NOTES:
Commodore Tom McInnes  followed in the footsteps of the legendary Gar Wood, by experiencing the thrill of running on the historic Gold Cup course, in the Lil Miss Pepsi. Commodore McInnes and Commodore Wood held dual posts as Race Commodores and Commodores of the Detroit Yacht Club.
This has been a pretty slim month for additional information for our column. Please send us your stories and/or pictures. We would like to publish all of them.  Our membership is still growing.  We would like to welcome all our new members and at the same time thank our original members for staying on board. Together we can achieve much.

CHALLENGES:
Grason Jones of Crosswicks, NJ has answered our March 96, column challenge. Mike Waters sold the 266 ci hydro Aquaholic to Lloyd Marshall who raced it as the Mai-Tai. Jon Van Winkle purchased the hull and raced it until 1990 when he moved to New Jersey. Did the boat move too?. Grason tells us that Van Winkle sold the Mai-Tai to Dick Davis in Arizona who renamed it #555 Flying High!! Thank you Grason for solving this puzzle.

RACE REPORTS: 
Day by Day at the Detroit Gold Cup Races 1996. Wednesday, the Opening Ceremonies for the event included the exhibition flybys of the Vintage Boats around the Diamond Jack. This is a VIP luncheon cruise for the Grand Marshals, Sponsors, and the Media. Thursday evening, the Dossin Museum on Belle Isle hosted the induction ceremonies of Chuck Thompson into the Unlimited Hall of Fame. Fred Alter and Dave Williams, Executive Director of the Hydroplane and Race Boat Museum, Seattle, WA, spearheaded the presentation. Chuck Thompson JR and the Dossin Family members were on hand to accept this prestigious award. They shared stories with us of Chuck’s racing career. It was an honor to attend this notable gathering. Saturday morning, all the vintage boats ran on the historic Gold Cup Course. Participating was Tony Sultan of Wayzata, MN with his 1963 Robarge Cracker Box Tom’s Cat, 42-P. Bill Fisk of Williamson, NY brought his 1967 150 cubic inch Lauterbach hydro, Came to Play, A-150. Jeff Magnuson from Sanford, ME came with his 1938 Gold Cup Class Ventnor Style boat It’s A Wonder G-88. Jeff also brought his 1915 thru 1920 replica Gold Cup Class Arab IV, G-3. Hal LeDuc of Commerce, MI came with his Hallett Hydro, Opechee. Dwight and Don Moran from Bellaire, MI came with their beautiful Lil Miss Pepsi U-99. Mark & Nancy Edmonson of St. Clair, MI brought their Lauterbach 225 ci hydro Miss Sapphire N-700. Skip Gabler representing the Offshore racers brought his 1976 P-Class National Champion, Short Circuit P-69. Art Asbury of Dorset, Ontario displayed his 266 ci 1955 Longtin hydroplane Miss Canadiana CF-11. John B. Freeman out of Austin, TX brought his 1958 Johnson F-Service Runabout Intruder M-14. Scott D’Eath from Algonac, MI drove the Lauterbach 266 ci hydro Wa Wa Too F-247. Buddy Byers from Columbus, Ohio displayed his 7 Litre Lauterbach Miss Chrysler Queen H-1. Gerald Davidson from Meredith, NH brought his gorgeous. Davidson Gold Cup Miss Severn. All the boats were beautifully prepared for their run on the Detroit River. Vintage members: Ike Kielgass, Barbara Carper, George Greer and Dave Williams came in from Seattle, WA. Peter Kreissle flew in from Bradenton, Florida. We want to thank all the vintage members who attended for their support. Tony Sultan dropped me a line “We very much enjoyed the culmination of two long years in a cold garage rebuilding Tom’s Cat. I likened this thrill to that of my first front seat ride in the F-4 Phantom some 29 years ago."
RACE SITES:
 July 21 Sylvan Lake, MI: Vintage event. All classes are invited. An ideal lake for the Vintage classes to run flybys. Hope to see you there.
 August 15-18     Clayton, NY:  The Antique Race Boat Regatta ‘96  This is the Big Event for 1996, the Gold Cup for Vintage racers. Polish up that hardware. Drag out your scrapbooks and come to Clayton. Seminars, flybys, static displays, auctions, barbecues and cocktail parties with many old friends make this a must for 1996! Come and enjoy our racing history.

SPECIAL REPORTS:
History does repeat itself!! Twenty years in the making, check out these facts. We are comparing the 1976 Gold Cup to the 1996 Gold Cup held in Detroit. In 1976 and 1996, the winning boat color scheme was red, white and blue. Both winners were sponsored by Detroit companies. Both events were delayed because of accidents and weather conditions namely rough water. Both final heats took place after 7:00 PM. The Budweiser crashed in both 1976 and 1996. The fastest qualifier in 1976 the Olympia Beer, and the fastest qualifier in 1996 Smokin’ Joe’s, both sported a yellow paint scheme. Neither of these fast qualifiers made the final heat because of damage caused by a preliminary heat accident. Bill Muncey, the all-time Gold Cup winner at that time, did not win the 1976 event. The race was won by a first time Gold Cup winner. Chip Hanauer the present day, all-time Gold Cup winner, did not win the 1996 event, but again, the race was won by a first time Gold Cup winner, Dave Villwock.

VINTAGE HOT BOAT OF THE MONTH: 
Justa-Pest II,  N-56.  This beautiful 225 cubic inch, Ron Jones boat was owned by Gene Benning of Picqua, Ohio and driven by Danny Walls of Cincinnati. This combination accomplished the equivalent of winning the triple crown in hydroplane racing. For three consecutive years, 1969, 1970 and 1971, they won the Nationals among stiff competition. It was no secret that this was not the fastest hydro at these events, but through driving skill and cunning, Danny Walls pulled off the impossible. Some of the top competitors at those events were: Country Boy, Speculation, Goodie Wagon, Chip Winder. This boat is still in existence and residing in Sarna, Ontario.

©1996 Tom D'Eath