A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.

I had the distinct privilege of being able to see once again, the dream boat of my youth.

This boat was the undefeated offshore champion of 1966.

It won the following races overall:
Cowes Torquay
Miami to Nassau
Miami to Key West
St. Petersburg Hurricane Classic

And the Driver Jim Wynne became the World Champion that year.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

...as she looks today.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

It has been lovingly stored for the last 25 years by Barry Cohen who brought it out of storage, so it could be seen once again at the Newport Wooden Boat Show. Yes, I said wooden, this boat was built in England of cold molded wood construction.

It was owned by sportsman Hugh Doyle and raced by Jim Wynne. The rules in those days required certain classes to have accomodations for actually sleeping on the boat.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

The rules also required that the deck be equipped with a lifeline that could be used in emergencies. That is me, Charlie McCarthy, in the cockpit and Barry Cohen on the deck in these photos.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

The boat was equipped with twin big block engines drivng through V-drives on straight shafts. As the photos show there was no such thing as adjustable trim tabs. The transom was also of a reverse design, the bottom of the V was further back than the top of the transom.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

The cockpit was just an open space with some cushioning around the outside. As you can see the driver also throttled the boat.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

I really can't say enough how I feel about the debt of gratitude that the offshore community owes to Barry Cohen for keeping such an important piece of history.

How would we all feel if we found the original Cigarette that Don Aronow raced?

Well, this is the boat that used to beat Don as he was learning his skill. Jim Wynne is credited with many inventions and a real scientific approach to racing. I know guys like Brownie and T2X have many fond memories of this era and probably are as appreciative as I am that this boat still exists.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

What's the point of the cable running along the bow? I see that a lot on older boats & have wondered what's the deal?

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

I thinks it's just meant to be a hand rail.

Cool pictures

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Great pics!!

Here's another "Famous" cold-molded wooden race boat:

This is "Top Banana's" second race boat w/ Trophy. That's his "Sponsor" in the background (my Grandfather!!)..LOL!! Seems like the bigger and better the race boats got, the smaller the trophies got...LOL!!!

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Maybe some kind of lifeline? good stuff TB! :cool:

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Nice pics, love that old history. Wish I could have seen it in person.

Been reading about the early boats and drivers in Crouse's "SeaRace". Great book, can't put it down.

Those old wood boats must have been absolute beasts to be able to take the pounding they were given.

Did they have a fiberglass skin or surface? I can's see how they could possible mold those beautiful strakes from wood.

Cool stuff. :cool:

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

And to think Barry was going to race her again if the Miami to NY race ever took place again.

Thanks for sharing!!!

Where's the navigator's seat??? Or did he just stand and hang on! :eek:

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

..that's the "lifeline" he reffered to..

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Awesome - thanks for sharing!

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Post #6 shows the cockpit with just handrails around. The mechanic was supposed to hang on and stand by in case of trouble. The lifeline on the deck was used in case anyone had to go on deck in the open ocean, sometimes at speed.

The little doors you can see in the back of the cockpit were so the mechanic could have access to the engines during the race...he would crawl through there and work on the engines.

Notice there is no rudder system on the boat...there was a single spade rudder.....it was very difficult to control at any speed, you just aimed it and held on, literally.

Post #6 that little blue gauge just above the entrance to the cabin door was the "speedometer"....GPS what was that ?????

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Great post! That is definately a piece of Offshore racing history at it's finest :drink: :drink:

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

That boat, Ghost Rider, was crafted by Souter in England...and they followed it up with a few other examples.. A European hull called "Surfury" comes to mind and two other smaller versions (20 and 22 feet) that raced here in the states for the OMC factory team in marathon events like Havasu and the Milwaukee-Chicago-Milwaukee races.

It was not unusual for Wooden boats to take a pounding especially with an "egg shape" like Ghost Rider had...... and the hulls and strakes were very easy to craft, repair...and modify....as needed. It was because of hulls like these that we built the Conquests Cats in Wood and fibreglass composites....... which were basically bullet proof... and could be changed at a whim.

I knew Barry when he started racing....... a twin outboard flat bottomed Rayson Craft rigged at K&K outboard in 1966. Once he caught the offshore bug , he was on to bigger and better things....

