense articles.
This race is 100% ready to go! Lot's of racers got in last night and the party has begun! Come on down and join the fight!
Jessica O'Connor

P.S. I'll call Duff in a little while and see what he says. Man, I'm sooooo tempted to maybe just drive past lake Okeechobee Saturday morning and head on up to lake Alfred for the BIG UIM race up there!!!

[buz macdowell]

race was a Wind Blow Out,,,super rough water..they had a real good boat turnout...but did not need to get anybody hurt....It was white capping water Sat.....looked good for a GN Race.....super nice facility & marina....Somebody ought to contact them about a serious Marathon event there.....there is a whole lotta water there.....and a real lotta space.....I have lived here in West Palm Beach all my life and I did not know that it was that neat a place to race......Oh, and John I walked up to a guy that I thought was you after only meeting you once about twenty years ago at an inboard clubhouse meeting in Miami...and guess what...It wasn't you....I had been talking to Duff for a while joking around and this guy who I thought for sure was you was standing there with his nice camera...soo I said hi John.. I,m Buz....Thank God Duff was busy and did not catch it or I would never live it down....Ha Ha....I hope they have it again...and can race because...I have raced in alot of places and none have been as nice as this place...they even had a pool there.....tour bus parking...and a bunch of neat vendors....they were even selling wine & beer to the crowd....keep your fingers crossed for future races..They could have one every month or two there and I think people would really dig it......It kinda reminded me of Lake Maguire (sp) @ St. Pete....but much bigger.....

[John Howe]

Sorry I missed ya Buzz! I got there just before 11 Saturday morning and left about 3:30 in the afternoon when I realized nothing was going to happen. I didn't go at all today with the even rougher weather. Yeah that is a good facility, no doubt. I counted 7 hydros total for the 2 hydro classes, 4 ss/ps flatbottoms, and 2 K's. A good turn out of racing skiffs, with a bunch of vintage/river skiffs. Also 4 vintage hydros.

If this committee can pull together another event, the one thing they also really have to address is how they treat the spectators. There was no public address system so no one knew what was going on at all! Also I doubt any spectator got their $15 back.

I'll be at Roar and Soar on Saturday, so maybe I'll see ya there.

I KNEW I should have gone to Lake Alfred for the UIM race! I understand they did get the event completed!

[jimclauss]

the water wasn't very flat to say the least. Like lake Maguire in St Pete not even close. You got to be kiding me ... Lake Maquire is one of the best race courses in the country.

[jimclauss]

Boat race cancelled due to weather i never got my registration money back $250 what happened to that?// jim clauss ps 34 / ps 29 OH BUY THE WAY THERE WERE 5 PRO STOCKS AND NO SUPER STOCKS MY TWO/ HUGIE / ZABAI,S / TRUIT.S THAT'S FIVE