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Lots of us found boat racing in different ways. For me, my first exposure to the sport was not through outboard racing, but by discovering the unlimiteds when I moved to Seattle at the age of 6.
At that time, the object of my boat racing affection was the Miss Bardahl, a huge green hydroplane (my favorite color) that was the loudest, the fastest and the baddest boat of its day. At one point, I remember seeing in the newspaper that Ron Musson, the boat's driver, was going to be doing a public appearance at a downtown department store the Monday after the race in Seattle. I hounded and power-grovelled my grandfather to take my brother, myself and a couple of the neighbor kids down so we could meet him. The plan worked, and the thing that struck me most (being a small kid) was that Ron Musson was about 5 foot 3...and I remember thinking, 'if he's this short and races boats, maybe I could be a boat racer too.' And, that's when the dream began. It also made me a Bardahl fan for life. Even today, my car is green and has a vanity plate on it that reads "U-40."
Flash forward to about a month ago: David Williams from the Hydro Museum called me and asked me if I would be willing to come over to Lake Chelan for the Museum's "Play Day", an annual event where they bring a handful of museum boats over and give rides to Museum donors, volunteers, and other deserving folks. David needed race officials for the event, and I agreed to help him out. At the same time, I mentioned to him that I had never been for a ride in an unlimited, and if they had time...well you get the picture.
And, long story short, my day came: And, it was in my beloved 1965 Miss Bardahl! Owner Dixon Smith not only gave me the ride of my life, he let me STEER the thing while he operated the pedal: it was a harsh reminder that upper body strength (or in my case, lack thereof) is a major premium to driving one of these beasts.
By the time it was over, we hit a peak speed of 145 mph. The first thing I noticed was at 130+, a 30 foot long boat seems to shrink by about 15 feet!
Still, it was a ride of a lifetime, and an experience I will never forget. I am STILL smiling!
Thanks again to David Williams, Dixon and David Smith, the crew Skip, Ryan, Roger and Jon, and everybody else who gave this middle-aged hack a chance to live a dream out. How cool is that?
Here's some pictures.
R-19
At that time, the object of my boat racing affection was the Miss Bardahl, a huge green hydroplane (my favorite color) that was the loudest, the fastest and the baddest boat of its day. At one point, I remember seeing in the newspaper that Ron Musson, the boat's driver, was going to be doing a public appearance at a downtown department store the Monday after the race in Seattle. I hounded and power-grovelled my grandfather to take my brother, myself and a couple of the neighbor kids down so we could meet him. The plan worked, and the thing that struck me most (being a small kid) was that Ron Musson was about 5 foot 3...and I remember thinking, 'if he's this short and races boats, maybe I could be a boat racer too.' And, that's when the dream began. It also made me a Bardahl fan for life. Even today, my car is green and has a vanity plate on it that reads "U-40."
Flash forward to about a month ago: David Williams from the Hydro Museum called me and asked me if I would be willing to come over to Lake Chelan for the Museum's "Play Day", an annual event where they bring a handful of museum boats over and give rides to Museum donors, volunteers, and other deserving folks. David needed race officials for the event, and I agreed to help him out. At the same time, I mentioned to him that I had never been for a ride in an unlimited, and if they had time...well you get the picture.
And, long story short, my day came: And, it was in my beloved 1965 Miss Bardahl! Owner Dixon Smith not only gave me the ride of my life, he let me STEER the thing while he operated the pedal: it was a harsh reminder that upper body strength (or in my case, lack thereof) is a major premium to driving one of these beasts.
By the time it was over, we hit a peak speed of 145 mph. The first thing I noticed was at 130+, a 30 foot long boat seems to shrink by about 15 feet!
Still, it was a ride of a lifetime, and an experience I will never forget. I am STILL smiling!
Thanks again to David Williams, Dixon and David Smith, the crew Skip, Ryan, Roger and Jon, and everybody else who gave this middle-aged hack a chance to live a dream out. How cool is that?
Here's some pictures.
R-19
Pat ! what a rush that must have been. It's a good day when you can make a check mark on your "Bucket List" 
.
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