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The Miss Merion Bluegrass is a 7-litre class hull originally owned by Fred Rogers and Earl Wham of Spokane, Washington. The restored (reconstructed) boat is now owned by Fred Rogers’ son Kirk Rogers of Spokane, WA. The
original hull of the Miss Merion Bluegrass was built by Ken Kimbrough
from Dr. Ed Johnston’s plans. At that time the boat was called Hurricane
III, it was painted flamingo pink, and ran with a 326 cubic inch Studebaker
engine.
When
Fred Rogers and Earl Wham bought the boat in 1964 they renamed the boat
the Miss Merion Bluegrass. The name came about because Fred
was a local grass farmer who grew Merion Bluegrass for a company called
Jacklin Seed. Jacklin Seed became the Miss Merion’s sponsor. The Miss Merion Bluegrass was piloted by none other than Earl Wham
of Spokane, WA.
In
1963 Fred and Earl won the Little Diamond Cup in Coeur d’Alene with the
266 Hydroplane named Holy Smoke. That race they beat all the blown
7-litre boats. In 1964 Fred and Earl received a call and were told
that the Little Diamond Cup race was going to be held for 7-litre boats
only, during the 1964 race. The team didn’t have much time.
They had recently purchased the Miss Merion and were in the middle of getting
her ready for racing and the new engine was not built. The engine
from the Holy Smoke had recently been rebuilt and was hanging on
the hoist. The team decided to put the 266 engine in the Miss
Merion Bluegrass and 5 days later they entered the race and won the
Little Diamond Cup.
After the first race the Miss Merion
Bluegrass team began building a new 7-litre engine and working on the
boat while leading the way in innovative design changes that were ahead
of their time. It was those changes and Earl’s driving skills that
took the Merion to a victory on many occasions.
Becoming
the world’s straightaway record holder in 1967 at Devils Lake, Oregon was
yet another one of the notable achievements of the Miss Merion Bluegrass
team. The one-kilometer record was broken when the boat made two
passes at an average speed of 159.217 miles per hour. This new speed
beat the previous mark of 153.746 miles per hour set in 1965.
Like
most hydroplane teams the Miss Merion Bluegrass team experienced
a few trials along the way. In July 1965 the Miss Merion
Bluegrass was involved in a collision with another boat and sank during
the Pasco Water Follies Regatta in Tri-cities, Washington. It was found
a month later by divers and returned to the owners.
While in Miami for the Orange Bowl Regatta, January 1969, the Miss Merion Bluegrass was stolen from a motel downtown where the team stayed. Later that day the boat was found abandon without the engine which was later recovered. Both times the team pulled together to put her back in top notch condition and positioned the Merion to win many more races. These early hydroplane races were a family affair for the Rogers, Wham and Schultz families. When the boys went out to race they brought along their troops which included their wives, children, grandparents, and friends who supported and admired the accomplishments of the team. It is these early memories and admiration that has led Kirk Rogers with the help of many other supporters to pay tribute to the men who made this boat a legend by reconstructing the boat in their honor.
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