1 Slo-mo-shun
In the
early days of Hydroplane Gold Cup racing 1 1 1 |
Seattle Yacht Club Hydroplane Reminiscences The
early Seattle Gold Cup Races focused a national spotlight
on the Seattle Yacht Club and brought it a prominence it
may never experience again. Many Seattleites became
interested in the competitions af- ter watching race
preparations on the then-new medium of television. In the
few taverns equipped with television, many customers
gathered around a small screen, watching the racing news.
Many did not know a hydroplane from an airplane, but most
quickly became experts. When SYC's Stan Sayres and Slo-mo IV showed up in Detroit in the summer of 1950, nobody paid much attention until he qualified for the Gold Cup Race. The win gave Sayres the right to bring the next race to his yacht club. A meeting at SYC attracted about 100 people, and the club agreed to take on the responsibility. The first chairman was Jerry Bryant, owner of the largest marina in the area and veteran outboard racer. He opened the meeting with: "We don't know the first damn thing about putting on an unlimited hydroplane race, but we are going to do it." Because the race was to be part of the Seafair celebration, Greater Seattle, Inc. provided about $30 000; today it take hundreds of thousands. Greater Seattle also took care of most of the coordination with the city police, fire, park, and street departments. The committees for that first race were concerned with security, registration, communications, officials' barges, judges and timers, course and survey, trophy and awards, publicity, log boom, and course patrols. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the course, the Coast Guard set the sinkers, and Foss Tug and Barge furnished the buoys and log boom. Much of the material for cribbing and fencing was acquired in exchange for pit passes. Gasoline companies bid on the right to be exclusive provider of fuel and donated fuel for the patrol boats. Most of the food was donated in exchange for the right to display a little advertising. About three weeks prior to the race, the club began building cribs for cranes and cradles for boats. Cranes were supplied by the Port of Seattle, the U.S. Navy, and private companies. The official barges- one each for VIPs, press, and the officials' crews- were provided by the navy. The army brought a portable bridge from Fort Lewis for use between shore and barges. A tower was built for drivers' reps, course safety officer, timers, judges, and referees. If the Blue Angels were performing, a representative from the FAA was on the barge. The club focused on the race. The Commodore's Room was occupied for weeks by Sis Cooney and Jo Gibson and other committee wives taking log boom reservations. The clubhouse was decorated with pictures of Slo-mo IV and its rooster tail. A large number of members delayed San Juan Island cruises so that they could take friends to see the race. It was a thrill to view the famous Gold Cup Trophy on display in the lobby and to see famous people such as Guy Lombardo, Lou Fageol, Wild Bill Cantrel, and Horace E. Dodge roaming about the club. The Thursday luncheons during August time trial week were always packed by members interested in meeting drivers and owners. The Gold Cup committee was also responsible for other events. That first year the Gold Cup Race was followed the next day by the Seafair Trophy Race. In subsequent years, when Seattle owners lost the Gold Cup Races, the Seafair Trophy Race was the big one. During Seafair week, the committee scheduled outboard and limited hydroplane races on Green Lake and a night parade of lighted boats in Andrews Bay for which outboard patrol boats were provided. On Monday following the Gold Cup, the committee operated an American Power Boat Asso- ciation-sanctioned one-mile course on the east side of Mercer Island so that people with large and small hydroplanes could attempt to set new world records in their classes. Slo-mo IV and other unlimiteds over the years set new world straight-away records on this course. An important and enjoyable
part of Gold Cup week was the social side. In addition to the
Thursday lunch where drivers and owners would make brief
speeches, there was a women's brunch for wives of the
hydroplane drivers and crew members, a Thursday night
cocktail party for members and guests,a Friday night
barbeque on the lawn to which media celebrities were
invited, a Saturday night banquet at he Olympic Hotel
where trophies were awarded, and finally the party for
the committee at Stan Sayres' home on the end of Hunts
Point. In addition, there were deluxe parties on
beautiful yachts during race week.
(to be continued) |
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