Offshore - the good old days
 

Seems like everyone has an impression of the good old days of offshore. When men were made of steel and offshore races ran offshore and out of sight of land in big water.

Those were the days when Open Class boats ran in the high 80s or low 90s at best.

Those were the days when no pleasure boat would compare to a race boat.

Those were the days when APBA was the only game in town.

Those were the days that drug lords ran the boats.

Those were the days when the racers were larger than life and people had heroes like Bob Kiaser, Joe Mach, and Tom Gentry to name just a few.

When did those days end?

When Al Copeland got John Carbonell to break away from APBA and start the Offshore Proffessional Tour? OPT.

When US Offshore formed becuase they had a better idea?

When the APBA sold the offshore division to the LLC?

When the races came in closer to the beach and navigation became non existant?

When personal boats became faster than a race boat?

All I know is, it was better in the past. What do you see as the pivot point when offshore started going downhill?

In my opinion, this latest crap with the worlds has shown that offshore racing has hit rock bottom...the worst it's been in 15 years.

Ron

Your 100% right

MIke

Ron,

You hit it on the nose.

All the big Corporations worry about their pockets.

Not the racers pocket or the racers fun and love of the sport.

Maybe next year the Jersey Boyz can do a 1 time race like the old days when the course was REALLY offshore and the outside leg of the race was 10 or 20 miles long miles long.

The Jersey Boys are the innovators of racers having a good time and not getting hurt in the process, while being able to go home and still pay your bills cause they are noot trying to suck you dry!!

Maybe some of the bigger groups can learn from this and make it about the racers and the fans and not so much about themselves.

Ron, Your a mover and shaker in Racing. Maybe through your vision some of these things can happen!!

blame it on the guy who invented cupholders, once cupholders started to appear in offshore boats it all went downhill...DOH!

Well said.
pat W
ps When racing became for profit and not for love of it.

BINGO!!!!!!!

Pat, you win the booby prize.

Maybe that's why things work so well at OPA. No body is making a penny off putting on races.

"Seems like everyone has an impression of the good old days of offshore. When men were made of steel and offshore races ran offshore and out of sight of land in big water."

Don't forget the one woman!

"Seems like everyone has an impression of the good old days of offshore. When men and women were made of steel and offshore races ran offshore and out of sight of land in big water."

Good call. Just like Sherly Mundowny (SP?) kicked ass in drag race, Betty Cook stole the show at the boat races.

Those were the Good ol days.

HOW ABOUT THE RACES PRE BREATHALIZER? THAT WAS A RIOT.YOU KNOW WE WERE ALL GOOD BY RACE TIME.FOR FUN AND GLORY!!!!!!!!!

Actually racing today is both. The LLC makes the profit cause the racers do it for the love of it.

I'd really like to get a look at the LLC biz plan.