Phantom1

Offshore Grand Prix checklist

By STEVE ECHEVERRIA JR.
[email protected]

Like a crew fine-tuning a speedboat before the big race, organizers of the 22nd Annual Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix Festival continue making adjustments.

Fast boats? Check.

Ample charity events? Check.

Various parties featuring plenty of music? Check.

Although each year features activities for children, families and even non-boat enthusiasts, it never hurts to go overboard, said event coordinator Lucy Nicandri.

"We really tried to structure this year's festival so it will appeal to the masses," she said. "If they're not interested in boats, they can come out for the bike show, the car show or the live entertainment."

The festival starts Saturday and runs through July 4, and features golf and fishing tournaments, gala parties, a boat parade, a fireworks show, a motorcycle and car show, and, of course, the grand prix race.

For more than two decades, powerboats have turned the Gulf's waters into a racetrack, drawing thousands and becoming a circuit staple for the grand prix's sanctioning body, the Super Boat International/American Power Boat Association.

"There are a lot of different race sites, but to also have an 11-day festival? You're not going to find that," Nicandri said. "It is the longest-running, continuous site on the offshore racing circuit."

This year's event has more of a patriotic feel than in past years, Nicandri said.

"It doesn't take a war going on to recognize our troops year-round," she said. "They protect us, and they bring a lot to the table."

Along with a heavy military presence in festival parades and get-togethers, there will also be a four-man formation flyover by the Air Force the day of the race. It's a festival first, Nicandri said.

"We couldn't make it happen without the Pentagon and MacDill (Air Force Base in Tampa)," she said. "I think it's going to add a lot to the event."

The festivities start at 7 a.m. Saturday with registration for a charity golf tournament at 8 a.m. It's already sold out, Nicandri said.

With all the activities, it's easy to forget the event's other purpose -- charity.

Proceeds from the events help the Florida Center for Child and Family Development, a Sarasota-based nonprofit organization that encourages healthy development in children.

Saturday's Kickoff Party, which starts at 7 p.m., plays a crucial role in raising funds.

"That event brings in more than $100,000," Nicandri said. "It really is the fundraiser for the entire event."

This year's festival features:

A charity golf tournament, 8 a.m. Saturday. Stoneybrook Golf Club, 7515 Grand Harbour Parkway, Bradenton. Sold out.

nFestival Kickoff Party, 7 p.m. Saturday. Robarts Arena, Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd. Cost is $100.

Charity fishing tournament for the physically and mentally disabled, 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. Sarasota Outboard Club, 1763 Ken Thompson Parkway, City Island, Sarasota. Free.

World's Largest Offshore Party, 8 p.m. Thursday. Hyatt Sarasota, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts. Enjoy music and dancing for a $15 donation.

Festival Parade of the Boats, 6 p.m. June 30. Begins on Main Street in Sarasota. The free event features boats, floats, drivers and bands.

Downtown Block Party, 8 p.m. June 30. Lemon Avenue in Sarasota. Free event features food, vendors and live entertainment.

Driver/Sponsor Party and Concert, 8 p.m. June 30. Robarts Arena, Sarasota Fairgrounds. The event is open to the public and features the dance band Chameleon. Tickets are $15.

Powerboat Dry Pit Party, 10 a.m. July 1. Sarasota Fairgrounds. Drivers and crews display their boats while attendees enjoy food and live entertainment. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12.

Motorcycle Poker Run, 9:30 a.m. July 1 (last bike out at 11 a.m.). Big Lou's Customs, DeSoto Road and Middle Avenue, Sarasota. Registration is $10. Cash prizes for winners.

"People's Choice" Bike Show, 11:30 a.m. July 1. Sarasota Fairgrounds. Registration is $15. Prizes awarded at 3:30 p.m.

Car Show, 3 p.m. July 1. Sarasota Fairgrounds. Registration is $10 to $15. Trophies awarded at 7:30 p.m.

22nd Annual Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix Boat Race, 11 a.m. July 2. Powerboats race across the course from New Pass (between City Island and Longboat Key) to Big Pass (between Siesta Key and Lido Key) in Sarasota. Awards ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Sarasota Fairgrounds.

Air Force Four-Man Formation Flyover, 1 p.m. July 2. Fighter planes fly over the race course in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sarasota Reds Baseball Fireworks Night, 6 p.m. July 3. Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th St., Sarasota. Fireworks follow the game. Tickets are $5 and $6.

July Fourth Celebration, 3:30 p.m. J.D. Hamel Park, end of Main Street and U.S. 41, Sarasota. Enjoy food and children's activities and fireworks over the bay at dusk from Sarasota Bayfront Park. Free.

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Phantom1

Race preparation is tense time

By STEVE ECHEVERRIA JR.
[email protected]

Steve Kildahl is almost done with his "to-do" list.

