miami to nassau powerboat race

Published on January 12th, 2024 | by Editor

2024 Nassau Cup Ocean Race

Published on January 12th, 2024 by Editor -->

The third race of the 4-event 2023-24 Islands in the Stream Series attracted 16 teams for the 174 nm Nassau Cup Ocean Race from Miami to Nassau. Following the January 11 start, the division winners were the Mills 68 Space Monkey (ORC 1), the Class40 Privateer (ORC 2), and the J/122 Zig Zag (ORC 3).

ORC 1 (ORC – 4 Boats) 1. Space Monkey, David Greenstein / Stephen Murray , USA 2. Hooligan Racing, John Evans / Trey Sheehan , USA 3. Inception, NEKA Sailing , USA 4. LiveWire, William Culberson , USA

ORC 2 (ORC – 7 Boats) 1. Privateer, Carl L.C. Kah III 2. Longbow, FK Day , USA 3. Vortices 2, Chris Saxton , USA 4. Bear, Forbes Durdin , USA 5. Pendragon, Mike Kayusa , USA 6. Mutiny, Mats Herrstromer , USA 7. TOMFOOLERY, Thomas Matthews , USA

ORC 3 (ORC – 6 Boats) 1. ZIG ZAG, Andrew Clark , USA 2. Senara, Eamonn deLisser / James Bill / , USA 3. Kenai, Chris Lewis , USA 4. Ripple, robert glaser , USA 5. Petisa, Harold Brandan , USA

Details: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=16277

2023-24 Islands in the Stream Series November 8 – St Pete – Ft Laud Race – St. Petersburg to Ft. Lauderdale December 1 – Wirth Munroe Ocean Race – Miami to Palm Beach January 11 – Nassau Cup Ocean Race – Miami to Nassau February 22 – Ft. Lauderdale – Key West Race – Fort Lauderdale to Key West

For the Notice of Series, click here .

Tags: Islands in the Stream Series , Nassau Cup

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Powerboat P1 is the fastest growing marine motorsport series in the world and has a long term commitment to growing and developing the sport of power boating at all levels. The Powerboat P1 team works closely with the sport�s governing bodies, the UIM, APBA and the IJSBA. P1 has delivered more than 85 world championship events in over twelve different countries for more than a decade.

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UIM Class 1 offshore racing

Introduction.

In October 2020, the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) assigned the international rights to stage Class 1offshore powerboat racing to Powerboat P1. The agreement is for ten years and includes organizational and promotion rights to the UIM Class 1 World Championship. P1’s relationship with the UIM spans almost two decades and its aim is to take Class 1 back to where it belongs at the pinnacle of offshore racing. The agreement gives P1 the opportunity to grow the Class 1 championship in the United States and at the same time develop plans to globalize the series over the coming years.

Development

The sport of powerboat racing dates back to the late 19th century with the earliest recorded race being in Nice in the south of France, but the first officially recognized international offshore race was a 22-mile event from Calais to Dover. The modern era of offshore racing began in 1956 with the famous Miami-Nassau race which ultimately lead to a UIM-sanctioned World Championship in 1964. APBA-sanctioned Class 1 racing is promoted by Powerboat P1, with catamarans competing with strictly regulated sterndrive Mercury Racing 9.0L 1100hp twin-turbocharged V8 engines. The current Class 1 champions are the Victory team from the UAE. Offshore racing has undergone enormous changes since its earliest days, with the quest for speed producing boats, engines and transmission systems that are highly sophisticated and the use of advanced composites significantly improving safety levels.

Each boat has a two-man crew: the driver and throttleman. They work closely with their pit crews to decide the race set-up: the type of propeller required for the conditions, gear ration settings, the amount of fuel needed and race tactics. Propeller choice is critical.

A Class 1 race boat has twin inboard 1100hp engines and can reach speeds in excess of 160mph. All boats are limited by a minimum weight of 4,950kg. Each boat in the Class 1 fleet is around 12-14 metres in length and 3.5 metres wide. Safety is a priority and the cockpit is reinforced to withstand enormous impacts. Inside the cockpit there are satellite GPS systems, trim indicators, engine date dashboards and instrument panels. While a Class 1 race boat is highly technical and state-of-the-art, the skill of the crew and the relationship between the driver and throttleman who navigate and control the power is ultimately the defining factor and crucial to performance.

