and

I learned many years before never go for a boat ride with out bringing a change of clothes. I has an inflatable beach bag I called my sea bag which I always brought with me in the race boat. When I climbed back in the boat after being ejected I found it was floating in the cockpit. When I surrendered myself to the safety boat I tossed it over before I swam over. When I met Martin in the infield care boat. I got checked out my right upper arm was swollen to the size of my thigh. The boat did a snap roll of sorts. Kind of like sliding into a curb and flipping in a corkscrew motion as you continue to move forward. The boat kept heading where I had pointed it toward the next orange pin. So as it snapped I hit my arm on the side of the fairing and bruised it good. Martin had a wicked bruise in the same spot on his left arm. We find out later it was broken and later had in pinned back in place.

So after they check me out I retrieved my phone from my sea bag and called my buddy Jerry and explained what had happened and asked him to meet the boat with the rig and get it loaded up. I then asked if I could go inside the cabin and change. I had a clean towel, a pair of swim trunks and a new Fountain Polo still in its clear wrapper in my sea bag and returned looking like nothing had happened. We the boat returned to the dock after the race we were met by some EMT's and they were ready to take us to the hospital. Martin was hurting and still wearing his wet clothes. The EMT's did not believe I was the other occupant of the crashed boat until I showed them my arm. I was in fresh clothes. I rode with Martin to the emergency room where he got checked out, the nurse was asking if he was injured anywhere else and he said," No." Just as she was removing his shirt and saw a nasty scrape and bruise on his back and asked about it. Martin said, " That is nothing, I got that last week." After ex rays we were on our way. We went back to the Vinoy he changed and then we went to eat

In 2000 the 35 Lightening was first raced. During the previous year Reggie has a running plug we was working on. Most builders create a boat, make a mold and then hope it works while others work on changing them to get them to work better. Reggie did all the work on it before he made the mold on his 35. I don't recall how many changes were made but it was said to have as many as 12 bottoms on it before he was satisfied. Early on he would tell me, I will have a fast boat for you to run soon. He had told me that a number of times and in Sarasota he went on to say it will be a sit down boat to keep the center of gravity low. I responded that I was not interested in racing a sit down boat with out a canopy or restraints. Reggie at that point turned, walked away, and never spoke to me again. Next thing I learn is he had recruited two other drivers for his new boats. I had no regret and felt strongly about not running about where you can not duck out of the way and have no way of protecting yourself. I had learned already that was very important when you run in less then smooth water. I ended up in my past favorite 38 Fever again as F2-1 Voyager to run a full season. Jim ran one 35 and Benny ran the other, the Lake Cumberland 35 Lightening. They were very fast. Cigarette had its new 36 gladiator on the race course by the end of the season too. It was about as fast as our 38. The first race was Ft Myers, The new 35 had won, a race or two later was Corpus Christ. It was blowing and bumpy. Benny idled out and chickened out and did not even run the boat. He had no idea how to operate a boat in the swells. His background was hydros where he had met Reggie many years before. The following race was Sarasota were Benny again captured the flag. I remember seeing Little R, Reggies son at the cranes, I asked him , "What did your father say to Benny after his fine display in Corpus?' He smiled and would only say, " He got an earful. By the end of the season we and Benny were leading

for the Kilo's Friday morning Todd sat in and answered he had entered. Cigarette was sitting there but saved their money Treadwell was caught off guard. I don't recall if Todd ran both or not but he must not have. Since I had run the boat 3 races that season or the season before I needed to drive for the boat top be eligible. Todd's boat set a World Speed Record that day and so did Bennys. Adding a few more speed records to Reggies tally. After the event I thanked the APBA officials, " I would have never imagined this Thank you for my speed record opportunity." I am sure that was not the outcome they anticipated. Todd raced with Treadwell that weekend, Martin and I raced the Fever. The highlight of the race for me was when two waves came together and created a big one right before our eyes and sent the boat for a " one thousand 5" ride through the air. We uneventfully landed and continued without issue.  I was suffering from a kidney stone and was pissing blood   I was relieved when one of the props threw a blade and we were forced to stop.

I went home and had the jelly bean sized kidney stone removed before the next scheduled event.

Here is a good one showing my buddy Art I often talk about in his 10 meter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2YxQLSDhh0

I spoke of Doug going swimming in the new York race. He is throttling Buckshot.

mobileMERCman wrote on Sep 29^th, 2013 at 9:44am:



This vid is excellent!  So amazing watching these powerful boats slice through the big water.

refused medical and rode back to MD about a three hour drive and met with his doctor. A few days later he had open heart surgery, had a vein taken out of his arm and added to his bruised heart. The doctor said he had strong heart and he would make a full recover. Let me tell you he is one tough SOB.

He sat out a race and the next one   was in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. It had been about 6  weeks since his surgery and off he went with his buddy Skillet to FL. They were carrying on as usual the night before the race. He was not sure if he was up to the race so he told the girls at the party if they show up in the morning at the boat he would take them out to watch instead. Well a handful of them were waiting as he and Skillet approached the boat the following morning. They piled in and out to watch the race they went. Being a Race boat it not have an anchor or the typical safety equipment. So they were drifting near the edge of the course and moving the boat ever few minutes as needed to hold their position. It did not take long for them to catch the eye of a police boat and one approached them and began the typical routine of a safety equipment check. Art was in his throttle spot in the boat on the port side Skillet was the pilot and his spot was in the center and over the access to the bow. They had a fire extinguisher, a couple race life jackets, a throw able as well as a sound devise. When the officers asked to see a PFD for each person on board Skillet pulled up a nasty old one that had been bouncing around in the bow for ever. Art lifted it up and counted hers one and dropped it, Skillet passed up another one, Art counted two and dropped it, Skillet passed it back and Art went to count three as the officer said," Give me that. Now show me 3 more". Well, there had only been one the whole time.  The officer was irritated to say the least.  And instructed them to return to port. Art replied, Ok but one one engine works we need to idle back. The idled  back