With the 22nd Annual Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix a week away, the speedboater's 30-foot vessel still wasn't finished.

He got the hull at the beginning of June, and since then, it's been a race to make Sunday's race.

"I've got a few odds and ends ... the GPS and radio, and stuff like that," Kildahl said while making adjustments on the boat inside a warehouse garage last Saturday. "That means a lot of late nights."

Like the almost 70 racers competing in this weekend's contest, Kildahl's week was filled with early mornings and late nights testing propellers, putting on decals, installing gauges and completing other crucial errands.

This isn't new for the lifelong Sarasota resident, who has raced for Team Velocity in every grand prix since 1984, going through boats and crews while swirling business and family life into his passion.

"Since this is a brand-new boat, the operation time is more critical stress-wise," he said. "But it's like putting pants on as far as putting a boat together and racing."

Last Friday, his marina business, racing ambitions and Factory 1 Series boat all took a back seat to his children. But only for a few hours.

"I've got to pick up my daughter, then deliver the race boat to a camera shop," he said.

After photos, it was back to the garage for more unfinished business.

There's weren't any problems with the boat's 500-cubic-inch engine, but the propellers were a different story.

"We dropped the propellers off at a shop to be tuned, then we'll test it again next week," said Kildahl, who operates the throttle on race day.

After more than 20 years, it's all routine. For Kildahl, the only differences are the size, power and class of the boats.

Last August in North Carolina, Kildahl raced a VR-1 to capture the world speed straight-away record when he reached 81.89 miles per hour.

"It was a blast, great adrenaline rush," he said.

Then again, the speed of powerboat racing is Kildahl's ultimate high.

"It's just a super rush; the closest thing on dry land would be getting shot out of a cannon," he said with a laugh.

But just as important as the speed is the crew.

"It's a matter of working as a team to go through a checklist and make sure everything works together," he said. "We want to make sure we don't have a failure while out there."

Along with driver Bob Spitulski, Team Velocity also includes Kildahl's 13-year-old daughter Kaley and 15-year-old son Stephen, who is crew chief.

With the comfort of a solid team and an almost-complete boat, Kildahl concentrates on the last items on his list, counting down the days until race day.

"There's light at the end of the tunnel," he said. "I tested it yesterday, and got good speed numbers. I'll get those propellers back and test it again."

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Phantom1

Built for speed

Air Force vet and Sept. 11 survivor uses military skills in powerboat racing

By STEVE ECHEVERRIA JR.
[email protected]

Sean Gallagher has been a proud member of the U.S. Air Force for 16 years and played an active role in the invasion of Afghanistan.

The 38-year-old is a patriot, through and through.

Gallagher is also proud to be a powerboat racer. He started driving three years ago and runs a team with his brother Scott.

Those worlds collide now and then, especially when Gallagher examines the decals on his competitors' speedboats.

"I don't like the guys with the flags tattered, you know, the high-speed flag that's torn up," he said. "Make it look like the American flag, not a torn rag."

Gallagher, who is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, joins hundreds of crew members descending on Sarasota this weekend for the 22nd Annual Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix off Lido Beach.

This year's race is particularly special for Gallagher because of its patriotic theme, which includes an Air Force four-man formation fly-over on race day Sunday.

The airfield operations officer with the 46th Operations Support Squadron has come a long way since watching the 2003 grand prix from the Sarasota shores.

Now a throttle man for America's Guitar Offshore Race Team, Gallagher uses skills honed in the military to help his crew win, and he relishes the teamwork involved in the sport.

It almost didn't happen.

The Air Force vet and self-professed military brat was working at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

"I was walking into the Pentagon, and smelling jet fumes and black smoke," he said. "There was a mad rush of people coming down the hall out of the building."

After the terrorist attacks, he immediately volunteered for active duty, a status he still retains.

Gallagher was soon part of 2003's Operation Enduring Freedom, supporting troops in Afghanistan by operating a command operation center in Katar.

It wasn't the first time Gallagher served on foreign soil.

In 1999, he was part of the humanitarian effort Operation Shining Hope in Kosovo. A year later, he assisted the southern watch in the No Fly Zone in Saudi Arabia.

When he returned in 2003 from the Middle East, powerboats grabbed his attention. He traveled to Sarasota and Hollywood to watch his brother compete.

The following year, he got behind the wheel. But Gallagher wasn't comfortable driving, so when he and his brother started their own team, he took over throttle duties.

He enjoyed it.

"As a throttle man, I'm doing all the trimming, setting, keeping it level left to right," he said. "Also, reading the water to know when I should be on the throttle and off the throttle."

Still, driving and throttling are similar in many areas, he said.

