1908 Palm Beach Mid-Winter Carnival
Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Florida, March 17-20, 1908

The Annual Power Boat Regatta at Palm Beach Palm Beach Races Power Boat Races The Florida Races The Lake Worth Regatta

Every winter for the past four years the Palm Beach Power Boat Association has held a racing carnival on Lake Worth. This year's regatta was later than usual and narrowly escaped being a spring event, the dates being March 17, 18, 19 and 20. Notwithstanding the lateness of the season there was a fine attendance of boats and spectators and the weather, although very warm, was a clear and perfect. it was planned to run a consolation race on Saturday after the scheduled events, but the elements let loose and made postponement necessary.

The conditions of the regatta were well known beforehand and were carried out to the letter, much to the credit of the regatta committee. Four races were held the opening day under American Power Boat Association rules, the first two for classes rating above and below 80, respectively, and the others for all classes. From this data the contestants were handicapped in the later events upon the basis of actual performance. Some penalties were imposed, but as a whole, the results were very satisfactory.

Under the A.P.B.A. rules Dolphin and General, both two-stroke Smalley outfits, proved their supremacy almost beyond question and further verified the claim often made that these rules favor the two-cycle engine. Both won their class races with ease, while Dolphin took the third race for all classes, beating General more than three minutes. In the last race of 15½ miles, Irene, the limit boat, started more than an hour ahead of the fast boats, beating Dolphin only 15 seconds. Irene's time was 1 hour 55 minutes 23 seconds, something like eight miles an hour, Dixie, scratch boat, covered the course in 33 minutes, 46 seconds, a trifle over 27½ miles an hour.

It is not common sense to put an eight-mile launch like Irene against the Dixie and boats of her class; there can neither be any interest in her performance nor credit to her if she wins by reason

of her enormous lead at the start. As an actual speed test under the rating rule, the honors in this last race again went to Dolphin by a very narrow margin, with General, Bruiser and Trente Sept only seconds behind in order. it was practically a clean sweep for the Tonawanda craft and the next thing to it for the Detroit entry. This caused no little comment about the previously unknown qualities of our fresh water racing men. The summary for the first day are as follows:

Second Race, Class B, Rating 80 and Above, 4½ Nautical Miles
General	88.29	11:00:00	11:12:55
Trente Sept	91.15	11:00:23	11:13:52
Dixie	112.80	11:02:46	11:14:51
Secret	92.90	11:00:38	did not finish
Bruiser	102.20	11:01:44	did not finish

 

Third Race, Class A and B, All Ratings, 9 nautical Miles
	Start	1st round	Finish
Dolphin	11:34:49	11:51:45	12:07:22
General	11:44:13	11:57 :45	12:10:44
Trente Sept	11:44:50	11:58:22	12:11:44
Secret	11:45:28	12:04:56	12:20:41
Kitty Sparks II	11:40:03	12:01:33	12:23:00
Red Bird	11:32:00	11:59:29	12:25:23
Irene	11:30:00	12:09:20	12:48:35
Lamb	11:45:27	did not finish

Fourth Race, Class A and B, All Ratings, 13½ Nautical Miles
Start	1st round	2nd round	Finish
Irene	2:51:27	3:30:33	4:08:27	4:46:53
Dolphin	4:00:33	4:16:13	4:31:41	4:47:08
General	4:08:15	4:21:22	4:34:26	4:47:28
Bruiser	4:00:42	4:15:16	4:30:06	4:47:33
Trente Sept	4:07:12	4:20:42	4:34:09	4:47:40
Dixie	4:14:21	4:26:00	4:37:07	4:48:07
Kitty Sparks II	3:42:42	4:05:58	4:28:00	4:50:51
Secret	3:59:48	4:16:53	4:40:48	did not finish

On Wednesday, the second day, two races each were run for two classes known as C and D. In class C were all the boats except Dixie, General and Bruiser, who ran alone in class D. Ferro was a new entry in the morning event and ran for rating.

