Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hello Richie,

Well Said.. Thank you

Jim

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thanks for your answer, Richie. Spoken like a true champion, indeed.

By the way, have you watched the footage of the 1976 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes on boatmad? Good to be able to see you and Bobby getting American Eagle ready.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

I saw it, I have been trying to remember what happened to us in that race, I forgot if we lost an engine steering or what, we had the boat to win for sure. We still had a great year. winning is everything. 7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

In Searace and the English papers they mention American Eagle leading, then slacking off and Gill with "I like It Too" slipped by in the fog ? I also watched the video but were unable to detect any fog, but then again maybe a good local navigator and a better boat won.....? Winning is everything Richie !

Reg Joern

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Gents,
In 1972 Hennessy California Cup Tom Gentry was leading in "American Eagle" a 36' Cig according to Searace before engines blew up. Was this actually a 36' Competition and does anybody have pics of it and whatever became of it after they switched to the 35' ?

Reg Joern

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Joern,
Tom Gentry in 1972-73 had two Cigarette 36' named American Eagle after him first 36' called Innerspace(sold to Mondadori after the VBV in july 1972).
One of the two Am.Eagle raced in Europe in 1973 and was in blue sky colour with red customized engines air scopes.
That one raced in Usa I don't know what colours had,but I think was the same of the Europe version.
One of those Am.Eagle was sold to the Aussie Arnold Glass(see the picture on Searace),then was renamed Whippy's Eagle,then The Eagle in 1980(see Melbourne World Championships) and was in red-blue diagonal bands.
The other one Am.Eagle I don't know what was after 1973.
Tom Gentry reappeared in 1976 with the new white 35' with Richie and at last winning the World Title.
I remember that in the docks of Santa Margherita in 1982 talking about was the most strongly adversary meet in the races during him career,Balestrieri answered: "Tom Gentry!".

Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thanks Marco,
I knew about Innerspace, but not that is was re-named American Eagle and the Nick in Italy, good to know you have the history. Perhaps somebody from the US on the forum can enlighten us on the other hull?

And the more I keep digging in the number of 36 comp hull, the more keep popping up, good thing the championships followed the driver not the hull!

So far I been able to investigate one or more hulls of;

1)Lady Nara 1 &2, later Eraf(red) and Lady Mate-Talves-F.
Eight-UFO 33
2)Fino 1 & 2, later Dry Martini(red)-Bloody Mary and Red Vengence
3)Aeromarine 9, later Dry Martini(white) -Yellowdrama2-Colt Sapporo-Crown of Juice and a heavy hull with unknown wherabouts?
4) Black Tornado 2 and 3, later Eraf 4- Alitalia etc

Do you have any more on your list?

