Next installment.....sorry for the delay.

By now the boat was starting to come undone a bit. Remember this is a family cruiser, not a purpose built race boat. At the fuel stop, we carefully stowed the cabinet doors that had come flying off and repositioned the other items that had come loose. Before the rear seat was stowed again, the extra quarts of motor oil were put safely away for future use later in the race. This was also the official burial of the intercoms. This was a safety move, as on one wave off Montauk, we came down so hard the intercom unit on Joe’s belt flew off and came right in front of me. I grabbed it by the cord as it was headed over the side and managed to flip it forward so that Jon could catch it and shove it in a compartment near him….all this while holding on with one hand and trying not to throw up on my new Lifeline jacket. Great fun, better than golfing, for sure.

On the run toward Manhattan, we were amused by the two strings of white something or other that kept flapping over the deck of the boat. I guessed the Don Aronow race stickers had come to tatters, but we found out that the calking between the deck and the hull had loosened with each crash and was now flapping back at us like long tethers of a spider web. My hands were now starting to cramp up as the grab handle behind the bolster was fine for my left hand, but the thin grab rail on the right side of the boat was too small for that hand and I couldn’t get a good grip

Meanwhile up front, Joe had forgotten to put his gloves back on and was now driving and throttling with bare hands. I thought that somebody is going to have a big blister tonight. Jon was trying to adjust to the conditions as best he could, but he was still in the process of learning how to do a smooth reentry by using your legs for shock absorbers and every now and then I could hear a loud groan or sound over the engines, as he caught a bad landing again and again.

As I had plenty of free time I could let my mind wander to the great racers of the past who covers these same waters in their quest for glory. As good as the win was going to be, I trembled having to face Brownie who could now say, “Good show, but I won that race in a smaller boat (28 foot Donzi) and in less time (under 5 hours) over 40 years ago.”

I also remembered my phone call with Bobby Sacenti just before I got on the boat to go out to the start. He reminded me of the trick we used to pull on new drivers when they first showed up to race in Open class. They would be there with all new equipment and beaming from ear to ear with eager anticipation of joining this new fraternity. We would sidle up to them and say….”It is kind of secret with the Open class guys, but there is a $1,000 prize for the first guy who can get to the first checkpoint, just wanted you to be aware of it.” Our hope of course, was they would go all out and blow up before the real racing started. Bobby said to go and tell the two Outerlimits guys, it would make their day.

Back to the race….we are still heading west…damn that is one long beach. I have now started to visualize the towers of Manhattan on the horizon. I knew we still had miles to go but I could dream couldn’t I? I also kept looking back over my shoulder, just in case the repairs had been done to the Outerlimits boats. Joe was still pushing and the waves were still building and the little Sonic was still looking good. My new job was to take one of the water bottles that had now broken loose and was rolling around the floor and squeeze enough water out of it to clean Joe’s glasses, as they were coating over with salt with each major hit and spray blowback we were taking. I managed to do this by letting go and squirting while we were in mid air….then grabbing on for the landing and then wiping dry on the next launch.

As we closed toward New York City I could see that the power steering was running low on fluid and Joe was fighting to keep the boat straight on the landings. We would soon be stopping and topping off again, hopefully we could make it out of the ocean waters and into the harbor, where that kind of work would be much easier. As we passed Coney Island, we took one of the biggest landings of the trip and I could both hear and see Jon physically take it all the wrong way. Without the helmet, I’m sure he would have tears in his eyes on that one. But soon we were into calmer waters and things started to look up…..until we passed a ferry and heard a loud pop and the boat lurched to the port side.

We came off plane and checked under the hatch and found a missing belt on the power steering. We used this stop to fill up the power steering pump again and put on the new belt and of course hot wire the trim pump again to get that tab down so we could get on plane……pretty soon we could do this in the dark.


As we got moving again, I checked with Joe to remind him to not lose this race by doing anything stupid. slow down for every boat wake, be careful in the East River for refrigerators, dead horses or whatever else may be coming down. He said he was already thinking that way and we took off for the final leg. At this point I must confess, I became a bit weepy as we passed by the Statue of Liberty and I thought how blessed we were to be able to defend this cup from going over to Britain. How this is what America is all about, not having the best or even being the best, but never, ever giving up or losing the confidence in ourselves that this can be done and will be done.

The East River was deceptively calm for a while but then coming toward us, there was a big red fireboat from the NYFD, putting up a wake like we were back at Montauk again. Joe handled it very smoothly and we were then looking for the last few bridges to go under.

There was a bit of confusion in the many waterways of the river but thanks to Jon’s careful navigational preparation, he knew exactly where to go and where to stay away from. We were out from under the last bridge and heading toward the finish. We swept past the finish line and Joe threw the boat in a dramatic 180 degree turn. (Kind of like the NASCAR guys do after they win) We high fived each other and just let the victory sink in. David against Goliath. One for the little guys. If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it.

