The National Motor Boat Carnival
Held on the Hudson River under the auspices of the Motor Boat Club of America
W. P. Stephens

Motor Boat Races on Hudson River Motorboat Afire in Race Thrilling Race of  Two Motor Boats The Hudson River Carnival National Motor Boat Carnival National Motor Boat Carnival on the Hudson River

The annual; racing carnival of the Motor Boat Club of America was held as usual on the Hudson river during the week of Sept. 23 to 28, each of the six days being taken up with contests of various kinds. The weather was most unpropitious, the first two days being rainy and the week ending in another downpour; there was a good deal of wind during the week, which with the strong spring tides made very rough water at times; the tides were largely against the courses, in particular in the long distance races; added to these drawbacks, the river was quite as full as usual of driftwood and debris of all kinds making the running dangerous.

The starters numbered 31 in all, in length from 80 feet down to 30, but mainly launches which have raced before: Dixie, Skedaddle (ex-Onontio), Irene, Swallow, XPDNC and Beldame. The most notable of the new launches were Grayling, a fast cabin launch; Den II, the 30-foot racing launch designed by C. F. Herreshoff 2nd to replace Den I; Alabama, a Herreshoff cabin launch seen last year under the name of Den II but since re-christened; Ailsa Craig, the winner of the Bermuda race; Speedway, a new Seabury launch; and Durno II, of Rochester, an open racing launch. Jencisk, a very promising racer with a new make of engine was present but was disabled and unable to start.

 

PARTICULARS OF LAUNCHES COMPETING IN RACES OF THE MOTOR BOAT CLUB OF AMERICA, SEPT. 23-28, 1907
		Designer	Builder	Length	Width	Engine	H.P.
Grayling	C.K.G. Billings	Tams, Lemoine & Crane	B.F. Wood	90.0	12.0	Standard	314.0
Mao II	Dr. S. Oppenheimer	H.R. Gessner	Gessner & Marr	72.0	12.9	Lamb
Alabama	J. H. Hoadley	C.F. Herreshoff Jr	Lawley & Son	71.0	10.0	American & British
Ailsa Craig	Jas. Craig	Cary, Smith & Ferris	Purdy & Collison	59.10	9.6	Craig
Osprey II	C.R. Runyon	H.N. Whittelsey	Williams- Whittelsey Co.	80.0	14.0	Standard	134.0
Marie	Dr. L. Neumann	C.B. Harrington	Harrington	65.0	12.0	Lamb
Skedaddle	H.N. Baruch	H.J. Gielow	E. L. C. O.	60.0	7.0	Craig	191.0
Wanderlust	E.J. Steiner	C.L. Seabury	G.E. & P. & Seabury Co.	68.0	12.2	Standard
Beldame	W.P. Foss	Lozier M. Co.	Lozier	53.0	7.6	Lozier
Iris	H. Chegnay	H.M. Haddock	J. Petersen	45.0	15.0	Standard
Speedway	C.L. Seabury	C.L. Seabury	G.E. & P. & S.			Speedway	99.54
Dixie	E.J. Schroeder	Tams, Lemoine & Crane	Smith & Mabley	39.11	5.0	Simplex	132.72
Irene	J.F. Anderson	J.L. Shepard	Shepard	39.0	6.6	Chadwick
Prodigy	H.A.S. Martin					20th Century	28.9
Idler	J.J. Amory	C.L. Seabury	G.E. & P. & S.			Speedway	17.7
Myosotis	W. Ferguson Jr.	C.L. Seabury	G.E. & P. & S.	40.0	8.6	Stamford	22.85
Den ll	J.H. Hoadley	C.F. Herreshoff Jr				American & British
XPDNC	J. Siegel	N.G. Herreshoff	Herreshoff Co.	43.0	5.6	Mercedes	60.75
Oriole	C.D.Orcutt						39.26
Ralaco	T.W. Purdie					Rathbun- Lacy
Sparrow	C.J. Swain	Godshalk & Co.	Godshalk	30.6	4.7	Packard	29.15
Meteor	B.J. Gibson					Stamford	36.0
Kittu	F.D. Gheen			33.0	8.9	Standard	18.85
Artful	H. Coons					Ferro
Juliet	F. Detering					Erra
Rose	G. Ludwig					Buffalo	17.6
Aquila	R.C. Annett	W.H. Hand Jr	Chase Y&E Co.	40.0	8.9	Chase
Durno II	J.H. Durno	Rochester G.E. Co.	Rochester G.E. Co.			Rochester	15.15
Speedway Jr.	W.J. Parslow	G.E. & P. & Seabury Co.	G.E. & P. & S.			Speedway	13.25
Fairbanks II	H.E. Miller					Smalley

The program called for a reliability trial on Monday, Sept. 23, the launches running for six consecutive hours over a triangle of ten nautical miles on the Hudson River off the club's station at the foot of 108th street.

Tuesday was set apart for the speed trials, the one-mile flying start championship and the free-for-all American championship. The regular series races for the various classes of racers and cruisers were set down for the next three days, while on Saturday the racers were to run over the long course of 116.3 nautical miles to Poughkeepsie and return; the cruisers having the shorter courses to Peekskill and return; 75 nautical miles.