"Both are situations where you have to be able to read the water and be able to anticipate the way the boat is going to react," he said.

And Team Gallagher knows its boat very well.

The team races a 28-foot Challenger Offshore D-DC powered by a 620-horsepower, 502-cubic-inch engine.

"It's a good rough-water boat," Gallagher said. "The rougher it is out there, the better it is for the performance of our boat."

Because the team is in the P-5 class, it can't exceed 72 miles per hour.

"Winning amounts to how your boat is set up and the skill of the crew," he said.

But having a fine-tuned vessel is only half the work. The crew's work is just as critical, he said.

Gallagher has applied leadership skills learned in the military to his team.

"You don't want to be like everyone else. You want to set that example for other folks to follow. I've run this team the way I've run some of my military organizations," he said, adding that he is also a representative for the team's boat class.

"Working together with other people as a team," he said, "you've got to rely on other people to do their job (in order) to do your job.

"I expect my brother to be an expert at driving," he said. "And he expects me to be an expert at the throttle."

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Phantom1

Video from Sarasota

Reporter goes for a ride

Team Shamu

FeverMike

I'll be in the spectator area to watch the race on Sunday. I am also super excited about the fly over too...that will be awesome!

How many boat's are registered for the race?

Ron P

Will Talk Offshore be there to broadcast the race?

SHARKEY-IMAGES

Thanks Phantom1 !

Andrew Corn

Yes, Talk Offshore, sponsored by Fountain Powerboats, will be there to broadcast the Sarasota Race.

There will be more information posted when Martin gets there today.

AC

Phantom1

Parade kicks off holiday weekend
Offshore Grand Prix boats, others wow Sarasota crowd

By LATISHA R. GRAY

SARASOTA -- Standing on a corner, drinking beer out of a McDonald's cup as the Festival Parade of Boats passed, Brad Everson was not surprised that all the pretty girls were hanging out with the guys with the big boats.

"It's fast boats and beautiful women," Everson said, with a big, mischievous grin on his face. "They are the guys with the money. It's all about the money and high maintenance, and I'm not talking about the boats."

Everson was one of more than 1,000 spectators as the parade idled down Main Street. Bars and vendors sold beer outside on the sidewalks to people who didn't bring their own.

Several agencies and groups, including law enforcement and politicians, waved at the crowd from boats, cars and floats.

But what got the crowd really going were the powerboats and the scantily clad women dancing and throwing beads.

"You see the hot guys and gals in their swimsuits," said Donna Castellano, 45. "I like to see it, and I know my husband does too."

After attending the Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix at least eight times, Castellano is a veteran.

The Festival Parade of Boats is the grand entrance for boats that will compete in Sunday's race.

Today, the boats will be on display again at the Powerboat Dry Pit Party at Sarasota County Fairgrounds. Donation is $5 at the gate.

Phantom1

Offshore Festival is boat loads of fun

MICHAEL BARBER
Herald Staff Writer

A boat load of fun activities for families and adults are scheduled this holiday weekend as part of the 22nd Annual Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix Festival.

"We offer something for everyone," said festival coordinator Lucy Nicandri.

Most importantly, proceeds from the festival go to the Suncoast Foundation for the Handicapped to help The Florida Center, which assists in the development of healthy children, families and communities.

Money from the festival will be used to build a 10,000-square-foot building in North Port for The Florida Center.

The festival's centerpiece is the Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix powerboat race, which takes place Sunday on a 6.39 mile course from New Pass to Big Pass. Two racing heats are scheduled - 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. - and the best place for spectator viewing is along Lido Beach.

"Next to the world championships, which are held in November in Key West, this is the premiere race of the season," said John Carbonell, president of Super Boat International and the American Power Boat Association.

Today there will be a pit party at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. that will include a motorcycle poker run, a bike show at 11:30 a.m. and a car show from 3-8 p.m.

"This is truly a community event," said Kevin Brown, a Sarasota resident and race chairman. "This was started to give the community something to do over the fourth of July weekend and it's grown to where it's generated $7 million in facilities for children."

Festival activities continue Monday with a fireworks night at the Sarasota Reds game at Ed Smith Stadium. The Reds play the Lakeland Tigers in a game that starts at 7 p.m. Box seats cost $6 and general admission is $5.

On Tuesday, the 4th, there will be a free family fun celebration from 3:30-10 p.m. at J.D. Hamel Park, at the corner of Gulf Stream and U.S. 41.

The festival ends with fireworks over Sarasota Bay at dusk, or about 9:30 p.m.

"We have over 1,000 volunteers working on this so come out and enjoy every event," Nicandri said. "You'll have a great time and it will go to a good cause."

Information

For more information call the festival hotline at (941) 371-8820 or visit www.suncoastoffshore.org.