1953 Red Bank Regatta
More Power to You
Poor Red Bank deserves better breaks all around than have come its way in recent years. After their 1953 National Sweepstakes regatta had been cancelled for pecuniary reasons in late March, a nucleus of enthusiastic Red Bankers managed to round up the lacking financing and proceeded to put together an excellent two-day program of races.
Their first—and perhaps worst—break was their failure to attract a single modern unlimited boat. With Detroit's Silver Cup Race only five days before the Red Bank regatta, and Washington's inexplicably popular President's Cup affair scheduled for just one week after the Sweepstakes, all the prop-riding unlimiteds skipped Red Bank to primp for the Potomac.
Then the ever-promising but seldom-producing 7 litres had to be cancelled when only two of this class showed. Perhaps an even stranger defection was that of the D stock outboard hydros which usually-popular class produced but a pair of finishers of its initial heat.
Even nature turned on Red Bank and swept the normally placid course with gusts of high-velocity wind throughout the second day of racing.
Our sport sorely needs the Red Bank regatta with its beautifully protected and lightning fast 2˝ mile course, its capable committee and its traditional position as the only big power boat race in the New York area. Now is the time for the sponsors and A.P.B.A. officials to get on the ball and take steps to assure for the 1954 Sweepstakes some of the good breaks that its predecessors lacked. If the matter is let slide until spring it will be too late.
(Reprinted from Yachting, November 1953)
Hydroplane
History Home Page
This
page was last revised
Thursday, April 01, 2010
.
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. Email us at wildturnip@gmail.com
© Leslie Field, 2006