87ST. PETERSBURG YACHT CLUB

Powerboats

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ST. PETERSBURG YACHT CLUB

The divide between sailors and powerboaters in our club is narrow. The first club member to win a speedboat national championship

had also been a captain of the club’s Fish Class Lipton Cup team and was a Havana Race veteran.

The two groups have cruised together, fished to-gether, competed in cruiser navigation contests to-gether and conducted sailing regattas together. The club’s sailing regatta schedule is premised upon the support of the powerboaters. Both groups share the joy of being on the water. Here is some of the story of powerboating at SPYC.

Speedboat and Hydroplane Racing

SPYC has been one of the few “yacht” clubs to warmly embrace and support powerboat racing. In 1938, Al Strum, then best known for his sailing ability, won the 91-cubic-inch speedboat national champion-ship in Red Bank, N.J. He was given a well-attended parade down Central Avenue on his return.

SPYC, led by Harry Shaw, initiated the Southland Sweepstakes powerboat races that year with the first race in early January 1939. The starting committee was on the Pier, the pits were at the Junior Yacht Club on the South Mole, and spectators lined the seawalls at Albert Whitted Airport. Top speeds were 50 mph,

“We ran out of ambulances… but not out of admiration …”

Previous page: Gardner Gould leads the 280 hydros during the 1964 Southland Sweepstakes at Lake Maggiore. Ron Wahl / St. PeteRSbuRg timeS aRchive

Racing runabouts compete in an early Southland Sweepstakes off the Pier in the 1940s. St. PeteRSbuRg timeS aRchive

Al Strum in 1937.

which was plenty exciting on the often choppy wa-ters of Tampa Bay.

In 1951, adverse weather dictated a move inland to the sheltered waters of St. Petersburg’s Lake Mag-giore. Contestants considered it to be one of the finest courses for powerboat racing in the nation. While rac-ing was active there, through the ’70s, Lake Maggiore was the site of more world speed records than any other lake in the world.

During the 1940s and ’50s the junior club boat hoist was occasionally used by hydroplane racers. They would appear late in the day in an elegant car pulling a trailer carrying a hydroplane. A junior could touch the hydroplane if he was helping with the launch. Af-ter the launch, the driver, often a large fat man (Sam-my Crooks or Ray Gassner), would ease onto the boat and attempt to start its hot-rod engine. Often there was smoke, flame and curses. Sometimes just grind-ing noises. If the boats did not start, they tended to

Ray Gassner, from right, Sammy Crooks, Sherm Critch-field and Critchfield’s mechanic Swede Strom-sted with Critchfield’s national champion Class E racing runabout, Hell’s Angel in the 1950s. Jim RobinSon collection

Jim Robinson, right, snacks on an apple between races at a 1950s Southland Sweepstakes at Lake Maggiore. Jim RobinSon collection

Gardner Gould tunes the engine of his 280-cubic-inch hydroplane Sayonara in 1964 in preparation for the Southland Sweepstakes. Jim SWaRtz / St. PeteRSbuRg timeS aRchive

Ray Gassner climbs out of his 7-litre hydroplane, Sunshine Baby IV, after winning a heat during the 1966 Southland Sweep-stakes at Lake Maggiore. St. PeteRSbuRg timeS aRchive

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sink and the experiment in powerboating would be terminated. When they did start, it was pure excite-ment as the hydroplane roared through and out of the empty South Yacht Basin. “No Wake” zones did not exist, nor were they needed as the manatee had not yet discovered Tampa Bay.

Howard Valentine, David “Corky” Robison, Jim Appley and Gardner Gould, with large supporting casts of SPYC members, ran the Southland during much of the ’50s and ’60s. These races were fast and dangerous. In A.S. “Jim” Robinson’s report to the club regarding the 1968 Southland, he stated: “We ran out of ambulances and emotional energy, but not out of admiration for the finest bunch of drivers, pit crew-

men and regatta officials in the world as the biggest and best regatta in the country came to a close.”

