Seminole Spirit - 27 Magnum

[whaler]

Here is an email I got the other day from Dick Carlson, he ran throttles for my dad, Danny Patrona, in the Seminole Spirit for years. Bruce Merriman was also in the boat as navigator. I thought this was a great story to share about old school offshore racing, and how crazy they were back in the day. And I know if given the chance, most of us would do it today..... the photo attached goes with the story.

Phill,
This picture of the "Spirit" was taken at the "1979 Bacardi Rum Race" in Miami, it is priceless. The "Spirit" was in the lead when the picture was taken, there were (60) boats behind us and (19) Helicopters in the air. We were heading east out of Government Cut just past the shore line and the high breakers were to our port. The splash in the picture is the "Spirit" coming out of a offshore wave.

We flew the boat and came down on the backside of a wave with the nose of the boat at 45 degrees downward and then proceeded to go through the next wave. We went through the next wave underwater but the boat displaced enough water to keep the boat from taking on water. The water actually had a umbrella effect over the top of us. The deck of the boat had cracked 4 Ft down each side from the water impact. I have never experienced this again or heard from anyone who did.

After coming out the wave and getting our heads straight, we headed to the Bimini turn. The race took over 3 hrs to complete 125 miles, only half of the boats made it to Bimini (30 mi) and only (18) boats finished the race. We ran out of gas just past the finish line inside Government Cut but managed to finish 1st. This race was more survival than speed.

Jimmy (Patrona) and Larry (Arnone) were at this race, Ask Jimmy if he remembers doing shots with José Bacardi and his body guard (Bacardi shots).

Enjoy,
Dick

 

[Top Banana]

Please say hello to Dick for me. I remember that race well. The production boats just went straight out and back. The Open class boats had to go down to the top of the Keys and then back to Government Cut and then over to Bimini.

I remember seeing these guys on the way back from Bimini to Miami. I spotted them up ahead and knew that Bruce would get a big thrill from hearing my exhausts, so I ran closer to them as we passed them....they all seemd to jump as we went by, as they had no idea we were coming up on them.

They were the class of the field that day. That boat always ran very good and the equipment was always top shelf.

 

[NNRT]

Hello Phil ? I am Phil Lewis - the lower photo was ours - I knew your father and he was very kind to me and my crew - I never forgot how well organized he was - Please say hello to him for me. Bruce died long ago - but was a narrator for us - Bruce and I went back long ago when he navigated for Wally Harper in that boat - Little Smidgen - thats when I ran my 28 ft. Bertram which I sold to Ken Black. (he later painted it pink and called it KILLER for his wife to drive).

Again - please send my regards to your dad !

Phil

 

[Dude! Sweet!]

Very cool, and a great looking boat! Welcome to the site and keep 'em coming!

 

[h2oMag]

[Here is an email I got the other day from Dick Carlson, he ran throttles for my dad, Danny Patrona, in the Seminole Spirit for years. Bruce Merriman was also in the boat as navigator. I thought this was a great story to share about old school offshore racing, and how crazy they were back in the day. And I know if given the chance, most of us would do it today..... the photo attached]

Great to see you here on Serious. I Had, and raced, your Dads Damn Yankee sport Mag, Back In The Day 1982 to 1986 what a ride !!!!! We even put on the heavy Smidgen engine hatches,, that the Spirit had on her for that same look. The Late Bruce Merriman was cool,, on one of his videos he cams up with the phrase RACE TILL ALL THE PARTS FALL OFF talking about our Skater cat Eastern Express,, in 1991. All the Lake St Clair GREATS raced in those two Magnums, Wally H, Bruce M, Jimmy C, Dick C, Danny P, Bob C, Kenny S, Sam Altese, and many more.:26:
Here is a pic of the dream team, the Maltese Mag, and when I had her.

 

[Lee]

Hello Phil ? I am Phil Lewis - the lower photo was ours - I knew your father and he was very kind to me and my crew - I never forgot how well organized he was - Please say hello to him for me. Bruce died long ago - but was a narrator for us - Bruce and I went back long ago when he navigated for Wally Harper in that boat - Little Smidgen - thats when I ran my 28 ft. Bertram which I sold to Ken Black. (he later painted it pink and called it KILLER for his wife to drive).

Again - please send my regards to your dad !

Phil

It was a "Killer" boat, a shame that it burned up in the Emerald City Harbor fire.

I saw Dick a couple of years ago, I ended up with his first Donzi.

 

[h2oMag]

Here are a few more pic's.

 

[Bobcat]

great thread !

 

[smokeybandit]

Now I have to go through my pics and videos again. I know I have video when it became Bob Molinari's American Spirit. I think I have some pics as well. If I recall correctly, the only change from the Seminole Spirit days was changing the first part of the name. Here's a pic of Bob in the cockpit.

 

[lucky strike]

1979 Bacardi race was one the roughest race I was ever in.
1980 was no cake walk either. The ocean is always mad that time of year in Florida.

