NOTES: 
Bill Coberly of Bakersfield, tells us that he would like to add the final chapter to the December issue on Will Farmer and his most famous hull, Sid Johnson’s 280 Beverly Anne. Bill bought the boat from Joel Smith (Oklahoma Kid) in 1967 and campaigned as Hallucination on the West Coast until 1971. Driven by Bill Hollingsworth, Joe Schulte, Bob Schatz and Terry Turner. It was the first Farmer out here and was rarely beaten in Region 12 where elimination heats were generally the rule. Tricky to drive, all the above drivers flipped this rig at least once. 
 Unfortunately, its final flip by Owner-Driver Pat Gudvangen on San Diego’s Mission Bay in 1972 resulted in a barrel roll. Directly into the path of a Jones picklefork that speared the Farmer, destroyed both boats, and seriously injured both drivers.
 Also in June 95 column featuring the 225 class, in particular excerpts from Motor Boating Magazine, reports the 1935 World Championship Regatta in Toronto was won by Harold Wilson’s Little Miss Canada. That boat, immaculately restored by Cap Peckam of Big Bear Lake, CA and powered with a V-6 Buick, was seen skimming around the lake last summer. The Big Bear Antique and Classic Boat Show featured this racing craft along with the late Bob Nordskog’s Whimsy. The Whimsy is an original Mandella marathon hull powered by a full-race Cadillac engine from the 50’s era. It's quite obvious “pure race boats” are invading the Chris-Craft, Garwood, Century crowd at these events. Kitty B or Thundershower is in the paint both for finish coats, trim and lettering. Ex 225 driver Don Meroth of Long Beach has put the better part of three years of his spare time rebuilding this 225 Lauterbach, and final installation should have her out and about this spring.
Bill also tells us to keep up the good work. The way he sees it, The Vintage-Historic Category of APBA may end up being it’s biggest!!!”
Bill, thanks for your support.

VINTAGE TRIVIA:
The original name for the 280 cubic inch Hydroplane class was 267 ci hydros.

CHALLENGES: 
Richard Walbrun of Random Lake, WI responded to our May, 95 challenge. Michael Nadeau wanted some information on Gene Hawthorne’s B Stock Outboard Utility. Richard, a stock outboard fan of 40 years, has just come across this information. He tells us that Gene’s boat was a Sid-Craft, B-11-M, named Roving Kind IV. Gene competed in the Winnebagoland Marathon and his best finish was second in 1954. Richard, thanks for your help. Michael Nadeau from San Diego, CA is still trying to locate pictures of this vintage raceboat.
 Ike Kielgass of Renton, WA has responded to our December, 95 Challenge. He has sent us a black & white original photograph of the So-Long. This boat competed in the 1948 Gold Cup in Detroit with a Fageol engine. The boat except for the cockpit, is the same as the Mercury. Ike, thank you for this picture of the 7 Litre So-Long, but we are looking for the Gold cup hull. We are searching for pictures from the 1940 period of Lou Fageol’s 10-G, So Long, a Ventnor 3 point hydroplane hull. This boat raced from 1940 thru 1946. It was powered with a Curtis Conqueror motor.
 Jeff Magnuson from Alfred, ME, tells us that in the book “Prewar Wood” by Carol Van Etten, on page 71 there is a picture of Lou Fageol’s So Long at a 1938 Lake Tahoe Race. Does anyone know where I can find this book?
 Jeff Baker of Elgin, Ontario, Canada has responded to our January 96 Challenge. The P.O.D. Excaliber O-9 was owned and driven by Kenneth Ingram of El Monte, CA. Jeff’s reference was “More R.P.M.” May 1940 “Rudder Magazine." Jeff has sent us a great letter regarding his restoration project of his 135 hydro A-3 Static II. We will talk about his project more in the next issue.