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Since 1934, some of the best offshore sailors in the world have battled for the prestigious Miami to Nassau Cup, including Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Dick Bertram, and Ted Hood, aboard legendary boats like Running Tide, Windward Passage, Tenacious, and Boomerang. Half a generation after World War II forced a short intermission, the race became part of the fabled Southern Ocean Racing Conference in the 1980s until the series’ dissolution in the 1980s. Building on the race’s welcome rebirth in 2003, the new SORC, a group of race-veteran race managers, announced its management of the Nassau Cup Race in 2010.

Starting in South Florida, racers leave Great Isaacs Light to starboard and proceed past Great Stirrup Light, finally finishing at Nassau harbor. The current course record was set in the 2012 race by Ron O’Hanley on the yacht Privateer with an elapsed time of 13 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds. Today’s modern boats just need the right conditions to claim this legendary prize, and racers of all types will enjoy the navigational and crew challenge of the race across the Gulf Stream. The 2021-22 SORC Islands in the Stream Series, which provides five events from November through March along the gulf of Southern Florida, got underway with the 2021 Nassau Cup Ocean Race on November 11. Seventeen teams started off Miami harbor in a solid southeasterly breeze.

John Evans and Trey Sheehan on their TP52 Hooligan led all finishers, completing the course in 21:48:54. Using ORC scoring with the Predominant Upwind Medium course model, Hooligan was first overall, with George Collin’s Tripp 62 Chessie Racing in second by 44 minutes and Tim Tucker’s C&C 115 Rockstar in third place by another 34 minutes in corrected time.

• 2021-2022 SORC
• Miami to Nassau Cup

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Brownie’s Bites: On Winning the 1965 World Offshore Championship

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In 1965, offshore racing around the world had reached a level of interest and participation that was beyond anyone’s imagination. Those of us who were racing believed (erroneously) that we were special. While offshore racing on a world basis was very expensive, some of us had axes to grind. My employer, Donzi Marine, for example, was firmly rooted as a successful boat builder on its success as a race winner. Bertram Yacht had previously enjoyed that glow of success by pioneering a new hull design, and winning nearly all the offshore races over several years. They won the first several Miami-Nassau races, with namesake Dick Bertram and Sam Griffith winning 1956 through 1961, except for upstart “Crystalliner”, a 27’ fiberglass Miami Beach built craft helmed by Gordon Hoover. They also won 1962 Miami-Nassau through 1964 with John Bakos, Odell Lewis and Harold Abbott. Donzi was next, with Aronow in 1965, and me and “Donzi Baby” in 1967. Mercury Marine, with E. Carl Kiekhaefer at the helm, joined the fray in a big way. They were pioneering and proving both the new “stern drive” (Instument of the Devil) and the firm’s excellent outboard motors.

I actually drove a 20’ Brunswick race boat with a small block Chevy/Mercruiser in the 1962 Miami-Nassau race. (Note: This boat was later used by Tommy Fileman and Stan Humes to win the “1965 Around Long Island Race”). The company had sent the boat to Challenger Marine, in North Miami to be prepared for the race. I was allowed to test it, so I took it through the “Haulover” a few times, and broke the hull up front. Stu Jackson from Brunswick, and Dave Craig from Skyway Marine brought a new, miracle boat fixer, Polyurethane foam, to repair the boat the night before the race. The damage was just forward of the stringers next to the keel, so we mixed a small batch of foam, and poured it into that area. Nothing. Either the weather was too cold, or we erred in the mixing area, so we did it again and again. Suddenly, the great brown foam monster arose from the bilge and ate our helmets, life jackets, lunches, tools, etc. Thank God that we were able to save the Scotch! Wherever that boat is, right now, our stuff is still in the cuddy cabin. The Brunswick was entered by “Bulldog” Drummond Musset, an alcoholic Brit, former Spitfire driver with 0 to 23 kills in WWII, depending on his Breathalizer score. He once told me that he had flown his Spitfire through a brick house, and once told me that he had flown a brick house through his Spitfire. “Bully” was as fun as they come, and the photo of him coming through the Baker’s Haulover in the 1963 or so “Around Miami Beach” race in a tiny outboard rates number 1, either in balls or booze (or both). Maybe 30 feet altitude in a 17 footer.