Big-time bandleader Guy Lombardo, an avid powerboat racer, thrilled Southland competitors and spectators alike in 1963 with a surprise concert. He put his band, then appearing at his Port-O-Call night-club in Tierra Verde, on a barge that appeared before the spectators lining the shores of Lake Maggiore. The “sweetest music this side of heaven” filled the air between races, providing a welcome respite to the whine and roar of the hydros.

In 1971, with 163 entries, the Southland shattered all previous records. The event became so large, how-ever, that the St. Petersburg Yacht Club relinquished

Guy Lombardo’s band played between races on Lake Maggiore in 1963. SPYc aRchive

Hydro racer and bandleader Guy Lombardo in 1963. He won the APBA Gold Cup three times. SPYc aRchive

its sponsorship to a civic organization, the North-east Exchange Club, which directed the proceeds to charitable organizations. To be sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association, the event must be hosted by a yacht club member, so even though not actively involved, SPYC remained the official “host” of the Southland Sweepstakes until its demise a few years later.

SPYC had a large contingent of enthusiastic pow-erboat racing members. The names of Crooks, Strum, Frank Foulke, Les Trafton, Sherman Critchfield, Gassner, Lombardo, Bert and Ed Davidson, Tom D’Eath, Jim Appley, Lou Heim and others became fa-mous for setting records and winning national cham-pionships. Gould was a contender with his 280-cubic-inch hydroplane, Sayanora. Jim Robinson, who crewed on famous sailing yachts such as Panacea and War Baby, was a respected hydroplane driver as well.

In 1968, 30 years after Strum’s class championship, powerboat racing member Richard Moore became national champion in the 91-cubic-inch class.

Sammy Crooks had to be one of the more color-ful characters ever to put the pedal to the metal. He nailed the front door of his modest Madeira Beach home shut but the back door was always open to his friends. The house was clearly that of a bachelor, from the absence of housekeeping to the more than 200 trophies staring down from assorted nooks and cran-nies in the living room to the well-used and stocked bar. As one first-time visitor gasped: “This is the way most of us would like to live — if we dared.” Crooks died at 52 of a heart attack, rating an obituary in both the New York Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Frank Foulke’s wife, Mildred, was the first woman to break the 100 mph barrier, and both she and Frank along with Lombardo and Gassner were elected to the Gulf 100 mph Club during the ’50s. Trafton and Critchfield were elected to the Gulf Marine Hall of

Fame and Frank Foulke and Gassner were elected to the APBA Honor Squadron.

Offshore Powerboat Racing

Randy Rabe surprised the powerboat racing world by winning the outboard motorboat division of the 15th annual Miami-Nassau powerboat race in 1971. In 1973, he won the APBA National Offshore Championship points competition, which was based on finishes in 10 races during the year.

His boats, built by his own company, were 28-foot RABCO deep V-bottom outboard motorboats pow-ered by three or more Mercury engines. In the ’70s, through the efforts of Rabe, Kell Hennessy and How-ard Valentine, the club became heavily involved in offshore powerboat racing. SPYC hosted the Hen-nessy Hurricane Classic, sponsored by the import-ers of the famous cognac, in 1972 and 1973. When the Hennessy Co. dropped its sponsorship, a group of five members consisting of Bob Campbell, Claude Focardi, Dick Misener, Tom and Kell Hennessy jointly

Spectators jam the stands and the shore at Lake Maggiore to watch boats speed past during the Southland Sweepstakes in 1963. SPYc aRchive

The program for the 1965 national hydroplane champion-ship. SPYc aRchive

Bill Martin of Clark, N.J., in Hustler IV is photographed by Sal Maugeri in the plane and Bill Kuenzel of the Miami Herald in the helicopter. Martin was preparing for the 1972 Hennessy Hurricane Classic. St. PeteRSbuRg timeS aRchive