We headed back into the harbor and were met by the guy from Virginia in his Donzi that he fixed up enough to be out there to welcome us in and little Sam (Minihawk) in his little outboard. As we pulled up to the marina, we could see that not only were our own friends and family there, but the entire British crew had made their way back from the harbor where they left their boat, to be on hand to welcome us back in and congratulate us on the victory. Real show of class there for sure.

Here are some shots from the day.

Great story!

Congrats to Joe and crew, sounds like a day you'll never ever forget!!!

What an awesome story! Thanks for the great commentary!

I guess I should introduce myself, I’m the navigator from the now fabled Sonic 30’ owned by Joe Defusco. First and foremost I need to once again thank Joe for having the confidence to invite me as navigator. It was an honor to be a part of this race moreover to be a member of the winning team. I also need to thank Charlie for offering to come with us. Having an “old school” racer with us really added something and his feedback truly helped.

Thank you to everyone for the kind words and congratulations, I am still in shock. I would be lying if I said I fully understood what this race truly means to people but day after day I’m finally seeing the historic undertones. I should note that I was not a true go-fast racer and I’m no where near the caliber of Joe, Charlie or our competition. Before this race I was only an offshore sailor with limited 50mph+ experience. I’m now a member of something really amazing that I will never forget. This race was a real challenge from a navigation perspective and required a great deal of time and effort to do right. We were lucky in that we had already charted many locations for fuel and emergency stops, even having gone so far as to schedule the stops with the marinas. I know the area like the back of my hand and no wave is too big for me, I’m a sailor after all. I felt ready for this race but never expected it to unfold the way it did. More than once I questioned my sanity…and Joes. (Running with no power steering and a broken tab in the OCEAN, what is he CRAZY??) And as it turns out holding onto a GPS and radio and the boat all at the same time is a challenge…who would have thought? After experiencing a double bounce when I was not ready something in my back let go. I have no clue what it was but the pain was unbelievable. I shed a tear more than once as we came down from flying through the air but I never let myself loose it. Hell, if Charlie who is my fathers age and Joe who is doing 30 things at once can handle this so can I. I honestly think watching the two of them beam from ear to ear and knowing how much this meant to Joe helped me keep it together and keep the boat on track.

For those of you who supported the event, thank you. Though the turnout was “low” it was a hearty group of serious racers/supporters who were there with a distinct purpose. I honestly don’t understand why “go-fast” racers have a bad reputation with sailors. You are some of the nicest guys I have ever boated with and a lot less arrogant than most sailors. Thank you for the advice and encouragement, it was much appreciated. Congratulations to everyone who started the event or even attempted to do so. Not everything always works out the way you want it to but a real effort was made and that is something you should be proud of. I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank the British racing team. Through they experienced a catastrophic failure they were honorable enough to return to the marina and cheer us on. It truly made the win special to have them there on the dock for our return. They were gracious in the loss and heartfelt in their congratulations. I’m looking forward to racing against them again!

One last thing, I would like to echo the comments Charlie made about Joe and the Sonic. Joe worked for the last 2+ months getting the boat ready. I’m not talking fuel and oil but serious prep work down to checking stringers and adding redundant systems. He acted as driver, throttle man and engineer. He drove without power assist for more than 30 miles and without a working tab for 200 miles. He never got to sit down, relax or enjoy the lower west side of New York City. Joe is a different kind of driver and in my opinion deserved this win more than I can ever say. As for the Sonic; what a great boat. I’m an offshore sailor who knows boats through and through and I’m amazed. For this 30 footer to take the pounding it did and come out unscathed is remarkable. It is a tribute to over-engineering and over-building boats to last. It is also a tribute to proper maintenance and knowing limits. Great motors, fantastic hull and amazing crew.

So when is the next race?

Joe, Jon and Charlie!

Congrats! An awesome run! And best of all you did it in a period correct boat . . I can't imagine the crossing from Plum Gut to Montauk at any speed!

FWIW, three Donzi's, a 22 Classic, a Corsican and an 18 Classic made their way out to the Ruins in Gardeners Bay to watch, expecting the fast boats an hour or so after an anticipated 8AM start we were there early and waited till shortly before 11 . . by then we'd had enough rolling and bobbing in the waves and swells, that stretch had to be nasty!

Nothing Charlie wrote is an understatement! Good Run!

Congrats Joe, Jon and Charlie, quite the accomplishment.

Very hard to surpass as a great racing story.

Great Story. Congrats to all involved, what a triumph !!!!:party-smiley-020:

Compelling story, well told.

Congratulations, gentlemen.