Irene again beat Dolphin in the first race by 18 seconds; Trente Sept was third, just four seconds behind the Niagara flyer. in class D, two seconds separated Dixie from General at the finish line, Mr. Schroeder's champion winning by superior handling at the start. Dixie's time for the round was 11:03. Both classes were sent over the course twice in the third of the morning events. There were 11 boats in the line up, Dolphin winning from Dixie by 16 seconds. Trente Sept was a good third.

The morning program was repeated in the afternoon except that the final race took the boats around the circuit three times. In class C Trente Sept gave Dolphin a good 15-second trimming after along stern chase. The Gingras boat had been showing great form and her victory was merited and popular. Lamb was third, beating Secret half a minute. General beat Bruiser in their class by 18 seconds, Dixie not being a starter. The last race of the day for both classes was a great contest until General, starting from scratch, got the lead, when the result became certain. Trente Sept pulled through into second place, passing Ferro and Red Bird near the finish. The latter boat beat Ferro two seconds. Dixie and Dolphin did not start.

Second Race, Class D, 4½ Nautical Miles
Dixie	11:03 :16	11:14 :19
General	11:01:31	11:14:21

Third Race, Class C and D, 9 Nautical Miles
Dolphin	12:00:30	12:30:57
Dixie	12:09:21	12:31:13
Trente Sept	12:04:41	12:31:31
Irene	11:15:12	12:31:57
Kitty Sparks II	11:48:29	12:32:13
Red Bird	11:40:03	12:32:27
Secret	11:59:50	12:33:02
Ferro	11:52:46	12:34:34
Bruiser	12:03:13	12:35:02
Baby Bullet	11:47:03	12:35:05
Lamb	12:04:15	12:40:41

Fourth Race, Class C, 4½ Nautical Miles
Trente Sept	2:39:22	2:52:40
Dolphin	2:37:31	2:52:55
Lamb	2:34:52	2:53:22
Secret	2:37:37	2:53:51
Kitty Sparks II	2:31:13	2:54:08
Irene	2:15:30	2:54:17
Ferro	2:36:50	2:58:04
Baby Bullet	2:34:30	2:58:25

Sixth Race, Class C and D, 13½ Nautical Miles
	Start	1st round	2nd round	Finish
General	3:47:39	4:00:29	4:13:09	4:26:07
Trente Sept	3:46:18	3:59:48	4:13:15	4:26:42
Red Bird	3:10:00	3:35:51	4:01:19	4:26:55
Ferro	3:24:03	3:45:19	4:06:18	4:26:57
Bruiser	3:43:57	3:58:25	4:12:52	4:27:33
Lamb	3:32:00	3:50:40	4:09:07	4:27:34
Secret	3:40:48	3:56:42	4:12:16	4:28:35
Baby Bullet	3:14:12	3:40:59	4:05:19	4:29:18

Six more races were run on Thursday under new classifications and handicaps. Lamb, Dolphin, Secret and Trente Sept were placed in the first class with General and Dixie. The first race for the slow E class and the pickle boat won, Irene beating Red Bird six seconds; Kitty Spars was a close third.

Class F had a great race and Dolphin again put the cleaner on the bunch, beating Trente Sept three seconds. General was third, five seconds behind Gingras, while Bruiser trailed nine seconds after Paradis. Ferro came into the limelight as a winner in the third event, which was once around for all classes. Lamb really finished ahead, but was penalized enough to put her back even with the last boat. Trente Sept finished second, half a boat length behind Ferro, with Kitty Sparks two seconds later.

The afternoon race in class E went to Irene, with Ferro second. The class F race went to Trente Sept, with Dolphin second. The last race for all classes, three times over the course, was a repetition of General's victory of the previous day. Starting from scratch she won with ease, Dolphin finishing second, 33 seconds behind General and more than a minute ahead of Bruiser. Trente Sept had engine trouble at the start. Dixie did not start in this race nor any others during the day.

Second Race, Class F, 4½ Nautical Miles
Dolphin	11:00:14	11:15:11
Trente Sept	11:01:48	11:15:14
General	11:02:38	11:15:19
Bruiser	11:01:14	11:15:28

Third Race, Class E and F, 4½ Nautical Miles
Ferro	11:26:59	11:47:34
Trente Sept	11:34:24	11:47:35
Kitty Sparks 11	11:25:51	11:47:37
Dolphin	11:32:37	11:47:38
Irene	11:10:06	11:47:50
Lamb	11:29:42	11:48:30
Bruiser	11:33:40	11:48:30
General	11:35:01	11:48:35

Fourth Race, Class E, 4½ Nautical Miles
Irene	2:30:06	3:07:57
Ferro	2:48:00	3:08:59
Dixolite	2:46:30	3:10:47

Fifth Race, Class F, 4½ Nautical Miles
Trente Sept	3:02:24	3:15:50
Dolphin	3:00:51	3:15:51
Lamb	3:00:05	3:17:27
Bruiser	3:03:33	3:17:42

Sixth Race, Class E and F, 13½ Nautical Miles
	Start	1st round	2nd round	Finish
General	4:08:09	4:20:49	4:33:18	4:46:03
Dolphin	4:01:31	4:16:31	4:31:35	4:46:35
Bruiser	4:03:57	4:18:09	4:32:30	4:47:39
Trente Sept	4:06:18	4:20:50	4:34:23	4:48:02
Ferro	3:47:21	4:09:09	4:29:40	4:50:28
Lamb	3:59:12	did not finish
Dixolite	3:46:39	4:09:19	4:35:36	did not finish

The schedule on Friday called for the mile trials for the Dewar trophy shield. Under the conditions the boat making the fastest time in six mile runs in competition takes the shield. Dixie was the only contestant, though Trente Sept jogged over the course simply to comply with the terms of the race and in order that, through winning the shield two consecutive years, Mr. Schroeder could claim it permanently. Notwithstanding the low stage of water, Dixie made a record for the course, 29.622 statute miles an hour. She added more glory by winning the reliability contest and her almost perfect performance for sustained and steady high speed was certainly most noteworthy. Late in the afternoon Trente Sept gave Bruiser a handicap and then beat her around the course in the special race for southern-built boats.

Endurance-ReliabilityRace, 18 Knots
	Allowance
# 19--Red Bird	25:28	3 00.13½
#20--Ferro	19:36	3 24.37	did not finish
#5--Dolphin	14:56	3 42.40	4 47.44
# 16--Trente Sept	13:17	3 48.44 1/4	4 43.45
#3--Dixie	10:55	3 38.17½	4 41.40

Dixie winner, Trente Sept second. The Red Bird did not round the buoys
Per cent variation: Dolphin, 8.4; Trente Sept, 3.7, and Dixie, 0.6

Trente Sept winner Bruiser second. Ferro did not start. Baby Bullet did not finish and Red Bird did not round buoys.

The most notable performers outside of Dixie, which is in a class by herself in power, speed and reliability, were Dolphin, General, Trente Sept and Ferro. The first named made a record on Niagara river last season and her details are well known. She is owned by Hon. Eugene DeKleist, mayor of North Tonawanda, N.Y., and is powered with a No. 3-b Smalley, 15-20-horsepower motor. She uses a K-W magneto system outfit.

General, owned by E. R. Walker, of Detroit, is a new boat designed by the General Machinery Co., of Bat City, Mich., and built by a local boat builder at that port. Her general dimensions are: Length over all, 39 feet 7 inches; length water line, 38 feet 8 inches; beam, water line, 4 feet 2 inches; area amidship section, 2.22 square feet. Her power plant consists of a six-cylinder Smalley stock engine developing 60-70 horsepower and driving a three-blade 18 x 40 propeller. She was driven by Ernest J. Paradis, sales manager of the General Machinery Co., assisted by H. Brandenburg, a testing room expert.

Ferro is a Florida product, designed, built and operated by E. R. Koile, of Miami, Fla. She is 25 feet over all, 4 feet beam, and is powered with a stock two-cylinder, 11-horsepower Ferro engine driving a two-blade 18 x 25 wheel.

Trente Sept is a very handsome and speedy craft designed, built and owned by George Gingras, of Rockledge, Fla., and admirably handled by him. We regret we cannot give her particulars; she is worthy of more than passing mention.

Transcribed from PowerBoating, May 1908, pp. 256-260

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

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