How about it APBA or SBI? Maybe RSVP (edited)
 

I was reading in a boat mag today about a boat that won a Chicago to Mackinaw race back in 1920 or some thing. A Powerboat race, not a snailboat.
Wouldn't that be a great race to run today? With todays boats, a 300 mile staight line race, would be awesome. coverage would be a little tricky, but could be done.

What do you guys think?
What racers would like to run it?

Miami-Nassau race - "no-holds barred" - 382.3-mile round trip ---

:D

Straight across?
 

Payton,
Sure looks like a long tow if you break something, what do you think? Count me out!! I will stay in the grandstands, but where would they be??:D :D :D

eliminator219

Eliminator,
Well you could have grandstands at the start and finish. Maybe you could set the course near shore, but then there would be a lot of traffic to get out of the way. Near shore would be cool, you could watch from every beach along the way.

Rivergirl,
Sounds like the start of a circuit.:cool:

Shore to Shore
 

Too Old,
what you are saying has a lot of merits, and would be a lot of fun both before, during and also after. One would really have something to bragg about!
Steve, you need to look at the map, the run is what three hundred miles straight across? what would it be by running along the shore,almost double. Then it would come down to Gas milage or who can carry enough gas to fuel along the way. Just thinking about the whole thing on a Sunday morning. Think I will go have breakfast!!

eliminator219:eek: :eek:

Ok, now we need one of you desktop GPS guys to tell us how many miles straight across and along the shore. I was taking a WAG at 300 miles.

Then what's next? Sponsers?:D

It seems resonable to me. Chicago has so many fests/block parties/summer events that if it was marketed right the people would come. Have some sort of huge kick off at Navy Pier and turn it into a fest. Every Chicagoian loves a fest:D Have some huge monitors anchored to the rocks and you could watch the whole thing unfold while singing and dancing with your friends;)
Maybe I didn't get enough sleep last night:)

You're forgetting something
 

When things went from
"OFFSHORE"
to
"NEARSHORE" racing,
The boats were changed to accomodate this.

Be kinda like entering a Porche
in the Baha 1000 off-road race.

RB

I wonder if todays "so-called" offshore racers could even take the endurance of a REAL race like the Miami-Nassua. Back then they didn't complain about the sea's being to rough or it being too far if they break. The racers had to actually know how to navigate and how to keep the equipment together. Coverage from the shore (in my opinion sucks anyways), but with helicopters and on board camera's, it could be even better than todays quick little races. Man, only if!!!

IMHO Blue Moon you are very right .Like the Bahamas 500 LOL try that again. Even the Old modified class one example The Bacardi race was Out Government cut across the Gulfstream to Bimini and back ! Then south to Fowey Light then back the Government Cut start finish ! 112 miles or so of Sea Race in the smaller Vee bottoms there was No GPS :)

Best Regards

Well, I guess that would separate the men from the boys, eh..:p

I think it needs to be done.
Just one "Big" race a year.... like the good 'ol days....
Get the ol'timers out there racing or not .. let'em live it up...
There are many still around.. bring'em back to life for a day.....

Have an "Offshore Racing Appreciation / Tribute Day" -- or
A tribute to the "Offshore Racing Pioneers & Current Heros" -- if you will....i don't know

Show the spectators/fans what racing "was/is" all about .... and how it evolved...

Show the racers the appreciation they so much deserve!

:D ;)

How about them showing "US" the racing "WE" deserve?:D

Something that big, would take a lot of planning. Maybe it could be done at 3 or 4 different sites and rotate each year.
Chicago- Mackinaw, Miami- Nassau, New York- Cape Cod(??), LA- Glolden Gate Bridge(??).


What do you racers think?

the only problem i see is most racers today have very small gas tanks. it would take a lot of money to rig the boat for one race and then to de rigg it. other then that sounds like fun .

Treadwell

I see your point. Maybe a manditor 60 minute refueling stop. But, then it would have to be run close to shore and that would make the 333mile trip a lot longer.

Hmmm

How about Key West to Havanna?
Seeing it's being done almost daily (and at night) anyway, you could just put the word "race" in front of those fast trips.
Shouldn't be hard to get sponsors

No, No, No......

that is the whole point...... either you have it or don't!

Dust off those ol' Aluminiun Cougar Cats........
and who has Don Johnson's #...?

once a year....... maybe not every year.
a tribute..........not part of the circuit.

It's about paying tribute to the history of the sport.
The where, when and who started needs to appriciated...
You don't have to race to participate!
Bring to light... what it takes to be #1, the hardwork, dedication, knowledge and the duckets it takes to participate.
If respect and enthusiasm is shown for yesterday and today..
Maybe the interest, enthusiam and respect of the sport might grow for tomorrow....think about it.....


plus... not only do my own gratifications are of interest here.....
but the ol'timers need to have a day where they can
live a day as they did in their younger "good ol'days" ....
weither they were good or bad.
... they were a big part of the history ...!

;) :D

..we had a 10-mile straight run for the beginning of the OPA Seaside NJ race yesterday, and the teams loved it..:cool:

..the boats don't get to stretch their legs like that anymore..

Offshore Racing does not need to be spectator friendly to be popular.

The most popular offshore racing event out west is the Catalina Ski Race. They all leave at the same time(very exciting) and we wait to see who comes back first and then second and then .....

There is no need to run the Ski race inshore or along the coast ... the intrest is in the fact that the winner of a class, as a team, has to endure Mutha' Nature.

If people can identify with the challenge, I think the intrest and popularity would grow.

Let's go for an endurance run from Long Beach to Catalina to Dana Point and back to Long Beach. Have the start/finish festivities at the SCOPE Poker Run docks or the Queen Mary. The leg from Dana Point back to Long Beach could be seen by people in Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Long Beach.

All this running circles in protected water is bogus.


my $.02

G