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sponsored the Festival Hurricane Classic in 1975 and 1976. Swift and Co. assumed sponsorship of the Swift Hurricane Classic in 1977 and 1978. All these offshore

races were conducted under the management of SPYC members. Typically, about 40 of the nation’s finest ocean racing powerboats partic-

ipated in various classes with over 100 club members contributing their time and boats to the effort. The ba-sic committee which managed these events included Kell Hennessy, Rabe and Valentine. In 1978, the SPYC was awarded an APBA plaque for the best conduct-ed races in the country. Rabe, to his surprise and the amusement of everyone in attendance, accepted the award on behalf of the club.

The 1974 Hurricane Classic was without spon-sor; it was just as well. It went down in infamy as the Masked Mullet Race, but more on that later. It be-gan innocently enough. The fleet was milling around north of the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier awaiting the start. With five minutes to go, Byron Shouppe Jr. was standing in the start boat, green flag on high, when he spotted fellow member Jim Robinson in his sailboat slowly cruising into the middle of the course. “We’ve got to get that guy out of there!” Shouppe screamed, the startled start boat driver hit the gas, the boat lurched forward and Shouppe fell backward into the cockpit. All that the fleet saw was the green flag go down — and the race was on. Jim Robinson, who unquestionably had the best seat in the house,

gaped at the roaring throng descending on him. Rob-inson slid slowly down to the floorboards as the fleet parted briefly before and closed ranks after passing the now rolling sailboat. Hard to believe, but the situ-ation went downhill from there. Protests were filed against the race committee, officials screamed at of-ficials, participants screamed at officials, and at each other. The whole sorry incident was capped by an anonymous letter from the “Masked Mullet,” criticiz-ing everyone in sight and copying everyone imagin-able. It would take years before those involved could look back and laugh.

The 1978 Swift Hurricane Classic, the swan song of offshore racing hosted by SPYC, provided a fit-ting ending to SPYC participation. Randy Rabe, in his luxury Black Max (stereo, wet bar) 28-footer, pit-ted his three V6 2.4-liter Mercury outboards against 34 inboard boats. From the start it appeared to be no contest as Rabe walked away from the fleet. And hadn’t Randy himself laid out the course? Who knew it better? Who? Apparently the driver of the stake boat at the turning point off Egmont Key, who was so far off station that Rabe missed the mark. At 80 mph, ocean racers aren’t known to turn on a dime. By the time Black Max completed a wide circle and was set to round the mark, it was akin to getting on Interstate 275 from an entrance ramp at rush hour. Winning his class was small consolation to Rabe for what might have been.

Cruiser Navigation

The first SPYC Predicted Log Championship was conducted in 1967. It was won by Harold Davenport with his yacht, Mildred, Ted Tolson navigating. This new yachting activity appealed to so many members owning power cruisers that it grew rapidly and suc-cessfully under the able administration of L.J. “Kell” Hennessy.

In this competition, each skipper predicts his time along a predetermined course. Wind, sea conditions and currents must be factored in. He or she then runs the course and, without a watch or other time-keep-ing device, tries to make his or her predictions good. Powerboats of many lengths and speeds may com-pete. Typically, a skipper and a navigator make up a team.

By 1970, the SPYC predicted loggers had gained sufficient experience and confidence to enter the na-tional competition administered by the American Power Boat Association. Their efforts were reward-ed with early success and they became a group to be reckoned with for the decades to come.

Nationally, four trophies are awarded each year based on contestants results achieved in their own boats. These are the North American Cruiser Asso-

A patch from the 1975 Festival Hurricane Classic. SPYc aRchive

Randy Rabe flashes “V” for victory in the 1971 St. Petersburg Southeastern Boat & Sportsman Show, a 50-mile speedboat race. He had won the event twice. beRnie oRam / St. PeteRSbuRg timeS aRchive

SPYC cruiser navigation competitors gather on the club lawn in 1977. RohRbaugh collection / SPYc aRchive

Don Murray, in his Kara Anne, was an active predicted log competitor in 2008-09. vanlandingham collection

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ciation (NACA) Championship, the Herbert L. Stone, the George W. Codrington and the RMS Queen Mary. Each trophy is awarded for a particular statistical re-sult achieved by a team in their own boat.