Anyway, The Brunswick entry was to be driven by “Bully”, with me navigating, and Tommy “The Golden Guinea” Mottola, mechanicing. Talk about the golden days of offshore racing! We had 63 starters that year, and started the race in Miami’s Government Cut. There were nine rows of seven boats, and we were on south side of the seventh row. “Bully” was a little “under the weather” and asked me to pilot the boat for the start. The confused seas resembled haystacks. I was thrilled to accept, and kept that sucker at full throttle until the traffic cleared, which was halfway to Cat Cay. Our little boat was pretty fast in calm water, and we were quite competitive until we blew the engine.

Back to the World Championship. In early 1964, our local offshore club, OPBRA, Offshore Power Boat Racing Association (or: Old Pricks Who Bitch and Run Away, depending on whom you ask), conjured up a global championship for offshore. John Crouse, the late Aronow inflater, was the driving force behind the effort, and he furnished a beautiful trophy for the championship, the big trophy permanently on display (at John’s house), and little silver shot glass looking things that the actual champion was allowed to keep. A committee chose a number of race sites around the world, and one would win the title by garnering the most total points in those races. Jim Wynne won in 1964 and ’66. Jim was always prepared, always finished the race (even with his co-driver with two broken ankles), and deservedly won both titles.

Then, there was 1965. Don Aronow had become larger than life, and many fans (his wife, kids and secretary) were certain that he would be the world champ. The format for scoring the races was the same as Formula One Racing, with 9, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 points in order of finish. Apparently, 1965 was not a vintage year, and by November, the end of the season, only Don Aronow, with 13 points (9 for Miami-Nassau, 4 for Cowes-Torquay), Dick Bertram, 9 points for Cowes- Torquay, and Bill Wishnick, 9 points for the Sam Griffith Memorial race, were in contention for the title. The final race would be the November, 1965, Miami to Key West race. If Aronow won, he won the title. If Bertram or Wishnick won, and Aronow was 3rd or worse, whoever won was the champ.

I was ghost driving for Wishnick (Nicest man on the planet. Made Mother Teresa look like Hillary Clinton) in those early days. Bobby Moore was our riding mechanic. We were running Holman Moody Fords, High Riser, High Winder, Side Oiler, 8V, 427’s, in a 28’ Donzi, as was Aronow. Bertram had Diesel engines, a larger boat, 36 feet long, made of a miracle material, “Tree wood” which apparently grows wild, and is a renewable resource. In fact, Bertram’s boat sank the very next race. I guess we should have given the Witch Doctor a few more Gold Doubloons, and Billy would have won. Missed it by THAT much!

The day of the race, it was flat calm. We were the fastest boat in the race, in “Broad Jumper”, Don Aronow was next in “008”, then Dick Bertram in the big treewood boat, “Brave Moppie”, which was apparently named for a particularly daring janitorial device. We led at the start, and could actually back off a hundred or so RPM’s and maintain the lead. Aronow lasted about half way, and it was down to Bertram and us. We threw a propeller blade about the same time. No way to change inboard propellers in a short time. We could still keep the lead at WFT, but the boat was orbiting from the imbalance, and everything was falling apart. Bertram crept by at about American Shoal light as we could only wish and watch.

Post script: Two years later, in the Miami-Nassau race, the entire Mercury Offshore Team started the race with bad props, and I won in a slower boat. Turnabout is fair play!

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MIAMI-NASSAU RACE THROWBACK TO WAY THINGS USED…

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Miami-nassau race throwback to way things used to be.

Don Aronow . . . Sam Griffith . . . Dick Bertram . . . Knocky House . . .These were the bronco busters of modern offshore powerboat racing, hard- bitten men who carved legends out of a stubborn sea with insouciance and spunk. They never met a wave they wouldn’t vault or plow through. […]

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P1 Offshore;

Powerboat P1 is the fastest growing marine motorsport series in the world and has a long term commitment to growing and developing the sport of power boating at all levels. The Powerboat P1 team works closely with the sport’s governing bodies, the UIM, APBA and the IJSBA. P1 has delivered more than 85 world championship events in over twelve different countries for more than a decade.

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About Class 1

Uim class 1 offshore racing.