RACE SITES:
 May 30 - June 2  Detroit, MI:  Chrysler 1996 APBA Gold Cup.  If you have not responded and you would like to participate in the Vintage portion of this historic event. This is your last chance. All letters of participation must be received  ASAP.  Mail it!! Fax it!! Or Call me!!
 June 13 - 16     Dubuque, IA:  Thunderfest 96.  The Vintage Race boats are definitely scheduled to participate in this event , so go ahead and mark your calendars. Thunderfest 96 will entertain you with the high speed spectacle of Grand Prix Hydroplanes and a closed course Offshore Race. The site of Thunderfest is on the Mississippi, where Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois meet. Contact Carrie Zaber, Event Coordinator at (319) 556-3333. All classes of Vintage Boats are welcome.
 June 22 - 23     Celina, Ohio: Celina Governors Cup Regatta  All vintage race boats are invited!! Vintage Boats are scheduled for “fly- byes”  and display on both Saturday and Sunday. Our contact is: Mark Weber (810) 775-2219.
 July 5 - 7       Sarasota, FL: Suncoast Offshore Festival  NEW  Race Site for Vintage!!! Any Vintage Offshore Racing class boats are invited to run. All the proceeds from this festival will benefit the Suncoast Foundation for the Handicapped. Come and enjoy the many activities scheduled with this event. If you have an interest in participating, please call Gene Whipp at (941) 388-4441. 
 July 21          Sylvan Lake, MI: Tentative Vintage Event  -
 August 15-18     Clayton, NY:  The Antique Race Boat Regatta ‘96 James Holler , Chairman for the Educational Forums at the 96 Race Boat Regatta. He is looking for people who would be willing to speak in front of a group on a race boat related topic. WE know that there are hundreds of people out there that have interesting and informative stories to tell on topics that they have spent countless hours researching. If you are interested please contact him at home #(410) 721-6493 or fax # (703) 461-2840.

EDWARD H. NABB’S  SPECIAL REPORT: 
Edward Nabb, a true Eastern shore Country Gentleman, of Cambridge Maryland, has contributed much information for our previous columns. I feel it necessary to make him an Honorary East Coast Representative, Boat Racing Diplomat Extraordinar. I am including his most recent letter as a special report.
 Polly Wright (Barrett) who was the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame died here in Cambridge on February 16, 1996. She drove Tom Chatfield’s 91 cubic inch Hydro Scoundrel over the measured mile in 1940 and she maintained an interest in Power Boat Racing all her life.
I enjoyed your article about Frank and Millie Foulke and mention to you that the name of the boats was always Sagana which was Millie’s idea. Its translation was Gypsy. Millie’s people came from Central Europe and she always referred to them as gypsies which had some effect on her long black hair and the round gold earrings she always wore. They were wonderful people and a real asset to boat racing.
 I equally enjoyed your story on Pacific One designs and would be remiss if I did not mention the East Coasts position of dominance in that class. The original design was published in one of the boating magazines in about 1936. Not only the measurements, but the bill of materials was very strict with the size and bottom of planking and the framework of oak. The boat was intended to go about 35 miles an hour and at that speed was very stable, but not very exciting. Earl Orem of Cambridge, Maryland a Hall of Fame member established a straightaway record of 50.180 MPH in Washington, DC in 1940. Earl, like the rest of us, built his boats because of financial reasons. He was a real nut about weight so he went to a lumber yard in Baltimore and weighted each plank as the workers removed it from its pile. He set aside the lightest, bought them, brought them home and constructed a very light hull. Even the seat was a spruce plank. He was the first to use a Stannus two-blade propeller and the boat was so fast that it would turn over in the straight-aways. Once it lifted its tail and put the nose down you were due for a bath. It injured Earl and after World War II, I bought the boat, renamed it Black Magic. It took me to the Hall of Fame in 1946. I won 18 out of 23 heats that year and capsized the others.
 It was not until after World War II that the specifications permitted plywood and added the sponsons, which were several inches above the chine, but prevented the boat from flipping when it put its nose down. We never added sponsons -- because of the weight penalty. The V-8 Ford 60 was intended for light delivery trucks and we went clear out to junk yards in the Western states where they had a “Mountain V-8” with aluminum heads.
 There were many PODs in the East. Pop Dufibaugh built one every winter. He was a construction contractor who had served in the Navy during World War II and his boats were built for strength not looks. He had a couple of daughters who were good drivers, but the heavy boats restricted their performance. Many well-known Eastern drivers started in the POD’s -- Lou Barrett, Skeeter and Sydney Johnson, Al Peterson, the Baker Brothers.
 The West Coast drivers -- Lou Novotny, Marion Beaver and Elmer Cravender had well known, and talented builders such as Wickens construct their boats. Their engines were gone over by excellent engine builders. All that moved the speeds up to high 50’s. They were wild riding crowd pleasers and -- like all good things -- they had to pass into history.

HOT BOAT OF THE MONTH:
Miss Marion Bluegrass, H-00. In 1967, Owner and Driver Earl T. Wham set a 7 Litre World Kilo Record in Lincoln City, OR of 159.217 mph. This raceboat also won the famous International Grand Prix at the Orange Bowl Regatta held in the Miami Marine Stadium.

©1996 Tom D'Eath