Perhaps the most prestigious award is the NACA Invitational, conducted annually in various locations around the U.S. Contestants, invited on their record, use borrowed boats, usually in waters unfamiliar to them. Our club members have done well.

Dave Shreve won the NACA Invitational in San Diego in 1973. Dick Joule won it in St. Petersburg in 1991. Lon Compton won in San Francisco in 1992, To-ledo in 1997 and San Diego in 1998.

The perpetual trophy wins by our members in-clude: NACA Championship – Robert VanLanding-ham Jr. (2001), William Henefelt (1975, 1980); Stone Perpetual – Bill Shivers (2002), Dick Joule (1985), Arda Unjian (1978), Walter Raynor (1977), Kell Hennessy (1976), and Henefelt (1975, 1980); Codrington Per-petual – VanLandingham (2004), Duke Rohrbaugh (1997) and Hennessy (1989); RMS Queen Mary Per-petual – Joule (1985) and Raynor (1977).

VanLandingham was elected commodore of NACA for 2009. Hennessy served in this capacity in 1982, Joule in 1992 and Rohrbaugh in 2001. William “Bill” Templeman, a non-resident member of SPYC

whose home club is Chicago Yacht Club, is a perpetu-al trophy winner and has served twice as commodore of NACA.

Dave Shreve has been active in cruiser navigation — now preferred over “predicted log” — competi-tion since its 1966 beginning. He was navigator for VanLandingham in 2001. His activities and contribu-tions go far beyond his skills as a capable navigator. A more visible and lasting contribution has been the half-models of each SPYC club champion’s yacht that Shreve has made and presented to the club.

Cruising Fleet

The cruising fleet has existed since the club’s first cruise in 1909 and little has changed. It was successful then and it is successful now.

Under the encouragement of the fleet captain, yachts in a group leave the club and rendezvous at a designated location. This could be an anchorage, a commercial marina or another club. Entertainment, spontaneous and organized, fills the weekend.

There are contests, but everyone wins whether they join in or just watch. Occasionally, the fleet has a presentation regarding subjects of interest. The cruis-ing fleet is an enduring club function.

Duke and Bonnie Rohrbaugh’s You Gotta Believe makes a cruiser navigation contest run off the Gulf beaches in front of a 2001 summer thunderstorm. vanlandingham collection

Dave Shreve uses a hand-bearing compass to take a back sight during a cruiser navigation contest. vanlandingham collection

Robert VanLandingham Sr., left, and Dave Shreve aboard Sirius I on a predicted log run on Tampa Bay in 2002. vanlandingham collection

Kell Hennessy holds the Martini & Rossi Trophy, awarded for the National Power Cruisers Championship in 1978. SPYc aRchive

Vice Commodore Leon Lewis arranged for the “Mullet Key Indians” to entertain SPYC power cruisers on a 1933 outing to Bunces Pass. The “Indians” were recruit-ed from guests on the Lewis family yachts Ednelee and Siwel. h. Jacqueline Rocke collection

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Powerboaters Christmas party, 1988: Fred Corbishley, left, Margaret Siver, Franceil Corbishley, Judy Pettit McFadden, Bonnie Rohrbaugh sing. RohRbaugh collection / SPYc aRchive

Dick Jones stands on the foredeck of his Lagniappe, which regularly served as a race committee boat during the 1980s. Support from powerboaters has been essential to SPYC’s sailing programs. SPYc aRchive

George and Beth Pennington’s Baby Doll heads out to serve as committee boat for a 2008 regatta. Pennington collection