Class 1 is the premier class of offshore powerboat racing in the world and is considered to be one of the most spectacular marine motorsports. A Class 1 race boat has twin inboard 1100hp engines and can reach speeds in excess of 160mph. All boats are limited by a minimum weight of 4,950kg. History The sport of powerboat racing dates back to the late 19th century with the earliest recorded race being in Nice in the south of France, but the first officially recognized international offshore race was a 22-mile event from Calais to Dover. The modern era of offshore racing began in 1956 with the famous Miami-Nassau race which ultimately lead to a UIM-sanctioned World Championship in 1964. As of 2019, APBA-sanctioned Class 1 racing is promoted by Powerboat P1, with catamarans competing with strictly regulated sterndrive Mercury Racing 9.0L 1100hp twin-turbocharged V8 engines. The current Class 1 champions are the Victory team from Dubai. Offshore racing has undergone enormous changes since its earliest days, with the quest for speed producing boats, engines and transmission systems that are highly sophisticated and the use of advanced composites significantly improving safety levels. The Boats Weighing in at around 5 tonnes, each boat in the Class 1 fleet is around 12-14 metres in length and 3.5 metres wide. Safety is a priority and the cockpit is reinforced to withstand enormous impacts. Inside the cockpit, there are satellite GPS systems, trim indicators, engine date dashboards and instrument panels. While a Class 1 race boat is highly technical and state-of-the-art, the skill of the crew and the relationship between the driver and throttleman who navigate and control the power is ultimately the defining factor and crucial to performance. The Crews Each boat has a two-man crew: the driver and throttleman. They work closely with their pit crews to decide the race set-up: the type of propeller required for the conditions, gear ration settings, the amount of fuel needed and race tactics. Propeller choice is critical. Class 1 Rights In October 2020, the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) assigned the international rights to stage Class 1 offshore powerboat racing to Powerboat P1. The agreement is for ten years and includes organizational and promotion rights to the UIM Class 1 World Championship. P1’s relationship with the UIM spans almost two decades and its aim is to take Class 1 back to where it belongs at the pinnacle of offshore racing. The agreement gives P1 the opportunity to grow the Class 1 championship in the United States and at the same time develop plans to globalize the series over the coming years.

What is Offshore Powerboat Class 1? Rules, Specs, Speed, and Main Events

The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) hosts the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, an international motorboat racing event for powerboats ( UIM ).

Offshore Powerboat Class 1 is the world’s best class for offshore powerboat racing. It creates a stunning race series by fusing driving prowess with technology. The highest level of offshore powerboat racing, Offshore Powerboat Class 1 is frequently compared to Formula 1 auto racing.

One of the most magnificent marine motorsports is Class 1. An Offshore Powerboat Class 1 race boat features two inboard 1100 horsepower engines and is capable of exceeding 257 kilometers per hour (160 mph). The minimum weight requirement for boats is 4950 kg.

History of Offshore Powerboat Class 1 racing

Since the first race was ever documented in 1887 in Nice, France, and was run by the Paris Sailing Club, the sport of powerboat racing has seen unheard-of transformations.

The Poissy Sailing Club hosted a 62-mile race in Meulan on the River Seine in 1903, and a 230-mile race from Paris to Trouville was also won by the French. But a 22-mile race from Calais, France, to Dover, England, was the first one to receive formal recognition as an international offshore powerboat race.

The first running of the renowned Miami-Nassau race, which eventually led to the introduction of the Sam Griffith Memorial Trophy and a UIM-sanctioned World Championship in 1964, marked the beginning of the modern age of offshore powerboat racing on May 6, 1956. From 1964 through 1976 , points accrued from numerous races staged at various locations across the world were used to determine the World Championship winner. From 1977 to 1991 , a single event at the end of the year held a series of races to determine the champion. In 1992, the World Championship switched back to a multi-event structure.

Since the U.I.M originally approved Offshore Powerboat Class 1 in 1964 , technological advancements have advanced significantly. Jim Wynne, Dick Bertram, and Don Aronow, t hree Americans, led the race for technological superiority shortly after it began, with Daytona, Mercruiser, and AeroMarine power plants dominating.

But the pendulum swung in the 1980s, ushering in a time when European design predominated. The James Beard-Clive Curtis Cougar catamarans, Italian producers Picchiotti and CUV, and Don Shead’s Aluminum monohulls set the pace. With the development of glass-reinforced polymer hulls, turbocharged engines, and integral surface drives, Fabio Buzzi made a significant advancement.

The 1990s saw the rise of Michael Peter’s design and the dominance of Tencara and Victory hulls , with Sterling, Lamborghini, Seatek, and more recently, Mercury sharing the power battle. Modern racers are pushing the frontiers of what is possible with their boats and cutting-edge technology in their never-ending quest for competitive greatness.

