Offshore race and how many boats? Not the circle jerk that is run now. The roots go back to the ocean, 9-12+ miles out then back.
Thanks, Courious George

CatAttack, This should be able to answer your question. Wait until you see the pics!!! http://www.njppc.com/librarypreface.htm

That is a great website, those old pictures are awesome !

There are still a few...... Point Pleasant the past few years has been a challenge....and Daytona last year had very rough conditions...... Key West is no cake walk either. But, like it or not, you can have speed or rough seas...but not both....... Unless you go back to the fifty foot 4 engined cats....God forbid!...... the best you will get is the occasional rough race during which all the ultra light "factory race boats"....sink.

I myself prefer the circle courses. My first love remember is formula one tunnel boats. I have raced on the roughest offshore courses imaginable (Chicago- Michigan City....1981, Key West the same year)....... and the calmest tunnel courses (St Louis)....... I found the racing much more intense on the short courses, requiring much more skill.

I never got off on all the macho "rugged man of the sea" B.S. Long course, rough water racing takes very little skill, other than the throttling (and even that becomes almost rhythmic if done correctly). Basically it involves a simple ability to withstand pain....and you are really not racing anybody... Hell, half the time you couldn't see any other boats.....and the spectators get really bored waiting for the boats to come limping back from God knows where.

The shorter courses require split second coordination between driver and throttleman, and a keen awareness of where everybody else is on the course.......To me that's true racing. Now Corpus Christi combines close racing and rough water....The course may be short, but you better know damn well what you're doing.....


Good question, thanks.


T2x

T2x, when was the last time you raced in St. Louis? Do you consider St. Louis to be the Indy 500 of formula 1?

I raced there when "Mr Bill was still "Billy", Earl Bentz was not a boating "executive", and Reggie was............a life insurance salesman............

I consider Saint Louis to be the "Indy 500" of all boat racing..... let alone tunnel boat races.

T2x (maybe the name ....... refers to the era....eh?)

I have be going to those races for about 10 yrs. We have meet some really interesting people. I am glad to see Bill was able to get it going again.

The corpus race this year is in August. That will make it not near as rough, but alot hotter.

Curtis

Sharkey great link Thanks

They used to race in Michigan City? I know they did in Chicago. For the beat it to death guys, theres always the Chicago to Detroit record to break. That should be a race, but then other than for the drivers and thottlemen, it would be about as exciting as the Chicago-Mackinaw race.