August 2015 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 21. Canadians Steal Show at Moosabec Lobster Boat Races


Eric Beal's JENNA MARIE and Wendall Bryant's 16TH AVENUE.


Wooden Boat Race, up to 35 feet 11 inches, LITTLE GIRLS and WIDE OPEN and we all knew how they should fi nish and they did. LITTLE GIRLS and WIDE OPEN


faced off once again in the Gasoline Free- for-All with the same results.


Six boats were on the line for the Die-


sel Free-for-All and after the starting fl ag dropped there was a battle for fi rst between MISS KARLEE and WILD WILD WEST. WILD WILD WEST was spewing lots and lots of black smoke, but she just could not catch MISS KARLEE for the top spot. Next up was the Fastest Lobster Boat Race with six boats on the line. LITTLE GIRLS jumped instantly into the lead and never looked back. Again there was a battle between MISS KARLEE and WILD WILD WEST and this time WILD WILD WEST slid across the fi nish line for second. The fi nal race of the day was Bass


Harbor’s Fastest Lobster boat and fi ve boats lined up for the it. STEPPIN’ UP jumped right into the lead and was fi rst to cross the fi nish line. Second went to RACHEL IRENE and third to FAMILY TRADITION. The Bass Harbor races have become one of the favorite venues on the coast. There are also a lot of different boats that race here from around Mount Desert Island and that makes the racing interesting. With four races down (Boothbay, Rockland, Moosabec and Bass Harbor) racers were now getting ready to head to Stonington, which is always one of the best attended events of the summer. The forecast was for bright sunny skies, but very warm temperatures and we were not disappointed. As soon as sign-up opened there was a steady line of people getting registered and it did not end until just before 1000 hrs. As expected we had bettered last year’s total with 113 boats signed in.


Stonington opts to race with four Work Boat Classes as they have a good turnout in the smaller boat divisions. In Class A, Skiffs 16-feet and under with outboards up to 30 hp, Operator 16 years and younger, there were six boats on the line and the one to beat was going to be Gavin Holland’s BABY BARON [Holland 14, 30-hp Yamaha] and they did not. The youngest racer signed up was seven year old Madison Wiberg in SHIT HAPPENS [Holland 14, 25-hp] who ran the course without any assistance and even half way down the course waved to the specta- tors.


In Class B, Inboards, outboards or out- drives, 31 to 60 hp, another six boats came to the line. As they headed up the course there was a real battle between three of the racers: Ian Adair’s TOUCH OF MADNESS [Mad Man 15; 40-hp] Richard Quinn’s [16’ Skiff, 40-hp Tohatsu] and Robbie Eaton’s U-2 [12’ Surry, 40-hp Mercury], which began to separate midway down the course and fi nished in this order. In Class C, Inboards,


outboards or outdrives, 61 to 90 hp, Marshall Spear’s J-BIRD [Calvin Beal 16; 90-hp] has been the boat to beat, but today he was getting pushed hard by Larkin Bolger’s RED ROCKET [16’; 90-hp Tohatsu]. They hung right together, but by the mid-point J-BIRD had a boat length lead and went on for the win. In the fi nal Work Boat race, Class D, Inboards, outboards or outdrive 91 hp and up, another six boats were on the line. Rac- ing up the right side was Deandra White’s DOUBLE TROUBLE [BHM 21, 300-hp Yamaha], which was blasting through the waves on her way to an easy win. Next up was the Novi Class, which


had fi ve entrants. The odds-on favorite in this race was Carroll Staples’ AGE QUOD AGIS [Dixon 45, 800-hp Caterpillar] and he jumped into the lead with Ethan Whittaker’s CARPE DIEM [Dixon 45; 750-hp John Deere] right on his stern, who just did not have enough to work his way into the lead. For those that did not take Latin AGE QUOD AGIS means “Do what you do well.” One of the most impressive races of the day is the John’s Bay Boat Co. race and this year there were 10 boats on the line, including the newest, James Tripp’s OUTER FALL [47’ John’s Bay, 803-hp Caterpillar] launched in May. She took the lead right at the dropped of the fl ag and lead all the way to the fi nish. Second went to B. Larrabee’s RESOLUTE [46’ John’s Bay Boat, 800-hp Caterpillar] and third was Nathan Jones’ SAILOR’S WAY [41’ Johns Bay Boat; 500- hp Lugger].