If this whets your appetite, keep a look out for the upcoming article “ Powerboat Racing classes ” on this website.

Main Types And Specifications Of The Boats Used For Offshore Powerboat Class 1 Racing?

Most of the vessels in the Offshore Powerboat Class 1 fleet are catamarans. They have a stepped hull design (you can learn more about stepped hulls in the “ Stepped Hulls ” article) and usually are made of advanced composites like carbon and Kevlar. They are typically 12-14 meters long, 3.5 meters broad, and powered by inboards with surface-piercing propellers. They weigh about 5 tonnes.

As safety has grown to be a top priority over time, modern Offshore Powerboat Class 1 boats are the safest they have ever been. An escape hatch in the hull serves as an extra measure of protection in the event of an accident, and the cockpit is reinforced to withstand the severe impacts that could happen if a boat crashes at speeds greater than 150 mph.

The fleet is made up of brands including Maritimo, MTI, Outerlimits, Tencara, and Victory. All boats have petrol engines that range from Mercury or Outerlimits V8 to 8.2 liter V12s from Lamborghini-SKEMA or SCAM, with the Victory Team using an 8.2 liter V12 from Victory.

The Bond Between Man And Machine

An Offshore Powerboat Class 1 race boat is highly technical and state-of-the-art and its overall performance is dependent on design, aero and hydrodynamics, choice of a propeller, and gear ratio selection. The crew is kept informed of the boat’s progress during a race using satellite GPS systems, trim indicators, engine data dashboards, instrument panels, and danger lights inside the cockpit.

There will be two main people in the cockpit, The driver, who navigates and directs the boat, and the throttle-man, who sets the speed by manipulating the throttles and the trim, are the two crew members of each boat . The relationship between the driver and throttle man, who navigate and control the power and must directly input to adjust the trim and drive settings during a race or official qualifying, plays a huge role in the outcome of the race.

A close working relationship and complete trust are necessary for this combination. Imagine operating the accelerator when you are driving and your passenger. The fastest drivers, in the eyes of spectators, will win if the crew simply jumps into the cockpit. This a reasonable argument, but one that ignores the expertise and professionalism of the pilots who routinely soar over the waves at speeds exceeding 160 mph(250 km/h) .

To decide the race setup, including the type of propeller needed for the weather, gear ratio settings, the amount of fuel required, and race tactics, both pilots work closely with their pit crews. The choice of a propeller can make or break a championship as well as a race.

Main Rules Of Offshore Powerboat Class 1

The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship consists of eight races at four locations, with races lasting roughly 55 or 75 Nm and numerous laps lasting approximately 5 Nm (including one or two mandatory long laps). The team with the most total points at the end of the season wins the World Championship. A winning team receives 20 points, a runner-up receives 15, and a third-place team receives 12 points.

The first day of a Grand Prix weekend is dedicated to registration, technical inspection, the first practice session, and driver briefings. On day two, the Edox Pole Position (qualification), which counts toward a separate championship, is held in the morning, followed by Race 1 in the late morning. The Edox Pole Position is held on the Grand Prix course, just as the practice sessions, providing the crews more time to become comfortable with the track and weather conditions and make setup decisions.

The Pole-sitter (person with the best time) lines up closest to the official start boat as it serves as the qualifying round for the starting line-up for Race 1 . Teams must execute a minimum of one timed lap during the Edox Pole Position, which lasts 45 minutes. Teams are permitted to return to the wet pits to make setup tweaks, but they are only allowed a total of 10 minutes under the crane.

On day three, Race 2 is held in the afternoon after a last practice session in the morning. A Nor-Tech 3600 Supercat official pace boat sets the starting order for each race, moving at a controlled speed as it leads the boats out of the wet pits and into a line abreast under a yellow or amber flashing light. For Race 1, the starting order for Race 2 is determined by Race 1’s finishing position, and Race 1’s starting order is determined by Race 1’s finishing position.

Each race has 11–15 laps and is 55–75 Nm in duration , with one or two extended laps being required. The winner of the World Championship is decided by adding the outcomes of each race. Specific events that occur in such geographical areas serve as the benchmarks for the European Championship and the Middle East Championship.

What Are The Safety Measures In Place During Class 1 Offshore Powerboat Races?

