Roostertails Unlimited:
[1973]
Chapter 12 - The Spectator
Whether on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Washington or Tampa Bay, on
the banks of the Potomac, Ohio, Columbia or Detroit Rivers, or along San Diego
Bay, in Marine Stadium, Miami or by Guntersville Lake - the spectator will
always be on hand. An unsung hero, the hydro fan, is constantly in attendance
when a thunderboat hits the water ...anywhere.
The time was when the races were held with only yacht club members on hand;
the racing buff who happened not to belong would have to be a super sleuth to
find where the boats competed. The Gold Cup might be placed on the bulletin
board at the host club but lesser events managed to race in secrecy.
The regatta finally became organized and well-known for the exciting sport it
is. Race dates and locations became advertised in newspapers and on the radio
and the spectators arrived by train, bus, car, bicycle and baby buggy. They sat
and watched them go, listened to their roar, anticipated their accidents — and
they were astounded.
The sport grew and grew, finally the Slo-Mo hit the scene and
generated larger crowds — an east/ west rivalry ensued. New boats, new
courses, new race sites and new sponsors tried cashing in on the increasing
interest. The Unlimiteds had hit the "big time".
Hundreds of thousands line the shores to watch, many camp overnight for that
"perfect" vantage point, others arrive at 3 a.m., some wait-out
postponed races or weather delays for as long as two or three days, others sit
in 100° heat while a few pay admission prices for seats better than anybody
else’s or sip cocktails on their yacht that happens to be tied nearby. In 1960
a group of die-hards attended the "no-contest" Gold Cup on Lake Mead
and waited for 20 hours through uncounted postponements, a desert wind and
inclement weather ...to watch one heat.
As in all sports there are the distractions, of course; the girls in slight
bikinis who perform a skin show for the watchful males, the swimmers, the
politicians (in an election year), the ice cream and pop venders and any number
of promotional gimmicks. Between heats are demonstrations, aircraft aerobatics,
jet fly-bys (in Seattle a test pilot rolled a Boeing 707 at one race), canoe
races, river boats, Limited class competition and sailboats. Life along the
shore is an interesting one ...the beer comes in kegs, bottles and cans, there
are the transistor radios, the scorecards and the buttons -arguments whether Slo-Mo
could beat Thriftway, and fans who couldn't care less what happened on
the race course but had come just to be there and maybe get a suntan in the
meantime.
There are certain categories of the spectator ...the uninterested fan, the
gawker, the annual fan and year-round hydro nut. The nut, or "hydromaniac",
follows all the races if he can and is the one who wanders about the pits with
buttons covering every square inch and who has a camera, binoculars and a
telescopic lens around his neck. There are the girls who somehow manage to get a
pit pass and spend their time hanging around the drivers and crews
...affectionately known as "lizards" to the wives.
The man with his kids in tow who just stepped off the plant from Nome, Alaska
and wonders, "whata call them things? They sure enough go fast!" The
annual fan who attends each race in his particular town but couldn't tell a
quill shaft from a trim-tab - he just likes to watch them go. A family who
happened by, became addicted to the action and have stuck around.
In each city, in every regatta, the spectators are nearly the same, year
after year. Let's take a brief look at the different regattas these fans have
attended through the years. Seattle used to have the Gold Cup quite regularly
but now is content with the Seafair Trophy Race. In Detroit, when the Gold Cup
is not there, they have the Silver Cup, the Horace E. Dodge Memorial Regatta,
the Detroit Memorial, the Spirit of Detroit Regatta and the Detroit
International Trophy.
Madison, Indiana, has hosted the Indiana Governor's Cup since 1954. The
Atomic Cup has been raced near Pasco, Washington, every year since 1966, San
Diego Cups were held from 1966-70 and Diamond Cups were raced on Lake Coeur
d'Alene from 1958-66. Washington, D.C. has the President's Cup, Miami,
Owensboro, Ky. and Tampa are relative newcomers but have become established
races within the past few years.
Each of these regattas, and the dozens not mentioned, depend not only on
competitors but on spectators for it is their entertainment the Unlimited people
strive for. The fan reigns supreme; without somebody watching the boats could
not race - they keep the interest, the amazement and the sport itself alive.
(Reprinted from Roostertails Unlimited by Andy Muntz, 1973)
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