The first time they came all high-pulsed and sweaty-palmed to the Miami, Florida speedboat arena was back on January 31 for what everybody thought would be a two-day regatta. Well, it was...only one day was in January and the other was two weeks later...February 15th...as high winds proved too much for the, fleet the second day of the first try. Despite the interruption, records for the famed course were set more often than not. Of the twelve classes run new marks were set in nine of them.

Susan Sooy, the daughter of veteran driver and boatbuilder Dick Sooy, established a first for the new 72 cubic  inch hydro class when she averaged 58.480 miles per hour. Later on the first day, 5-litre skipper Tom Kropfeld of Ohio zoomed around the course for a new record of nearly twice as fast as the Sooy girl's averaging 91.185 mph in his Gone Heavy. The old standard here was 87.464 mph that Mickey Remund of Palm Desert, California set in Going Thing. Kropfeld's heroics weren't enough to win his class as James Thompson of Shaumberg, Illinois won on points.
A similar fate awaited Quebec, Canada's Robert Theoret who set a new 145 cubic inch hydro record in his Miss Cornwall only to see Bill Boyance of Massepequa, New York win the class in his Red Top. Theoret's 72.639 mph timing bettered the former record of 70.978 mph held by Bob Wilson of Wilmington, Delaware.

Tony Rodriques of Valleystream, New York was on hand to witness Morristown, Pennsylvania driver John Huganier erase his former record of 85.775 mph with a new mark of 87.805 mph in the seven litre division II. The SK racing runabout record of 86.873 mph set by Dick Sutton of Miami, Florida is no longer in the records after Ft. Lauderdale, Florida's Mario Squillace averaged 87.971 mph in his Sweet Caroline.

Duff Daily, of Miami, the kid that no one seems to be able to beat in the Grand National class, followed up his win in the recent Mike Gordon 100 race with a record setting 86.290 mark in the super stock runabouts breaking his previous record of 82.493 mph. Eric Dender of Highlands, New Jersey, won the Jersey Speed Skiff race with a record run of 62.069 mph in Von Zipper's Express.