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Motorboat Vision Lost |
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Motorboat Dixie II Makes Mile Record |
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Motorboat Races End In Protests |
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1908 Hudson River Carnival
Motorboat Races End In Protests
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Twenty-three motorboats started yesterday from the Colonial Yacht Club, foot of West 138th Street, in the long-distance races up the Hudson and return, the cruising boats, of which there were seventeen, running to Peekskill and return, about 60 statute miles, while the six racing boats went to Poughkeepsie and return, about 140 statute miles. This was the largest fleet of power boats that has been seen in long-distance competitions on the Hudson River, and it spoke well of the success that has attended the management of the present carnival week. Dixie II, the international cup winner and which won both of the events on the preceding day, did not start, but among the racers were many of the well-known boats of this season that have been competing successfully in various events.
With such a large number of boats racing under time allowance it was but natural that the excitement of the competition should lead to some disputes regarding correct ratings. As a result, protests were promptly filed with the Regatta Committee as soon as the corrected times of the leaders in both events were known. Commodore Joseph H. Hoadley's big cabin motor yacht Alabama easily distanced all her competitors in the Peekskill race, covering the distance in 4:44:14, and with her allowance of 56:55 was far ahead of her rivals with the corrected time of 3:58:19. This was over one and one-half hours ahead of the 17-horse power Joker, which finished about fifty minutes behind the Alabama and yet received an allowance of only 23:35.
Alabama was protested by four boats, including Wanderlust and Irene II, while Joker was protested on the ground that she was not a cruising boat. If these are allowed, and there was a general opinion that the protests were well founded, it will give the victory to Irene II, the winner of this year's marblehead-to-New Rochelle race. Irene II receives an allowance of 1:30:35, giving her on corrected time 5:28:30 for the finish.
There was another wide divergence of time on the finish of the racing boat race to Poughkeepsie and return. George F. Baker Jr's 31-horse power Vim, one of the new speed craft this season, covered the course in the fastest time, 5:49:44, averaging 20.84 nautical miles, or 23.96 statute miles for the entire distance. Despite this good time, according to the rating in the hands of the committee, she received the big allowance of 1 hour 53 minutes and 8 seconds, giving her the victory over H. R. Sutphen's Elco on corrected time by 1:05:52. Mr. Sutphen immediately protested Vim's rating, as by elapsed time Vim only led Elco by 23 minutes 52 seconds. Elco picked up on the Vim on the run down the river, for the former boat rounded the Poughkeepsie stake boat over 30 minutes before Elco. W. J. Brainard's Mercury struck a log on the upward trip off Croton which caused her to leak, but she was able to run back to the clubhouse, although the pumps were kept working.
(Transcribed from the New York Times, Sep. 24, 1908, p. 10. )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page —LF]
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