lake powell is part of the reason I miss living in Flagstaff az.  the family and I never got a chance to go but I went several times for work.

Another '99 story. Bad hops are those things you never want to happen. Many bad hops end badly. First I would like to explain waves amplify when two meet so for a moment the can double in size as the cross. Toughs follow the same rule two holes can cross and for a moment make a double deep hole. I learned when you race you always trim the boat is such a way as you can run it WOT and never lose site of the horizon. No matter what you do not want to take a moon shot. They are for  camera shoots. They look cool and that's it. Moon shots in races usually end bad and always slow you down. In Key West after Martin and I blow another drive during the first race in the Mastry boat we went out the interim day to test briefly. Test runs for me are usually more scary then race days. In part because there are no markers out. No safety out so you are on your own to deal with any problem you may encounter.  On this day we headed out the harbor mimicking the first leg. Headed out on an approximately s by sw heading. As we clear the harbor the seas were building slightly. Martin and I were talking back and forth, "how does it feel?" he asked. "Good, I began to relay what the speedo was reading, " 85, 0, 80, 10, 85, 0,0 86, 60, 80, 0 and the like. He is trying to get it to go as fast as he could and ever time it flow through the air the speedo would fall to 0 and then spike to the speed. About half way down what what I would guess was the leg to the first turn we just fell into a hole. We were bouncing across average seas of about 2's and 3's and it felt like we fell about 6 or more into this hole. We lend at the bottom smooth enough but, the other side acted as a huge ramp and up we go. Thankful I sent it straight but, we had just taken a wicked moon shot bow to the moon taking off. I began to count, " One thousand one, one thousand two," as I take my protective posture, That of lower myself as I brace myself close the steering wheel and continued to count, " one thousand three,

repaired before we race in the morning. Reggie used to always always have a glass guy at the worlds it fix what was needed. Martin went to get him. He came and we looked at it together. He stated he had many repairs to make and did not think he had time to complete this too. I asked if he could laminate it if I prepared it and he said yes. He gave me the tools I needed and I proceeded to grind glass for about 6 hours before I headed back to the room for a shower, diner and sleep. Davids guys replaced the impellers and readied the engines. After the drivers meeting the next morning the we returned to the boat and found the glass guy worked all night and the boat was ready. We raced as planned. Our boats younger sister the Parts Runner boat I had driven in Sarasota won everything that year. We left Key West bruised and humbled. We then headed to St Pete to race the other orgs Championships scheduled the following week.

My opinion relating to Bad Hops. I would like to say I understand people see things differently boats are a unique vehicle in many respects. As they begin to exceed 50 mph they can begin to operate in two drastically different mediums. Water and air are very different. Water is unforgiving and potentially very dangerous.  As the boat speed increases further it can begin to operate more equally in both as the boat begins to fly. As speed increases stresses  increase exponentially. Porpoising is one example that could be explained as trying to fly more but, the water keeps grabbing it and holding it back.

Back to Bad hops. I believe if you run a boat fast and hard enough you will take some bad hops. Water is irregular and they happen regardless of skill level, boat type and caution. Just like a dirt bike you ride it you fall. You get better you ride it harder yet continue to fall on occasion. 

I have witnessed and experienced many bad hops. Some have critically hurt people. Some of those did not even appear to be too bad. Some are ugly and every aspect and yet no one gets injured. Many times the boat gets damaged.

I  apply everything I have learned by running countless different race and sport pleasure boats in to each and every boat ride . I have flipped, cartwheeled, crashed, ejected many of my friends and even my self during my life lessons boating. I have been lucky to be invited to race expensive boats.

No body is immune from having bad hops. I express how to anyone that will listen you should always pay attention, trim the boat in such a way as it will never lose sight of the horizon, you must operate while assuming something will sneak up on you and try to disrupt the boat.

I hope I have taken all the bad hops for a life time, but I know that is not realistic because I like to run hard. SO I make sure I have done everything humanly possible to ensure my steering will not fail and my boat is sound and things are how they should be without compromise.

mobileMERCman wrote on Sep 26^th, 2013 at 10:12pm:


That's scary as hell. Stories like that show why offshore racing is so much more hairy than anything you can do on a race track.

I have so many more I could share.

The week following the Key West Races and and bad hop lead us to St Petersburg Florida for the APBA Worlds. '99 Was the Factory class Hay Day. There were almost 30 F2 boats from around the country there to race. It was a two race championship format. It was pretty cool the pits were in a waterfront part and the cranes were in front of the Vanoy the Host Hotel. After the first day of racing Richy Rich of Warlock Powerboats put up 10K for a Grudge Match, for all the boats that did not finish well in the first race and consequentially were out of the running for the championship simply by the poor finish in such a large fleet.  We were among them and choose to participate. At the line up for the start the pace boat ran us down nearly the entire first leg trying to get a perfect start. I was screaming, Let us go , Let us go" , in my helmet to Martin. Finally with just about a mile or less left to go before the first turn they released us to race. We were a few boats from the inside lane as well approached the first left hand turn. Dick Simon in a Formula was just ahead of us aiming to be the first to the first turn. We were looking to challenge him and pass him on the inside. They had cut us off the day before and I expected something similar today. Things happen so fast Martin and I rarely spoke during a race. We would rely solely on instinct. He knew what I was going to do And I knew he was not going to ever back off the throttles. SO as we approached the turn on the inside I knew Dick would not leave me any room so just after  he turned over his left shoulder to see were we were I moved to the opposite side of is wake to give us more of a sweeping line to attack the turn. As he looked in to see where I used to be I turned in and crossed his wake as we entered the turn. My aim was to pass him on the inside. Martin was always stayed in the throttle Wide open. As a crossed the wake the boat bounced a little and I had to re catch it

shook my head No and went for the boat. I climbed on the the swim deck and looked in. Both engine alarms were sounding and the water was up to the base of the carburaters. I had lost a shoe and was standing with one and one wet sock. I throw the remaining shoe and socks into the cockpit so I could climb there myself. the wster was about waist deep in the thingy pit too and the boat was moments form going under. I figured what the heck I might as well see if the engines will start. I cranked one and could hear it was junk after ingesting water WOT. It cranked but it sounded like a grinder. The other just the same. I flipped on the bilge pump switches and went to feel if water was actually pumping out and it was. I then proceeded to secure a tow line on the bow eye and get it under tow. I was satisfied now it was not going to sink and surrendered myself to a safety boat. I jumped back in the water swam to them and the plucked me out and brought me to the in field care boat, a 40 foot something sedan cruiser where I found Martin getting his arm stitched up. The race never stopped and we remained here until it was over.