It may be said in brief that the management of the contests was not up to the standard, most of the contestants were allowed to start without being measured and many had not been measured up to the end of the following week, so that the records are very incomplete. There was trouble in the timing in some of the most important trials, throwing doubt on the official results. In spite of the small number of competitors in the reliability trials, the results were not known for over ten days and the inspection after the finish was a very perfunctory affair. Some of the contestants were placed out of their proper classes, in defiance of the club rules. If this event, the principal one of the year, is of any benefit to the club and the manufacturers, a much higher standard of work must be maintained in the management.

The weather on Monday was very bad, a steady rain and strong wind, kicking up a sea on the river. The reliability trial was started at 11 a.m., in spite of the weather, several open launches starting with the cabin craft. each competitor was free to run as slowly as he chose for the six hours, one electing to run 10 rounds or 100 miles while another made but forty. Sparrow made a very close run with Speedway, almost on the same minute for each of eight rounds, and then her gasoline gave out and she was towed home. Durno II made a good run of eight rounds. The contest was discontinued about 5:30 without the reversibility and starting trials and the inspection.

The weather was but little better on Tuesday, there being a strong wind with rain at times. A further postponement was made

of the reversing and starting tests and the mile trials were started. Dixie was present but did not start, the competitors being Irene, Skedaddle and Den II. The latter made a most remarkable exhibition, somewhat on the order of a hydroplane, running at very high speed with a third of her length out of water and the bow high in the air. The mile was laid off abreast of the club house so that the contest might be visible to the spectators. Several runs were made, but the timers became so mixed up with their chronometers that the attempt was abandoned.

Late in the afternoon the free-for-all race was called, three rounds of the ten-mile triangle. In this race Dixie fresh from her international honors and Jamestown records, met for the first time the new Den with the Irene, another very fast launch. There were some among the spectators who were uncharitable enough to say that Dixie's speed would not last after she had been past by either of these. Dixie made the best start, 30 seconds late, with Irene but 10 seconds astern. Den II was over three minutes late, while Skedaddle was nearly a quarter of an hour late. In spite of her handicap, Den II passed Dixie on the long leg down the river, nearly the middle of the first round, and Dixie "broke down" and withdrew. When near the first turn off Fort washington Point on the second round the three launches were struck by a heavy squall of wind and rain, Den II struck a log and was disabled and Irene was also injured, though she managed to finish the round. Skedaddle shipped a sea and her engine back-fired, setting her on fire; her party having a hard time in mastering the flames. She finally finished, as the summary shows.

In clear weather with a slight southerly wind the championship cup series began on Wednesday afternoon starting at 2 p.m. each day. The course was the regular club triangle of ten nautical miles, run three times by the racers and twice by the cruisers. The most important class, the 12-meter, 40-foot international class, had but two qualified starters, Dixie and Irene, both built to the limit of the class, but in spite of the fact that she measured below the limit of the next lower class, 33 feet, Den II was allowed by the Regatta Committee to go up into the larger class. While under a special provision of the races she received no allowance from the two 40-foot boats; on the other hand, she escaped paying a heavy penalty for he light rating to Durno II, Sparrow and the other boats of moderate rating in her rightful class. As she finished in but one race, no question was raised, but had she won the cup she would have been open to protest by both Dixie and Irene.

The classes were sent away at five-minute intervals, the smaller boats first; Irene had not made repairs from the previous day and did not start. Dixie ahd the inshore birth and led Den over the line, the course lying straight up the river parallel to the New York bank. In order to prevent Den from passing, as she promised to do, Dixie's helmsman steered a diagonal course across to the Jersey shore completely shutting off her rival. Though immediately under the eyes of the committee, this performance was passed unnoticed. Den eventually got by at the end of the leg and was leading on the run down when Dixie "broke down." XPDNC won in her class and Sparrow in hers.

The series was continued on Thursday under favorable weather conditions; Den did not appear but Irene was ready to meet Dixie. After a good race for the first round, Irene leading at the end by over a minute, Dixie again "broke down" and retired, this ending her racing. The alleged cause was the cracking of a cylinder. Irene covered the 30-mile course in 1:15:07, Skedaddle saved her time on XPDNC, and Sparrow won in her class.

On Friday morning the mile trials were run over the Government mile, only Den and Skedaddle taking part; on Saturday Irene was timed for an unofficial trial. The results of these trials are given below.

Friday afternoon the series races were concluded, Irene winning from Den, which gave her the international championship trophy. Skedaddle and XPDNC ran a very close race, finishing within four seconds, the allowance making the former the winner of the race and the national trophy. Sparrow had almost a walkover in her class. The full times of the three days' racing are given in one table.

Saturday was clear with a light wind down the river, the tide being on the ebb all the morning, so that over both the long and the short course it was against the boats both going and returning. The cruising class was headed by the new Grayling, a handsome cabin cruiser, Skedaddle and Den made a very close race over the whole distance to Poughkeepsie and return, finishing within a minute. Den was obliged to stop at the turn for gasoline, which put her under a disadvantage, as she lost about five minutes after getting to the turn with two minutes lead.

(Excerpts transcribed from Boating, November, 1907, pp. 25-29.)

[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page —LF]

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