Now it was time for the fi ve Gasoline


Classes. There was only one entrant in Class A, Troy Alley’s STRIKE 3, so he was combined with Class B, which had two entrants, Wayne Rich’s WIDE OPEN and Jim Hardie’s MOVIN’ ON UP [Repco 30, 350 Chevrolet]. When the fl ags dropped you could instantly hear the gasoline engines scream as the headed for the fi nish. It was no surprise to see WIDE OPEN well in the lead with STRIKE 3 back by a few boat lengths. Class C had just one racer, Randy Durkee’s BLACK DIAMOND, who ran the course by herself. Class D, had two boats on the line, LITTLE GIRLS and Bruce Engert’s THUNDERBOLT [South Shore 30; 496 Chevrolet].Again when the fl ag dropped those gasoline engines screamed and it looked close, but LITTLE GIRLS was out ahead by two boat lengths. In Class E, Galen Alley’s FOOLISH PLEASURE was the only entrant and ran the course with a speed of 50.4 mph. In the Wooden Boat Race A there was LITTLE GIRLS and WIDE OPEN and there was just one entrant, Vance Bunker’s SARI ANN [42’Johns Bay Boat; 660-hp Volvo] in Wooden Boat Race B so they were all run together. LITTLE GIRLS got the win with WIDE OPEN second and SARI ANN third, but winning her class.


Ed Shirley's MISS KARLEE and Cameron Crawford's WILD WILD WEST had great battles at Moosabec, Bass Harbor and Stonington.


Now came the diesel classes and in


Class A there were seven boats on the line. Jumping right into the lead was Tony Bray’s INTUITION [Duffy 26, 230-Yanmar], but the real battle was for second, third and fourth between Brandon Murphy’s BLACK THUNDAH II, Julie Eaton’s CAT SASS [Repco 30, 210 hp Cummins] and Josh Jones’ SEADUCTION [General Marine 26, 235-hp Isuzu]. At mid-way down the course SEADUCTION slid ahead and now the question was who would get third? Right at the fi nish line BLACK THUNDER II slowly eked by for third. Another seven boats were on the line for Class B and it took a while for the racers to separate. Everett Beers’ MISS KARI LYNNE took the lead and back by a boat length was Craig Smith’s SHE DON’T MIND [Webber’s Cove 34, 210-hp Cum- mins] with third going to Lucas Yuchick’s FLYIN’ HIGH [Young Brothers 33, 220-hp John Deere]. In Class C, David Wiberg’s SANDRA DEE [Crowley 28; 315-hp Cum- mins] jumped right into the lead leaving no question who was winning this race. Class D was also decided just after the starting fl ag was dropped when Ron Eaton’s GLORY BOUND took the lead and never looked back. The three Holland racers in Class E had faced off at Moosabec, and it was Ken- ton Feeney’s BAD INFLUENCE besting Steve Carver’s BIGGER DIRLS and she just getting by Nick Wiberg’s MISS KATIE, so how would they fare today? Also in the mix was Sid Eaton’s KIMBERLY BELLE [AJ- 28; 370-hp Volvo], which over the years has been the boat to beat and today was no differ- ent as he sped up the left side of the course


for the win. At the line BAD INFLUENCE got by for second, BIGGER DIRLS third and MISS KATIE fourth. In Class F, there were 13 entrants so the class was divided in two heats and the top three from each heat would race in the fi nals. There were a couple of new racers, Alec Peasley’s ATLANTICA [Calvin Beal 34, 425-hp Cummins] and Jason Barter’s ISLANDER II [Crowley 36, 410-hp Sisu] all with about the same horse- power up against MS. ROSE in Heat 1. As they came up the course it was close, but out in front was MS. ROSE, closely followed by ISLANDER II with ATLANTICA third. The top boat in Heat 2 was James Jones’ TSUNAMI [Morgan Bay 36; 405-hp Cum- mins] followed by Dillion James’ DILLION AMES [Holland 38; 425-hp John Deere] and Justin Sprague’s BLACK VELVET [Osmond 36; 420-hp FPT]. All six boats on the line were close in horsepower, but did anyone have something for MS. ROSE? Well, ISLANDER II was the closest threat back about a boat length and getting second in the race. Third went to ATLANTICA. There were just two entrants in Diesel Class G and Todd Ritchie’s SEACOCK [Calvin Beal 34; 436-hp Sisu] lead the way to the fi n- ish with Jason Clough’s MISS ELIZABETH [Duffy 35; 450-hp Volvo] second. In Class H, we still had not seen Travis Otis’ FIRST TEAM [Northern Bay 36; 410-hp Sisu 645], which had developed a severe engine issue while out working. The boat to beat now was Carl Gray’s TURN THE PAGE and he slid out front for the win. There was just one


Continued on Page 22.


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