 

[Mike A.]

Whaler,

Our dads raced against each other back in 1975 at Point Pleasant and Sandusky, Ohio. I was 12 then and actually took the picture of the P-222 at the docks in PP in post 7.

 

[h2oMag]

As the story goes, Wally Harper and Dan Patrona lost there old Magnums [as did many more Mag owners] in the fire at Emerald City Harbor here on Lake St Clair. Wally and Dan went to Magnum and had two new Mags built, they say the hulls were identical. One with TRS speedmasters for sport class the other with the TRS 280 package for P class. When Wally got out of racing he sold the LiL SMIDGEN to Dan, As Dan had sold the the Damn Yankee to Ken Stevens who raced her as Showdown, with Dick Carlson & Jim Krause. Many of the same race teams ran these two Magnums. Showdown was later sold to Sam Altese,& was raced as Come Again. Lil SMIDGEN became Seminole Spirit with Dan, Bruce Merriman & Dick Carlson. Dan sold the Spirt to Charley Lynch he named her American Spirit driven by Sam Altese after he sold us the Come Again Magnum that we raced as Believe It. Like I said two Magnums, raced by many of the same guys !!!!!!!

 

[h2oMag]

The Spirit became Shock Wave out on thee East Coast, and my Mag became the P-88 & B-12 Chemical Re Action raced by Dan Humes and Joe Scorsky. Where these Magnums are today ???????????????

 

[Fast Shafts]

H2O,
After racing out of NJ as Shock Wave, it was renamed "Power Hungry", last I heard it was rotting behind an auto shop off rt. 33 near Freehold NJ. I attempted to find it, but it was no longer there...

 

[h2oMag]

H2O,
After racing out of NJ as Shock Wave, it was renamed "Power Hungry", last I heard it was rotting behind an auto shop off rt. 33 near Freehold NJ. I attempted to find it, but it was no longer there...

Sad story,, I believe the same story was true for the 32' Medicine Man [Maverick] another great Lake St Clair Sport class boat. Twenty some years ago I heard a rumor that my Mag was sunk or destroyed ???????????

 

[Fast Shafts]

H20,
The Medacine Man also ended up in NJ. I saw it a few years ago in Tuckerton NJ, sitting in a field rotting away. The boat is no longer there-don't know where it is now.

 

[BUGSY]

Shockwave

Rich troppili, ran the boat, it was at his body shop

 

[whaler]

I will pass along the hellos and thanks for all the additional photos.
I was only 10 when dad stopped racing, so don't have a lot of photos from back in the day, but still have all the memories. Phil, what happened to all the videos from the mid to late seventies? Anyway to get access to that footage. Would love to see some of that stuff.

 

[NNRT]

I will pass along the hellos and thanks for all the additional photos.
I was only 10 when dad stopped racing, so don't have a lot of photos from back in the day, but still have all the memories. Phil, what happened to all the videos from the mid to late seventies? Anyway to get access to that footage. Would love to see some of that stuff.

sorry if I am a little late answering you - am in China for a week - and I dont get to check here often - however- to answer your question- the videos - from 1978 were orriginally filmed on super 8 sound film - and the quality when converted to video tape was more black and white, than color - most of those videos are lost unfortunately - some clips from them were in "10 years of Offshore" - which is available from Rich Luhrs or Darren Luhrs - "BIG SEAS productions" - contact them - they will know - Before I started filming in 1978, there were others doing it - Coastal Marine Productions - dont think they are around anymore -

NNRT was started with an idea- and a very reasonable Super 8 sound camera - and we had the films converted to video tape- remember video was in its infancy at the time. We re-invested every spare penny into better and better equipment - including our own camera mount, Broadcast quality equipment- and broadcast quality ediitng -

If it was not for people like your father- who liked our product, and who helped us come to Detroit, we would nothing - I will never take the credit for our work - it was a combination of great talent - Narrators like Rich Luhrs, Bruce Merriman, Helicopter pilots like Walt Mystin and Frank DeBoard - A fact that few know - is that I would spend the extra money to bring my own Helicopter pilots to every race - not relying on a inexperienced pilot who was affraid to get close to the water. It was a combination of great talent - and we all got along and had fun doing it - It never seemed like work filming- that was the fun part - having a "birdseye" view of the events- with a big fan overhead to keep us cool -

NNRT was the success it was, because of our clients - and the talent that I assembled - and I am grateful to everyone that was involved. and Most grateful to the many people that bought our films, that made it all possible.

Phil Lewis
nnrt.films@verizon.net

 

[whaler]

Phil, all I know is I watched Needle Nose Racing videos day in and day out in our house. I loved watching them over and over and over. Not only the local stuff but also all the ocean boats. and as I got older, all my friends would come over and we would watch them again and again. It was a different sport back then, and because of you alot of people got to see what it was really all about.