Safety is of the utmost importance in Class 1 offshore powerboat racing, and several measures are in place to ensure the safety of the participants and the public. The UIM sets the safety standards for Class 1 racing, and these standards cover everything from the design of the boats to the safety equipment required by the drivers.

Some of the safety measures in place during Class 1 offshore powerboat races include:

• Each boat is required to have a minimum of two crew members, including a driver and a throttleman.
• All crew members are required to wear personal flotation devices and helmets.
• Boats are required to have a number of safety features, including automatic fire extinguishers and emergency kill switches.

Offshore Powerboat Class 1 Main Events

An Offshore Powerboat Class 1 season consists of a Grand Prix series, which includes two races, one official qualifying session (also known as Pole Position), and three official practice sessions. The winners of the World Championship, the European Championship, and the Middle East Championship are determined by unique events that take place in those geographical areas.

Some of the main events in the United States are as follows,

• Thunder on Cocoa Beach – Cocoa Beach, FL
• Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix – Sarasota, FL
• Great Lakes Grand Prix – Michigan City, IN
• St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix – St. Petersburg, FL
• Roar Offshore – Fort Myers Beach, FL
• Key West Championships – Key West, FL

Some of the most popular International Class 1 offshore powerboat races include:

• Dubai Grand Prix : Held in Dubai, UAE, this race is part of the UIM World Championship series and attracts top teams from around the world. The race is held on a 6.1 km circuit and is known for its challenging conditions and high-speed racing.
• Cowes-Torquay-Cowes : This race is held in the UK and is considered to be one of the oldest and most prestigious offshore powerboat races in the world. The race covers a distance of 200 miles and is known for its challenging conditions and unpredictable weather.
• Italian Grand Prix : This race is held in Italy and is part of the UIM World Championship series. The race is held on a 5.5 km circuit and attracts top teams and drivers from around the world. The race is known for its high-speed racing and challenging conditions.

The Offshore Powerboat Class 1 race is one of the most thrilling and accelerating boat races around the world. The races can take place in a variety of places, including the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. The sport is considered risky and demands a great degree of expertise and training to engage in.

What is Offshore Powerboat Class 1?

Offshore Powerboat Class 1 is a high-speed powerboat racing event that is internationally recognized and considered the highest level of offshore powerboat racing in the world. It is hosted by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) and is often compared to Formula 1 auto racing.

Who are the top teams in Offshore Powerboat Racing Class 1?

Offshore Powerboat Racing Class 1 features some of the best teams and drivers in the world, competing at the highest level of the sport. The top teams are those that consistently perform well in races and have a track record of success. Some of the most successful teams in Class 1 history include Victory Team, Dubai, and Qatar Team.

How did offshore powerboat racing class 1 come about?

Offshore Powerboat Racing Class 1 came about in 1964 when the first offshore powerboat race was held in Miami, Florida. The event was called the Miami-Nassau Powerboat Race, and it was a 184-mile race that was won by Dick Bertram in his 30-foot Bertram boat. The success of the Miami-Nassau Powerboat Race led to the formation of the American Power Boat Association (APBA), which was created to promote offshore powerboat racing in the United States.

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About the author

I worked as an officer in the deck department on various types of vessels, including oil and chemical tankers, LPG carriers, and even reefer and TSHD in the early years. Currently employed as Marine Surveyor carrying cargo, draft, bunker, and warranty survey.

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Powerboat Racing: V for Victory

T he way the postcards picture it, the Atlantic Ocean off Miami is a land lubber’s delight where only the antics of frolicking porpoises disturb the serenity of the Gulf Stream. But there are days, and plenty of them, when the east wind rises and turns the 160-mile stretch between Miami and Nassau into one of the meanest, choppiest patches of water anywhere. Then small-craft warnings goup, and cautious skippers stick to sailing olives in a cozy yacht-club bar.

Not Richard H. Bertram. At 48, Florida’s Dick Bertram is the Enzo Ferrari of powerboat racing. Like Ferrari, he sells luxury transportation to the well-heeled: his sleek, fiber-glass cruisers and sport fishermen cost anywhere from $9,000 to $75,000. Like Ferrari, he puts his reputation on the line on the racing circuit. And, like Ferrari, he almost always wins, in smooth water or rough.