Great Effort by Charlie and team to set the new V bottom record. As the current record holder at 3:06, and havign spent 3 years, untold thousands and a lot of blood, I tip my cap to their herculean effort

congrats again guys and thanks for the story Charlie this is what I was waiting for congrats you guys are the champs of 2010. art

Belongs in powerboat mag!!

Can you shoot me a PM when you get a chance? I havent been getting my magazines at all! :(

Your PM is full. No worries, though, just give Jason Johnson, the editor of Powerboat a call (805-667-4100) regarding your subscription and suggestion.

I'm actually not in house at Powerboat, which is in Ventura, Calif. I'm 500 miles and change to the north.

Congrats gentlemen. You may not have had great amounts of people waiting for you at the finish line, but we here truely appreciate your efforts and accomplishments. Bravo.

great story..that could be a hollywood movie..someone call Spielberg.....Bravo....

Thanks ! Jamie and quicklt1

What a great story...congrats again to the Sonic crew, faced with many obstacles, they fought through......is there a better example of the saying.....'this is why they play the games' ?

awesome story. Chock one up for the little guys.

I love the sport, and couldn't wait to get on a plane to see the Round Long Island Race re-booted.

My mate's Outerlimits wasn't the finished article, but we all enjoyed and celebrated the Sonic win.

Perhaps it would be good to see a few of you in Cowes next year?

_________________
download wii games
how to copy wii games

Great write-up and Amazing story! Congratulations to Joe, Jon, & Charlie! :ernaehrung004:

You mean Alpha's right!!! :coolcowboy:

Welcome to the board
 

Welcome to the board Stuart. Hope to hear more from you.

Philip

Great story! Congrats to Joe , Jon and Charlie! :boat:

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to do it on a privateers budget...if I can I will be there!

How long did it take to run the race?

6 hrs 15 mins

My wife and I are having dinner tonight with Dean Gibbs and his wife. Dean is the British team owner with the 52 foot Outerlimits that raced last weekend Around Long Island. We met for a short time today and he said that he already has texts and e-mails from other owners in Europe and the UK, that he feels they will be coming back next year with at least four teams, to get that trophy and bring it back to Europe.

Maybe this is the time that we should actually make the break here and say what has been on our minds for a while. I am speaking about the older racers. I know Rich caught some heat from a racer who thought he criticized the modern racers. Let me be very clear and I share this with the other guys I know……..We welcome all racers as brothers in a very special fraternity. Our complaint is with the major sponsors and organizers. They have taken what we all love with a deep passion and made it into a very poor reflection of what it was.

Let me use as an example major sports…pick either football or hockey, whatever you happen to like best. Now you loved that sport as you grew up and you waited every year for the finals…the Superbowl or the Stanley Cup….. and you watched the battles down to the end. Years pass and now football is played without helmets or pads and to get a goal you are only allowed to pass. Or hockey can only be played without pads and there is no checking allowed. The athletes just coming into the sport don’t know any difference, they are playing according to the new rules and they are playing their hearts out. No one is criticizing the athletes the criticism goes to those who changed the rules of the game.

Beach racing is not Offshore Racing !!!! You know it, we know it, but we all dance around the fact that everyone has latched onto that title because it carries a certain cache’ with it. We don’t disrespect in any way the racers who run hydros or Jersey skiffs or SK’s boats or any other type of racing. But don’t run 7 liter hydros and call them Unlimiteds because they really aren’t.

Real open ocean offshore racing doesn’t need a million dollar boat or team. It just takes heart and determination and lots of preparation. That was just proven this past weekend. Too many potential racers are sitting on the beach not participating because they go to the “Offshore” race and see all the equipment and think they can’t afford that. This excellent equipment with great people on every team, pour their hearts out to be there and then they are asked to race around on a 6 mile loop for ten laps. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is not Miami to Nassau or Long beach to San Francisco or Cowes to Torquay to Cowes. It is boat racing for sure, but it is not offshore racing.

All of us have been duped by the organizers who say we need this to attract sponsors and TV coverage. If you race offshore no one can see you and they will lose interest. Really? The Benihana race in New Jersey had so many spectators in the 1970’s, that the Coast Guard required the race to be run on a Wednesday as to try to limit the crowds. Estimates of crowd sizes were in the 400,000 range.

Allof us have been duped by the boatbuilders who let sales drive their designs. Real improvements on new boats haven’t made them any more seaworthy or the owners any more confident in taking on the ocean. New developments have centered around how many logos could be fit into the cockpit of the latest version of the XYZ Craft plus 6, or whatever…you fill in the blank. The fastest boats that are termed offshore now run on a lake in the middle of the country and run for a measured mile. It is a great party and great event that does good things, but…Offshore???

The World Championships of offshore run on a course that can be seen by standing on the dock…..what happened to the run to Dry Tortugas???

