Sant'
Ambrogio
1948 Silver Cup
Detroit River, Detroit MI, September 4-6, 1948
Italian Boat Sinks During Cup Tune-Up
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DETROIT, Sept. 3 (AP)--Ill luck that had plagued the Italian speed boat Sant' Ambrogio since its arrival in this country last month struck it again today as the craft sank during its final tune-up for the first heat of the Silver Cup trophy race tomorrow.
Achille Castoldi, pilot of the big red craft, said the mishap occurred as the boat veered off the course and sank just off shore. The speed boat's erratic course took it towards a crowd of swimmers who scattered.
Castoldi was uninjured in the accident and he disclosed that the hull was split in exactly the same place below the cockpit as in last week's Gold Cup race.
Hasty Repairs Begun
The damaged speed boat was, pulled onto the shore, where the Italian driver and his crew began hasty repairs in an effort to get the boat ready for tomorrow's race. However, both Castoldi and veteran racing observers said there was very little chance the boat would be ready.
Elimination of the Italian challenger would reduce Saturday's fleet to nine boats as compared to the fifteen that started in the Gold Cup race last week. The Sant' Ambrogio's bid for the Gold Cup ended in the first heat last week when the Italian boat sprang a leak and sank in six feet of water.
Miss Great Lakes, which sank after winning the Gold Cup race, will not start tomorrow.
Nuts and Bolts, a Detroit boat, also ran into trouble today as she split her hull when she hit the swell of a pleasure cruiser. Owners of the craft said Nuts and Bolts would be unable to compete tomorrow. The little racer was to have been driven by Danny Foster, who piloted Miss Great Lakes to victory last week.
Others expected to be on the river for the first 45-mile heat Are: Ernie Wilson's Miss Canada III from Ingersoll, Ont.; R. Stanley Dollar's Skipalong from San Francisco and six other Detroit boats --Miss Pepsi, Sheri-Sam, Dukie III, So Long, Syster Syn and Miss Frostie.
Second Heat Monday
The first. heat is scheduled to start at 4:05 P. M. Eastern standard time; the second heat at the same hour Monday. Beside the feature race, there will be several events Saturday and Monday for smaller powerboats.
To eliminate at least, one hazard in the Silver Cup race, regatta officials announced that it would be held over the three-mile Gold Cup course instead of the four-and-one half mile course originally marked off.
Regatta committee members said the change was made at the request of contestants. It. meant their boats will not have to race through the narrow arches under the bridge between Belle Island and the Detroit mainland.
The series of accidents has discouraged many powerboat experts from attempting to pick the Silver Cup winner. Barring mishaps, Miss Canada III seems certain to be one of the top contenders.
(Reprinted from the Associated Press, September 3, 1948)
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