Last week, on the eve of the annual Miami-to-Nassau powerboat race, billed as “the most rugged ocean race in the world,” the forecast was for 15-to 22-knot winds and steep seas with 2-ft. to 6-ft. crests. “Good,” said Bertram. “In rough weather, everything comes into play—hull design, engines, even the crew. The question is whether the crew can take the pounding.”

Deep & Level. The Miami-to-Nassau race is practically a Bertram monopoly. Bertram won it with Moppie in 1960, the first year he ever entered, and his boats have won it each year since. Key to his success is the unique hull design of his boats, brainchild of famed Boston Naval Architect Ray Hunt. Most powerboats are sharply V’d at the bow, but the hull flattens out to provide a smooth “planing” surface near the stern. In the Bertrams, the “deep V” runs all the way aft to the transom, and the smooth sides of their hulls are broken with a series of jutting longitudinal strakes, like steps. In high waves, the strakes and deep V keep the hull level, nose down so that it knifes through the waves, while flat-sterned powerboats tend to leap off the crest of each swell and crash heavily into the trough. The result, according to Bertram: “less slip, more control”—and 40% higher speeds.

Bertram entries in last week’s race included Lucky Moppie, his own 31-footer, equipped with twin 380-h.p. Daytona Marine engines; Vivacity, a 38-ft., diesel-powered Bertram owned by British Newspaper Publisher Max Aitken; and Rum Runner, a 31-ft. bomb, driven by Florida’s Harold Abbott, whose twin 521-h.p. Holman-Moody Ford engines made it the most powerful boat in the race. For competition, there were 32 other boats. General Motors pinned its hopes on Allied 36 and Allied GX, a pair of 40-ft. monsters powered by twin 315-h.p. G.M. diesels. From Louisiana’s Gulf Coast came Ragin’ Cajun, a 32-ft. diesel whose skipper announced: “This is a work boat, the kind we use to take workers out to the offshore oil rigs. We aim to beat the pants off them gentlemen drivers.” But the Bertrams’ most dangerous challengers were nine Formula 233s, fiber-glass boats whose own deep-V lines were almost dead ringers for the Bertrams’ own.

Cracks & Leaks. By the time the field reached Cat Cay, 441 miles from Miami, eleven boats were already out of the race. Ragin’ Cajun gave up with clutch trouble. Aboard Allied GX, a geyser of steam and water suddenly shot up from the ruptured bilges. The crew watched sadly from a life raft as the $140,000 boat sank in 600 fathoms.

The Bertrams were having their own woes. Harold Abbott’s Rum Runnerdeveloped a 4-ft.-long crack in the cabin; the radio was smashed, and a reinforcing stringer had broken loose from the hull. In Lucky Moppie, every time Bertram tried to switch to his main fuel tank, his engines quit. Then, maneuvering at the check-in station on Cat Cay, Lucky Moppie slammed into another boat, knocking it into a sea wall and out of contention. Miraculously, Lucky Moppie kept going.

One, Two, Three. On the relatively calm 161-mile stretch from Cat Cay to Sylvia Light, Max Aitken’s Vivacity clung to a narrow lead, pursued by two Formula 233s. Bertram’s Lucky Moppie was now running fourth, and Abbott’s Rum Runner was fifth. Then one of the Formulas ran out of gas. Cracking along at 3,500 r.p.m. and 50 knots, Bertram overtook the other—and shot into first place when Aitken veered off course. With just three miles to go on the final leg from Hog Cay to Nassau, Bertram seemed to have it sewed up—until his reserve tanks ran dry and he had to switch to the main fuel tank. Lucky Moppie stopped dead. By the time Bertram got his engines going again, Abbott’s Rum Runner, damaged as it was, had passed everybody and was in front to stay. Up to the Nassau pier roared Rum Runner, and an official waved her in. “Hell, no!” yelled Abbott. “This boat is sinking. We’re going to beach her.”

Although he had to settle for second place himself, Builder Bertram could hardly have been happier. His boats had finished one-two-three, and the closest competitor, a Formula 233, was 10 min. behind. The durability of the Bertram had been proved again. Battered almost beyond belief, Rum Runner had averaged 32.6 knots to win the roughest Miami-to-Nassau race in history.