Ron or CHarlie:....Please PM his phone number to me...as I believe he has a Wing Switzer Craft.... That , as you know, I am VERY interested in.

T2x

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Very cool pics! Thanks. Any pics of the power? What BB motors were used? What kind of V drives where used? Did they have a neutral? What kind of MPH did it have? Sorry for all the questions, but I have many more but thought I would leave it at this for now. Makes you wonder how many MEN are still around that would be able to take on a racing a boat like that in those conditions now a days.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Outboard powered OMC team Souter...vintage 1968.... This was probably as fast as Ghost Rider........ 70-80

T2x

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Everybody just stood up and hung on back in the day..... While the speeds were slower...... the boats were smaller...and the courses were many miles offshore.... in BIG SEAS!

That's when men were men...and Brownie stole your girlfriend(s)......

T2x :D

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Great shots !

Thanks.

LS

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Here's a couple of scans from Uffa Fox's book:

The caption reads, "After the pounding and hammering at sea, and Bob Sherbert, the brave navigator and engineer, had been taken to hospital with two broken legs, "Ghost Rider", the winner (1966 Cowes Torquay) lies peacefully alongside the quay at Torquay with Jim Wynne, in shirt sleeves, talking with Tommy Sopwith on the right, while the scrutineers make their second and final investigation."

All I can say is:
WOW 2 BROKEN LEGS!!! NO WONDER BROWNIE WAS STEALING THEIR GIRLFRIENDS - THEY COULDN"T CATCH HIM!!!

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

and here's the line drawings and also "Surfury" as spoken about by T2X above...

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

:eek: Wow and we got NASCAR drivers that won't drive if they have a cold. Those guys were real IRON MEN of racing.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Don't know about Brownie and the girls but, the "men were men" part is certainly so. Offshore racing these days is lame compared to that stuff. Cripes, don't even need to navigate anymore, just follow the little bouys.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

way cool

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Clearly, you missed the race in Ortley Beach a few weeks back. Navigation was what the teams lacked.

Two broken legs??? Just imagine that guy laying on the floor with his head through that little whole trying to put a spark plug wire back on. Suprized it didn't say broken ribs.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Top Banana,

Don Aronow's original Cigarette is alive and well. She is being refurbished at Inovation Marine in Sarasota. I saw her a couple of weeks ago complete with pictures of Ringo Star in the cockpit posing for the camera.

What a piece of history.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Now that is some news.....give us some photos or at least more information....where was it found.....where had it been, and which one of the original three is it???

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Sorry about the details, I was in and out pretty quick. You need to talk to Dennis Mathe, Dave Stiff, or Rick LaMore at Innovation Marine in Sarasota to get more details.

Innovation is the certified engine re-builder for SBI/APBA Offshore racing. Racing is only a small part of their business. I understand they are rebuilding some of the historic race engines from other boats, one of Garr Woods boats in particular.

Give Innovation a call @ 941-355-7852. They are great people.