Regards Joern

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Marco: I will give some clarity to what you say. You are correct about the Red 36` Innerspace being sold to Mondadori. The light blue 36` with red hatches and motors was sold by me to a non racer from Miami back in early 1970`s never seen again. The boat that we raced in Melbourne was not a 36` Cig. It was a joint venture boat that Tom did with Hallett in Calif. 35` with a huge flat on the keel, two of those boats were built, all metal flake etc. true Calif. boats. The boats never performed with the flats on the keel so we fabricated an aluminum V keel and bolted it on, the boat ran OK. The only time we raced it was in Melbourne and we won, in unbelievable rough conditions, we watched the Peter Dean 44` Cig/dean boat break in half when it tryed to pass us. The seas were like 20 feet high and 50 mph winds, it took us almost four hours to complete the 80 mile shortened course, it was freezing cold as well, we stuffed the boat so many times I lost count, it was two person boat just me and Tom. We sold the boat to guy named Tony Haines who owned a boat co. there called Haines Hunter, the boat was damaged from the race and was sold as is. Arnold Glass bought the old Sabre Dance green 36` which had been owned by Lance Taines and raced with Mel Riggs, later they bought Sandy Satullo 38` Bertram. Gentry had a total of four Cigarette`s only. Red 36` Light blue 36` 1976 35` and the ex conspiracy 35` red and white which we also raced in Australia I think 1980 or 1981, it was when Billy Elswick also went with his 36` performer night moves. We only ran the Sydney race and broke a gimble, Tom was not able to make the remaining two races as he was going through nasty divorce with wife named Nora and she would not let him travel to race, so we just hung out for that month, long story behind that whole deal as well, I`ll include in the book when I write it. 7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Joern,the list of 36' versions is by the moment at 65. I think that about 24-26, 36' was builded from 1970 to 1973 or 1974.
The Innerspace wasn't the next Am.Eagle but only the Nick in the second part of the European season in 1972,then was renamed Nicopao(the acronimous of Nicola and Paolo,Mondadori's son) in 1973.
Lady Nara (I) 1971 became Lady Mate in the last race of 1972 and in the Italian races in 1973,then was Talvez in 1974,and F.Eight from 1975 to 1978. Now it is in shipyard in Sardinia in very good conditions,powered with a couple of Aifo Diesel engines, but with a very high price...120.000 euros....
Lady Nara (II) 1972 became Eraf (red version) in 1973-74 then was modified with a cabin and a wodden deck for fast cruise. It burn ashore Viareggio in 1978 or 1979 and lost for ever.
UFO 33 wasn't a Cigarette but a 33' E.R.I.A. Marine class 2 of the owner/builder Riccardo Mambretti.
Fino (I) 1972 was drove by Rautbord in 1972-73,then was renamed Bloody Mary in 1974 and then Enterprise of Elbert Nicklaus in 1975-76.
Fino (II) 1972 was sold to Bonomi in the late of 1972 and renamed Red Vengeance. In 1973 was renamed Dry Martini (II red).In 1974 Bonomi sold it toghether the first 36' Dry Martini (I the heaviest). They was modified with a cabin and for cruising.
MF in the thread in "General Discussion-help Cigarette 36'" is the new owner of the former Aeromarine IX.
Dry Martini (III - the lighter) 1973 was raced by Bonomi from 1973 to 1975. After the CTC of 1975 was sold to Cassir that renamed it Yellowdrama II. The boat remained in England like Crown of Crucis,then Colt Sapporo and JPS(never race). Now is with the original color but a deck totally changed,with a cabin and an orrible wind shield.
Black Tornado (I) 1971 to 1975. Was sold after the VBV in 1975 to De Angelis and renamed Eraf(black version) from 1975 to 1977. In 1978 De Angelis was in the Alitalia Offshore Team and the boat was repainted in grey and renamed Eraf-Alitalia Due. In 1979 the boat was leased to the Napolitan Surger Tommaso De Simone and was still in grey and renamed Goldfinger-Alitalia Due and in 1980 it was repainted in white-blue and named only Goldfinger(it became the Italian Champ that year).
In 1981 was bought to Renato Della Valle that raced him first race in Viareggio and with a very rough seas won. The colours was the same of Goldfinger's version.
The old boat reappered in 1986-87 in some italian races like Reporter in all white colour and then like Imter Scavi in dark blue-yellow colours version. The driver was Alessandro Zodo.
Black Tornado (II) 1972 to 1973. When Balestrieri stopped to compete for the World Championships in 1974 the boat rest in at the Tornado Racing Team in Florida. In 1977 the rookie Joe Ippolito drove that boat renamed Baccarat (same colours of the former Black Tornado)in the first two APBA races with a 4th and 3th ovarall places before he brought the American Eagle 35' like Anheuser Busch Natural Light.
That's it all. For complete the list must be a book....:cool:
Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Richie! Sorry but I didn't speak about the "aussie" Am.Eagle of Gentry but the one drove by some real Aussie(like Glass,McMillan and others) from 1974 to 1980.
I post this pics,one that came from Searace where Crouse himself wrote that was a former Gentry's American Eagle.
In 1973 Gentry raced in Europe and in Usa in the same time like you. Around the days of the VBV in Italy there was the Hennessy race in Usa and that exlpain to us that he had two boats. Two 36'? I don't know,but surely two American Eagle.
Please look about:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3...73resiziz9.png
Italian race in 1973
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7...usresizxv1.png
Arnold Glass,Australia race in 1974 (picture from Searace) It look like the American Eagle in light blue(same windshield,same original hatches)
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7...leresizra8.png
The last version knew. The Eagle in Melbourne WC in 1980. The hatches are modified like in a 35' version,but the windshield it's the same.

You are right about the Sabre Dance that was sold from Taines to Glass in 1974 or 1975 but the boat remained in Usa at last in 1976 and the windshield and hatches are litterally different. Ok alls can be changed but maybe the Sabre and the "aussie" American Eagle wasn't the same boat.
Marco