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Miami to Nassau Cup Race

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Bloody nose for a boat race

• Author: Arthur Zich

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ORIGINAL LAYOUT

The start of this year's 180-mile Miami-Nassau powerboat race was a mess. The plan was to send off the 48 ocean-racing entries in six evenly spaced rows. The start was to be about 7 a.m. at the end of Government Cut. That was the plan, and at 5:30 a.m. the fastest collection of sea-going powerboats ever assembled began moving across Biscayne Bay to carry it out.

As the boats turned into Government Cut on the final run out toward the start, the six rows formed up and then suddenly began to go ragged. The race committee neglected to enforce any distance specifications between rows, and naturally a few in the ruck began cutting the distance. Then someone on the starter's boat casually dropped the starting flag, and engines roared to top rpm.

The spectators along the MacArthur Causeway danced to dry ground as the wash of the wakes, unheard above the rumble of boats, flopped along the shore. Also unheard along the shore was the splintering of a hull, as a Coast Guard entry, patrol boat No. 30490, slipped down a wave and collided with Jack Manson's X8 Allied GX, a 40-footer. No. 30490 survived the crash but later withdrew from the race with engine trouble. Manson, despite 14 feet of stove-in hull, managed to continue. If the damage had been a foot lower, GX would have sunk in Government Cut. At about the same time Jim Wynne's 25-footer, moving through the jam of boats at some 40 mph, hit the gunwale of an out-of-control rival but managed to get through the rest of the race.

The others began stretching across the still, calm surface of the Gulf Stream. Cat Cay, 44 nautical miles away, was the first check point, and 52 minutes after the start Dave Craig's AOKwynn, first boat to enter the comma-shaped channel running between Gun and Cat Cay, charged into the dock to pick up the necessary papers for Nassau entrance—and then resolutely died of electrical failure. Next came Mechanic Howard Hibbert, through the channel and past the docks; an engine blew, his crankshaft snapped. Four-time winner Sam Griffith, the red hat he wears for luck flapping, coasted into Cat Cay in third place. He banged the dock at 10 miles an hour, grabbed his Nassau papers and gunned away through the shallows of Great Bahama Bank, suddenly in first place. Griffith looked down at the tachometers: 5,000 rpm. He looked over the stern. One boat was in sight, 600 yards behind him, Johnny Bakos' 25-footer, powered by twin 225-hp Mercury engines.

Griffith looked again at his controls: 4,700 rpm. Now Bakos was in his wake coming up slowly. Griffith dropped to 4,500. Ocean water from the cooling system was leaking through a small crack in his port engine block. The gap between the boats dropped to 100 yards, then 100 feet. With 50 feet between them, Griffith called for a can of beer. His co-skipper (and the builder of his boat), Dick Bertram, handed him a Coke. Griffith sipped it, spat it out—"I wanted a beer," he complained—and threw the can over the side. "That was my Coke," Bertram told him. "I was just giving you a sip." "Well, it's gone now," Griffith growled over the wind. Bakos' black-and-white hull slid past. "So's the race," Griffith added. He pulled off the lucky red hat and threw it overboard.

At 36 minutes and 20 seconds after 10 o'clock, to the sound of a cannon from the Nassau Yacht Club, Bakos barged across the finish line. His time: 3 hours, 42 minutes and 20 seconds—38 minutes faster than Griffith's record time last year. For Bakos it was a good victory, but it would have had more meaning had the ocean been rough enough to truly test his boat. For Griffith it was a defeat, but hardly a crushing one. "The breaks of racing," he explained later. "A man does what he has to do; if it don't work out, well there are always other races."

Hopefully, there will be no more races like this one. Despite the chaos, Race Chairman Red Crise saw no reason to change any of the rules. "I don't care how rough it was," he said. "I will not wet-nurse anyone." This completely ignored the fact that the thing to be proved in this race was not who had the sharpest elbows but who had the best seagoing powerboat hull and engine. Then the winner, Johnny Bakos, got himself a mysterious but very visible bloody nose. Visible, that is, until Bakos vanished—first under a security blanket of fellow employees of the Kiekhaefer Corporation, builder of his Mercury engines, and then from the town of Nassau altogether to hole up in the Airliner Motel back in Miami.

Back in Nassau, Carl Kiekhaefer himself suffered the anguish of a corporation president whose engines won, getting him good publicity, but in the end wound up being heavily harassed by the press because of his attempts to wipe a bloody nose. And in all the foolishness probably the biggest bloody nose was suffered by the race itself.

JOHNNY BAKOS SKIMS TO FIRST-PLACE FINISH AT NASSAU