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History
of Offshore Powerboat Racing in the Blue Water Area
Offshore
powerboat racing, as we know it today, got its start off the coast of England on
August 8th, 1904. The 22 mile race ran from Calais, France to Dover England with
an average speed of 22 miles per hour. Two years previously the English formed
their Marine motoring Association. The following year, 1903, the Columbia Yacht
Club of New York formed what we know and recognize today as the American
Powerboat Association (APBA).
The first recorded Offshore Race in the U .S .took place in 1911, off the coast
of Southern California. The race was known as the "79
Mile Long Beach to Catalina Island
Challenge". The winning time was not recorded. In
1917 there were 10 Offshore Races scheduled in the U .S. All but two were
originated out of Florida. In 1919 a Michigan native, who's name would become
world famous for both racing and manufacturing patents, won the Miami to Key
West Offshore Race. The racer named Garwood (Garfield A. Woods) was born in
Algonac, MI and later became a resident of Detroit and Fisher Island, FL.
Another native of Algonac, MI, Chris Smith, founder of Chris Craft, built
Garwood's first Offshore Racing boats. Some of the Harmsworth and Gold Cup
Trophy races were of the Algonac shoreline on the St. Clair River. The Detroit
River between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario was also used.
In the mid 1950's the Unlimited Hydroplanes made their presence felt on the St.
Clair River off the St. Clair shoreline. Chuck Thompson, a St. Clair native,
drove one of the Unlimited Hydroplanes with the love of the sport ultimately
resulting in his untimely death.
June 1977, "The Charlie's Crab
St. Clair River Classic" began the introduction of Offshore
Powerboat racing to the St. Clair County area. This was an APBA National
Offshore race with 45 entrants and a very long and un-viewable race course,
which was common at the time. The boats were berthed at the Port Huron harbor,
but the actual start of the race was just north of the Blue Water Bridge. The
race course ran north along the Michigan shoreline to Lexington, where the race
boats made a 90° turn east. They then crossed Lake Huron to the area of grand
Bend, Ontario. The boats then turned sharply southwest, following the Canadian
shoreline to just short of the Blue Water Bridge. The larger Open Class boats
raced a 190 miles, with the smaller Sportsman classes running 90 miles. The best
of offshore boats, both National and Divisional raced together with a total
purse prize of $15,000.
In the summer of 1987, we saw two offshore races on Lake Huron, an APBA
Divisional in July and a National race in September, co-sponsored by the Lake
St. Clair Offshore Racing Association (LSCORA), St. Clair Shores, MI.
1990 saw a record APBA National Race on Lake Huron. The summer of 1993 saw a
Divisional race conducted by L.S.C.O.R.A. and the future founders of the Blue
Water Offshore Racing Association (BWORA). A
total of 14 race boats competed very close to the Lake Huron shoreline, running
north of the Blue Water Bridge on a short, tight oval course of nine miles. The
race was organized and conducted in a matter of six weeks, by 120 inexperienced,
but capable people.
There
would be no more racing in the Blue Water area until 1995. In December of 1994,
some of the organizers of the 1993 race met and formed a new racing association,
now known as the Blue Water Offshore Racing Association (BWORA).
The founders were: David
Goodmen, Kenneth T. MacMartin, Laurette C. Petrone, Raymond V. “Uncle Ray” Skuta
and Richard C. “Killer” Williams . The first objective of the club was to
stage a race, and the present site of the St. Clair River in St. Clair, Michigan
was selected. The site was selected because of the favorable spectator's viewing
from both the water and the shoreline.
BWORA’s first race was conducted
with the assistance of LSCORA in
June of 1995 at St. Clair, with a total of 14 boats. The second race was
conducted in August of 1996 with a 12
boat entry and four Run-What-You-Brung entrants. The spectator fleet and
shoreline viewers were more than double the previous year. The enthusiasm of
offshore powerboat racing in the St. Clair area had increased a great deal.
August of 1997, our third "St. Clair River Classic” was the event we had hoped
for, establishing BWORA as a major player in the promotion of Offshore Powerboat
Racing. With 27 race boats and four Run-What-
You-Brung entrants, the race truly came into its own. Since then more races have
been conducted with TV coverage and a spectator count growing each year to an
estimated 10 to 12 thousand people. The event has established how well an
offshore race can be when a truly unselfish group of BWORA
club members, board members and volunteers come together as one focused group.
After five years with much effort,
our many Volunteers, the City of St. Clair and it's Officials, Racers, their
Crews and thousands of Spectators, we finally conducted the race we have been
working so hard for, the "Pro Series 2000 St. Clair River Classic",
our first Pro Series event. The year 2000 race was to be the one talked
about throughout the Offshore Racing Circuit for many years to come. BWORA takes
a lot of pride in reaching this goal with more of the best yet to come.
Thank you to all that have contributed so much time and effort to make
this event what it is today!
Original Authors: Richard C. “Killer” Williams and
Keith W. Churill
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