Ken Doyle

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

We raced against Jim in most of those 1966 races. In fact, I or we won 3 of the East Coast races that Jim didn't race in. He was a smart, conniving sonofa*****. In the St. Pete 'Hurricane Classic' in December '66, we went though the cut at 7am, into northwest 30 knot winds. There was no "small craft warning rule" in those days. If it was too rough for you, don't go. The temperature was 34 degrees! Only 200 miles to go! I was racing the 'Broadjumper', a 28' heavyduty Donzi w/427 Holman Moodys. Dick Genth has a 28' stretch Formula. Wynne had 'Ghost Rider' w turbo Daytonas Aronow and Odell Lewis had Banana boats (not Charlies. Those skinny things that Aronow built), very bad choice for the day. The entire Merc team was there, but they all had small, fast boats. When the flag dropped, we filled the ballast tank (no trim tabs) and put it in the corner. Wynne and I left the field standing, and by Cedar Key light, the northern checkpoint, the two of us had a 10 mile lead on the fleet. Broadjumper looked like a bomb had hit it! The entire structure over the engines had caved in, and smashed some of the velocity stacks on the 427 Holman Moody engines. The seas were easier going south, and we dumped some ballast kept it as close to WFO as we could. About the time we met the rest of the fleet still going north, Wynne stopped, and raised the engine hatch. They all dove into the engine room. We slowed down to see if they were all OK. Jim pointed to the engines, made a sign like a stick breaking, and popped us a snappy salute! Was I relieved! When we reached Sarasota, the southern checkpoint, I looked over to the local navigator for the location of the checkpoint, but discovered him on the floor, kayoed! I slowed a bit, and my riding mechanic, Mark "Big Dirty" Raymond picked him up and slapped him a few times, to no avail. We looked in earnest for the checkboat, and after 20 minutes, we found it. They held up two fingers! Who the hell could possibly be ahead of us. The held up 2,3,6. Wynne's number! Turns out, the reason they stopped was the fact that the owner, Hugh Doyle, was injured. They put him off on a spectator boat, and went straight to checkpoint, passing us while we were searching. To top it off, I ran out of fuel (from searching) at the finish line. Genth passed me. Big Dirty and I did a dance on the tops of the fuel tanks and smashed them down enough to wet the pickups. I never carried a local navigator before or since.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Didn't Michael Jackson say that?

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Did I mention that Brownie....... is the guy y'all think about when you try to picture a pure Ocean Racer?

This was not about speed...or paint jobs....or who had the fanciest motorcycle in the pits..... This was about heading out into the open sea...with survival gear on board...and a vague idea...you might make it........ against Kiekhaefers merry band of Maniacs/Seminoles/and tricksters..... various lunatics from South Florida... and guys who were killing time between Soldier of Fortune gigs.

If your gonads were'nt up to it......... you didn't have a chance.

T2x

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Great story Brownie. When is your book coming out?

So did ya steal Wynne's girlfriend after the race??

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Naw, he was married. I drew the line there.... I'll tell you what did happen after the race. My favorite weird guy, Merrick Lewis (owned Thunderbird/Formula) showed up in his million dollar bus and said "I know a great little seafood restaurant. Wanna go?". About 20 of us piled in, and enjoyed drinks and a movie. After about and hour, some said "Where the hell is this restaurant?" Without cracking a smile, he said "New Orleans".

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Brownie, tell us the story behind your idea to build a 28 foot Donzi twin engine boat running on one prop shaft.

If I remember correctly, you had one engine ahead of a V drive and the other behind and both ran out on a single shaft to the one prop.

Great idea if it worked.....but it did and you won the Miami to Nassau race.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

It wasn't my idea. Sam Sarra (One REALLY smart SOB) of Daytona Marine built the original two. A 23' Formula, 'Holocaust', and 'Donzi Baby,, a 28' Donzi. He also did 'Surfury' and a 28' stretch Formula. Unfortunately, Sam ran both engines into the top shaft of the V-drive. Looked cool, didn't work for s**t. All the torque was exposed to the gear set, and it blew up on a regular basis. I changed it by putting a C1000 Casale V-drive between the engines. Both the engines were set on the centerline, with the V-drive between. I raised the front engine to a 12 degree angle, and attached it to the propeller shaft, which extended through the V-drive. The back engine was level, on the top shaft. This applied only half the horsepower on the gear face. I also built a 24' Nova with the same set up. Unfortuantely, that one ended my racing career. There was a marked advantage to having the prop under the vee (deep), and having the forward engine about 12' forward of the transom. Of all the times I ran that boat, I never got the nose up so high that I couldn't see over the bow. It was about 3 miles per faster than the standard twin setup.

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Thanks Brownie, I remember that name, Sam Sarra, when I was running around as a gofer for Mike Gordon with his Fish Peddler boats.

I was trying to explain to my son, that back in those days when you had an idea, you had to figure it out yourself and then build it yourself, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.

I remember sticking my nose though the fence of the old Thunderbird factory and looking at Holocaust sitting on a trailer in the yard. I think I remember it having a set of "legs" that would fold down at speed to keep it from chinewalking. When they wern't needed they would fold up along the chine.

Wasn't this the same boat the Bob Nordskog ran later on?

Re: A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.
 

Yeah, those were surface piercing foils. Didn't work for chit!