History of the sport

[Top Banana]

Vincenzo Balestrieri an Italian, used to buy the old race boats of Aronow and used them very successfully in European races.

Here is a photo of one of Don's 28 foot Magnums that sunk during a Cowes race in the late 60's.

This boat was found just a couple of years ago and is being restored over in England.

The last photo shows Vincenzo and the giant Texan...Don Pruett, who was his riding mechanic....don't forget drivers drove and throttled back then.

 

[Geronimo36]

Tommy, to prove a point, ran the boat at the next race which was Key West and.....it caught on fire.

Then again, Tommy was one to prove a point on a regular basis.....he wanted to show how the main rotor on a helicopter wasn't really that close to everyone's head, so he stuck his finger up .......and promptly cut it off. He wore a leather glove on the hand the finger was missing on after that.

That was a coffee spitter too. :rofl: Dang you guys, you sure you can't make this stuff up?????:sifone:

Now that's comedy!!!!:rofl::rofl:

It's like a Bugs Bunny episode with Elmer Fud huntin for wabbits or Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner!:willy_nilly:

The sad part is if that happened nowadays he could probably sue the helicopter company! LOL

 

[THUNDERBOLT]

What happened in 1966 is even better, Jim Wynn is driving Ghost Rider on the way to Torquay in really bad weather and 6 foot seas they hit a rogue wave Bob Sherbert breaks both or was it one ankle insists Wynn carries on,Bob jams himself in the corner of the very small uncomfortable cockpit. Wynn does not know who is leading until they get to the SKERRIES BUOY ,opens the thottles when he spots Spirit of Ecstacy a 40ft cruiser catching him up, powers into Torquay harbour where Sherbert is lifted out and taken to hospital in ambulance. Wynn has won the only race that had eluded him.
Mike

 

[Top Banana]

What happened in 1966 is even better, Jim Wynn is driving Ghost Rider on the way to Torquay in really bad weather and 6 foot seas they hit a rogue wave Bob Sherbert breaks both or was it one ankle insists Wynn carries on,Bob jams himself in the corner of the very small uncomfortable cockpit. Wynn does not know who is leading until they get to the SKERRIES BUOY ,opens the thottles when he spots Spirit of Ecstacy a 40ft cruiser catching him up, powers into Torquay harbour where Sherbert is lifted out and taken to hospital in ambulance. Wynn has won the only race that had eluded him.
Mike

Bob Sherbert bravely told Wynne to carry on with BOTH ankles broken.

Here is a shot of them running and you can just see Bob's arm waving from the back of the cockpit. (Can you believe that we have actual photos like this of some of the greatest events in the sport? HORBA archives)

Color shots are of the recently restored boat, you can see the cockpit had no bolster set up at all. The little blue gauge is the speedometer and as you can see real cabins were required under the rules of some racng organizations.

Last photo is Barry Cohen and me at the HORBA display at the boat show. Barry who has lovingly kept this boat for more than 40 years now, recently restored it and offered it to the NJ race people. He thought they might want to use it in their parade for the 40th anninversay of the race.

BTW....this boat was made of wood !!!!!

 

[THUNDERBOLT]

We are sincerely hoping Barry will bring her over to Cowes for the 50th celebrations
Mike

 

[Black Tornado]

Vincenzo Balestrieri an Italian, used to buy the old race boats of Aronow and used them very successfully in European races.

Here is a photo of one of Don's 28 foot Magnums that sunk during a Cowes race in the late 60's.

This boat was found just a couple of years ago and is being restored over in England.

The last photo shows Vincenzo and the giant Texan...Don Pruett, who was his riding mechanic....don't forget drivers drove and throttled back then.

Charlie....some 'little' specifications:

to speak of the offshore career of Balestrieri as you have described above it seems to me a little reduced.
Balestrieri bought two second-hand boats from Aronow: the Tornado 28'Magnum and the Black Tornado 32'Cary-a second 32'Cary was bought for Cosentino.
All the other boats including two 36' Cigarette and one 34' Cig were new boats built for him.
With them he has not won only in Europe but it was the first driver not-USA to beat the Americans in their holes.
1968 - Sam Griffith Mem. Race
1970 - Miami-Nassau
Thanks to the valid contribution of Don Pruett in 1968 and of Jack Stuteville in the 1970 Balestrieri won the World Titles in that respective years.
Besides Balestrieri was the only driver of the offshore history that for seven years consecutive runs both in Europe and in Usa and in any other place where was a race valid for the World Championship always honoring its presence with performances of high-level.
It was one of the few gentleman-driver able to maintain the role of driver that of T-man.
In the history of the offshore surely there was been better drivers of him but as many as surely Balestrieri has given a lot for this fascinating sport to make it legendary.

BT

 

[Ratickle]

Welcome Marco, been waiting for you. Your knowledge of the European history has been missed.

 

[MOBILEMERCMAN]

Marco, Thanks for your additions to the thread. I look forward to reading more of your stories.. I am fascinated by the early days.

Thank you.

 

[Black Tornado]

Many Thanks for welcome!
It's difficult to me follow several forums with few times to spend about(sic!).
But I will try to insert me how much more possible.

Marco

 

[Ratickle]

Many Thanks for welcome!
It's difficult to me follow several forums with few times to spend about(sic!).
But I will try to insert me how much more possible.

Marco

We have a thread here on a boat, Bertram 38, we are trying to find for a member. His Dad owned it. I'll get you the link.

Any chance at all you can make our Key West get together with HORBA????

 

[Ratickle]

http://seriousoffshore.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10037


Here it is, start with post 15. Thanks.

 

[FastDonzi]

Many Thanks for welcome!
It's difficult to me follow several forums with few times to spend about(sic!).
But I will try to insert me how much more possible.

Marco

No Problem....Just Concentrate on "this One" and we'll all be Happy! We Love Reading/Learning about the History of the Sport. All Knowledge is Welcome, and So are Photos and Videos

 

[Brownie]

Bill Wishnick bought Odell Lewis's 31 Bertram with the first ever pair of #3 speedmasters. No power steering. He and Bobby Gene raced in the Houston Channel Derby in, I think, 1969. The race started at the San Jacinto Yacht Club. When we squeezed through the narrow opering into the river to go to Galveston Bay, Bill was driving, and Bobby was facing aft in the bolster, praying. No s**t. Smitty and I were next in Super Nova. When they got to the Texas City Dike, they were in front, but they went around the turn boat four times. Bill wasn't strong enough to pull the wheel out of the turn while pulling back the throttles at the same time. Bobby said "Why don't you steer, and let me throttle and trim"?

 

[gofish7070]

For some reason I think thats the boat that Mel Riggs and I discussed when I saw him in April,,, It seems to me that the whole thing sold for $26k Both Odell and Mel will be at OFF, can confirm that price,,,,,,,,,Propeelors today are over that,,,,,,,,,

 

[Sean Stinson]

I took these this afternoon on atrip down memory lane that was as close as I could get but lets see how many of you, who I know have been to this place, can name it!!!!

 

[DAREDEVIL]

I took these this afternoon on atrip down memory lane that was as close as I could get but lets see how many of you, who I know have been to this place, can name it!!!!

Your X wifes home ??? LOL:sifone:

 

[Sean Stinson]

Not hardly......you guys couldn't handle either one of my ex-wives!!!!!! I know the pics are hard to see but no one can fathom a guess????

 

[Sean Stinson]

Here is the address at the gate house!!!!! And there were always deer on the runway!!!!!

 

[smokeybandit]

Lake X?

 

[DAREDEVIL]

mmmmhhhhhh,,,,,could be.