It is time for the people that are interested in getting the sport of offshore back to it’s roots to step up. The Around Long Island Race will be run next year. We encourage anyone with a boat capable of running in this event to come. Find out what the mystery is all about, find out what you really have inside you when the going gets not just tough, but to anyone else, impossible.

We have waited and hesitated and tried to be cordial to everyone, changing our date to help others and then they changed to hurt us. Enough. We are starting a real open ocean offshore circuit. We encourage the industry people to come forward and get involved. Enough of the exotic uber engines that shut down to “save” the engine. Build something that doesn’t need to shut down but will still be seaworthy and last the whole race. Boat builders…build them simple and strong and leave off the Gold Frankincense and Myrrh and drop the retail price, but build them seaworthy because these new customers won’t just be showing them off at the local waterside bars, they will be using them in the real ocean out where the bad things live.

Rich, Bobby, myself and others have nothing more to gain from this sport. Our reputations have been cast.

Racers, we do respect you and we offer an invitation to come and try this real shot o history. If you choose not to, we fully understand and respect your decision, you are still racing in the area you have chosen. Good luck and good racing to you all.

Well spoken Charlie.
No dissrespact to ANY racers of any kind. I love ALL kind of racing, the competitoin and the adrenaline that goes with it.
I did a little bit or racing back in the 80's, and in all hoensty, it was a combination of "beach racing" and offshore. There were a spectator issue, and there was the getting out of site, big seas, 10-15 miles away from shore, hold on to your fillings runs. We were glad when we could see shore again and not broke down in the meanwhile. The true "offshore" racing is just that. Not for everyone, but everyone should experience it, one way or a nother. Even if it's only reading about it and may be dreaming about it. One of my dreams, ( No $'s to do it .. :) ) is to do the Callais to Dover race. In general 8-12 seas, and the boats are made like submarines. True offshore is "OFFSHORE", not "near shore".
You either race against yourself? or race for the media.
The "Charlie Challange" is not about publicity it's about heart, guts and perseverance.
Good stuff Charlie. :)

Love it..

Incredible accomplishment! Congratulations to the Sonic team! :ernaehrung004:

As a fellow Sonic owner and avid supporter of the brand I can't begin to tell you how good this was to read.

Congratulations to Joe (fellow owner), and to Jon and Charlie for their support of Joe in this adventure.

Charlie: Thank you for your last comments.

Very well writen T2x and Charlie. A very enjoyable read.

Outstanding!! CongradulationTeam Sonic ! Jo

[QUOTE=Top Banana;3213489]My wife and I are having dinner tonight with Dean Gibbs and his wife. Dean is the British team owner with the 52 foot Outerlimits that raced last weekend Around Long Island. We met for a short time today and he said that he already has texts and e-mails from other owners in Europe and the UK, that he feels they will be coming back next year with at least four teams, to get that trophy and bring it back to Europe.

The dinner was quite enlightening. The Brits are very serious about getting a real offshore world circuit going again. They were very impressed with Billy Frenz and his satellite beacons on each boat. They use a similar system but said this one was much better. They loved the location that Guy La Motta provided.

They loved the fact that this is so close to NYC and could be used by many potential sponsors, to really make an impact with their marketing promotions, and showcase their products to a major part of the US population and center of influence.

They in short would like to make this Don Aronow Memorial Around Long Island Race as one of their races on the world circuit. The others would be, Cowes - Torquay and the London to Monte Carlo. They are unearthing many of the old trophies they have over there and will be using them for victories in various classes.

And don't forget, they are putting on the Around Britain Race in 2011.

We of course, would not have many competitors who would travel the world like that, but at least we would know that we are competiting agsinst the very best that Europe has to offer when they race here in the States.

For our own circuit, we would want to limit it, to no more than four races spread over a year. The New York race, one in the Great Lakes, we already have an offer to help with that one. One in California....hopefully we can work with a group out there. And last but not least, Florida.

Any offshore racers out there that like this idea???

[QUOTE=Top Banana;3214471]Charlie I'm not a racer....yet...but love the idea and would love to have a venue such as the Don Aronow Long Island Memorial to be in down here in Florida. Thanks again for all you do for the sport.

Angel

I like the idea. I can't enter a race because of insurance problems.

By the way the easiest way to track the race boats would be
to have each racer install an AIS Class B transceiver. The cost
would be $500.00 to $1,200.00. Send me a PM and I can
give you some details on how we could use this to track
the racers.

Warren

terrific read.. in my dreams I will be there next year in my old tub..

more importantly it brings to mind an old saying I tell myself often.

"obstacles are what you see when you take your eye off the goal"

bobbo

Congratulations, gentlemen!
In honor of the boat and crew that won this with a lot of heart.

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3007/sonicracer.jpg

FULL SIZE

Very nice tribute jayboat! :cool:

So that is what you've been working on in your secret photo lab....Thanks I love it!:coolcowboy: