1911 Palm Beach Regatta
Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Florida, March 14-17, 1911

Palm Beach Races Draw Many Boats
Twenty-Five Fast Craft Will Compete in Annual Aquatic Event in Florida
Special to the Times

PALM BEACH, Fla, March 12.—The best showing of motor boats ever gathered at Palm Beach is now here for the seventh annual races of the Palm Beach Power Boat Association. More than half of the boats entered were checked in this evening, and by tomorrow night about twenty-five will be here for the races beginning Tuesday.

Payne Whitney has entered the Dorothy N., a boat he bought last week from C. P. Retman of Palm Beach. It is of the twenty-foot class and of sufficient power to make it reckoned in the speed contests, though it will have a good chance in the handicaps.

George W. Perkins has entered a 165-horse-power boat of the hydroplane type, which will compete in the same class with the Mist and the Ace II. These two appeared to-day to be the best boats here. If the Mist, G. M. Marshall, New Smyrna, can eliminate engine trouble, she will have a fine chance for the speed prize.

This new boat is fitted with two 200-horse-power engines, but the mechanicians have had great trouble in starting it. The Ace II, just out of the shop, was built by Leyare of Ogdensburg, with an eight-cylinder, 100-horse-power Sterling engine. She will show about thirty-three miles an hour, and was built for Chief W. W, Trimble of the Eustice Boat Club. George Gingras of Rockledge, who had a prize winner for several years, is bringing down a hydroplane that he expects to get thirty-five miles out of.

[Transcribed from the New York Times, Mar. 13, 1911, p. 10.]

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Ace II Wins Fast Race At Palm Beach
Ogdensburg Motor Boat Shows Average Speed of 27.01 Nautical Miles an Hour
Special to The New York Times

PALM BEACH, Fla., March 14.—The Ace II, a new boat built at Ogdensburg, N.Y., this season and owned by W. W. Trimpi of Eustis, Fla., won the speed race with which the seventh annual races of the Palm Beach Power Boat Association opened today on Lake Worth. She showed an average speed of 27.01 nautical miles per hour. The motor boat T and S, owned by W. F. Coachman of Jacksonville took second place with an average speed of 24.03 nautical miles per hour. In the speed contest for Florida boats the T and S was the winner, her elapsed time for the two laps of the course necessary for the nine miles being 21 minutes 55½ seconds.

The Dewey, another of Coachman’s boats, was second in this event. The last race, a nine-mile handicap for all boats, was won by the Ruth K, owned by Charles S. Smiley of St. Lucie, which covered the nine miles in 32 minutes 31½ seconds. The Ace II was six seconds behind the winner and the T and S was third.

In the final race the Vita, owned by Stuart Blackton of New York, was disqualified for crossing the line before the signal. The Summary:

[Transcribed from the New York Times, Mar. 15, 1911, p. 11.]

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Motor Boat T and S Wins at Palm Beach
Special to The New York Times

Palm Beach, Fla., March 15.—The motor boat T and S, owned by W. F. Coachman of Jacksonville, won the honors in the second day’s racing of the Palm Beach Power Boat Association, capturing the eighteen-mile handicap race open to all boats entered and also the second race this morning of boats thirty-two feet long and over, the latter over a 4½-mile course.

The other winners were: the Suelo, James J. Clarke of Philadelphia, owner, and the Kuleoff, owned by K. C. Goodwyn of Newsmyrna. The latter defeated all comers in a 4½-mile race, while the former competed with the boats under thirty-two feet over a similar course.

[Transcribed from the New York Times, Mar. 16, 1911, p. 7.]

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Motor Boats Fight Waves
Rough Water Causes Trouble in Races at Palm Beach
Special to The New York Times

PALM BEACH, Fla., March 16.—The Kuleoff, owned by K. C. Goodwin of New Smyrna won the first of the motor boat races here to-day. The T and S won the second race and is owned by W. F. Coachman of Jacksonville. The Ruth K, owned by Charles S. Smiley, St. Lucie, and the Dewey, another of Mr. Coachman’s boats were also winners. A gale threw sheets of water all over the boats, often causing short circuits. Half the entries soon retired, only those with considerable freeboard being able to continue.

The pilots much of the time had to stand on their seats to see ahead of the waves. The Ace II, had her engines running sluggishly and for the first time gave a poor account of herself. The Vita developed ignition trouble after the morning races and was unable to make a showing in the main race of this day.

A special run was held under the rules of the American Power Boat Association chiefly to get new records, comparing the performance of this boat and the Mist, the two hydroplanes entered.

[Transcribed from the New York Times, Mar. 17, 1911, p. 10.]

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T and S Wins Final Race
Motorboat Covers 119.19 Miles Course at Average Speed of 2⅛ Minutes.
Special to The New York Times

PALM BEACH, Fla., March 17.—W. F. Coachman of Jacksonville won with his boat T and S, the final race of the Palm Beach Power Boat Association’s seventh annual regatta. Coachman’s boat did 119.19 statute miles in 4 hours 11 minutes 17½ seconds. The average speed was approximately a mile in 2⅛ minutes. Every other contesting boat broke down, the Dewey, another Coachman boat, lasting the longest. The engine went dead at the beginning of the twenty-second lap. The other boats entered were: the Vita owned by J. Stuart Blackton, of New York; the Ace II, owned by W. W. Trimpi of Newark, and the Diana, owned by D. H. McMillin of the Jacksonville Power Boat Club.

The Ace II after four rounds had carburetter trouble and the boat was not again put into commission. The Vita in turning the course the first time at full speed, ran aground. The Dewey, about noon, lost 21 minutes through the breaking of the steering leads. The mechanicians couldn’t get the engines started until 1 hour and 49 minutes after her starting time.

Payne Whitney’s boat, the Dorothy D, got the third prize in the Consolation race, open only for boats not already having won trophies. First prize went to the Victor, owned by G. S. Paddison, Eau Gallie Yacht Club, and the second prize to the Jack Rabbit, owned by W. A. MacDuff of the Jacksonville Power Boat Club.

[Transcribed from the New York Times, Mar. 18, 1911, p. 15.]

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The seventh annual regatta and race week of the Palm Beach Power Boat Association, which was held on Lake Worth, Florida, March 14-17, inclusive, was one of the most successful that has ever been held by that association, and not only brought out a fine class of boats, but better time was made than at any previous regatta.

There were twenty-two entries, twenty boats actually taking part in the four days’ racing, this number including many new boats built for this event and for the 1911 racing. Good weather marked the four days’ event, with the exception of the third day, when a heavy northerly gale kicked up a high sea on the shallow lake and the crews of all the boats had a wet and disagreeable time of it. In spite of this, however, all of the races scheduled for the day were run off, and demonstrated that the modern speed boat is capable of standing rough water when necessary.

The principal events were the Speed Record Trials for the $500 Palm Beach Cup (the winner’s time in this event averaging 27.02 nautical miles per hour, an average of six trials over a mile course) and the endurance race on the last day. For this latter event Mr. W. F. Coachman had a new boat, the T & S, built with a special view to capturing it and the $2,500 cash prize, as he had already won one leg on this prize last year. This is probably the most important annual power boat event in this country, the cup and cash prize having to be won twice by the same owner before becoming his property.

The race this year was one of the most sensational ever run and the winner was Mr. W. F. Coachman’s new boat T & S, fitted with a 100-horsepower, 8-cylinder, Sterling engine. When the time was announced it was discovered that a new record had been made for the long-distance endurance speed contest. The race was twenty-three times around the 4½-knot course, a distance of 103.5 knots, or 119.18 statute miles. The average time exceeds the best previous time in a long-distance contest in this country. It was quite a coincidence that the 1909 race was won by Courier I with a 100-horsepower Sterling engine, while the 1910 race was won by Dewey, also with a 45-65-horsepower Sterling.

As Mr. Coachman owns both the Dewey and T & S, the $2,500, with interest and entrance money, amounting to over $3,000, now becomes his property.

The performance of T & S was one of the best ever witnessed. When one stops to consider this engine was run at practically full speed , or wide open, for over four hours, without a miss or a skip, and without any trouble whatever, it will give an idea of the performance of the engines that made this record possible.

[Excerpts transcribed from Yachting, May, 1911, p. 403.]

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The Palm Beach Regatta
An Account of the Four Days of Motor Boat Racing, the Seventh Annual Lake Worth Meet.
T & S the Winner of the Palm Beach Grand Prize and Something about the Other Boats.

The climax of the motor boating activity on Lake Worth, and the first event of the season of national interest, was the Palm Beach Regatta, from March 14^th to 17^th, inclusive, the seventh annual event of the Palm Beach Power Boat Association. Several of the last year’s boats were seen again this year, but the majority of those entered, and all of them that really did things, were new boats. T & S, a 32-foot Florida-built boat, owned by W. F. Coachman of Jacksonville, and equipped with a 100-h.p. Sterling engine, landed a purse of $3,000, one of the largest cash prizes ever awarded a motor boat. She ran the 119.19 statute miles of the endurance contest in 4 hrs. 11 min. and 17½ sec. Thje other winners were Ace II, a 32-footer equipped with a 100-horse Sterling, owned by W. W. Trimpi of Newark, and built by the Leyare Boat Works; Ruth K, a 32-footer equipped with a 30-35-horse Sterling, owned by C. S. Smiley, Clarksburg, W. Va., and built by George Elliott of Buffalo; Suelo, the 24-footer equipped with an 18-25-horse Sterling, owned by James K. Clarke, of Philadelphia, and built by J. Vandercslice, Camden, N.J.; Kuleoff, ownd by K. C. Goodwin and equipped with a Roberts motor; Dewey, owned by W. F. Coachman, and Victor, owned by G. F. Paddison of the Eau Gallie Yacht Club and equipped with a Loew Victor.

Tuesday, March 14^th.—The speed record trial for the best average of 6 laps of a one-mile course and for the Palm Beach Cup, was won by Ace II at an average speed of 27.01 knots. T & S took second place, with an average speed of 24.03 knots. In the speed contest for Forida-designed and constructed boats, T & S was the winner, her elapsed time for the 9-mile course being 21 min. 55½ sec.; Dewey was second.

The 9-mile handicap for all boats under the A.P.B.A. rating rules was won by Ruth K in 33 min. 31½ sec.; Ace II was 6 seconds behind the winner and T & S came in third. In this race, Vita, owned by J. Stuart Blackton of New York, was disqualified for prematurely crossing the line. Florida Cracker. Mr. Geo, Gingrass’ new boat, burnt out her bearings shortly before the race and could not enter.

Wednesday, March 15^th.—T & S won the honors in the second day’s races, taking the 18-mile event and also 4 ½-mile race for boats of 32 feet and over. Kuleoff won in the 4½-mile contest for all boats, and Suelo was the winner of the boats under 32 ft., over the same course.

In the 18-mile race Suelo would have won if the judges had not penalized her for exceeding her handicap. Diama broke a connecting rod, and was out of the morning race, and although she started in the 18-mile event, was too heavily handicapped to make any showing. Florida Cracker made her first trial run in the afternoon, and although her 100-horse Emerson drove her at very high speed, she was hardly tuned up in racing trim.

Thursday, March 16^th.—The heavy northeast gale kicked up quite a sea on Thursday, and the racing was under the worst possible conditions. There was much ignition trouble caused by short circuiting, and more than half the entries were put out of commission.

Kuleoff won the first race for boats under 17 miles speed, with Bill second. The race for boats of over 17 miles speed was won by T & S, with Ace II in second place. The contest for all boats of over 12 miles speed, over a nine-mile course was won by Dewey; the fourth race, over a 4½-mile course, was won by Ruth K; Dewey won the 13½-mile race.

Friday, March 17^th—The biggest event of the regatta was the 103.5-mile endurance contest for all boats of a speed above 20 miles per hour. T & S won the Palm Beach Grand Prize for this event, running the course in 4 hrs. 11 min. and 17½ sec. She ran without a falter for over 4 hours, during which time every other contesting boat had trouble and withdrew. Dewey, another Coachman boat lasted the longest, but went dead at the beginning of the 22^nd lap, when 15 minutes more would have given her the second prize, which was not awarded. The other boats starting were: Vita, Ace II. Dewey and Diana. Ace II started from scratch and performed well for 4 rounds, when she experienced trouble with her carbureter and was forced to withdraw. Vita, a hydroplane, started like a shot, but in making the first turn at full speed was unable to keep the course and ran aground. Dewey was several times in trouble and lost 21 minutes through the breaking of her tiller lines. Diana failed to start until an hour and 49 minutes after her time, but even so, might have won second prize if she had not be short circuited by flying spray.

The closing event of the regatta was a consolation race open to all boats not already having won prizes. The first prize in this event went to Victor, the second prize was won by Jack Rabbit, with Dorothy D winner of the third prize.

[Transcribed from MotorBoating, April 1911 Supplement]

(Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page —LF)

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