Windsor/Hartford CT Meet - June 18th

By special correspondent Capt. Newt England

It was a fine day to go for a spin on the Connecticut river with a mix of sun and heavy overcast so dark everyone was sure it would rain. (It didn't) Attending were 50 members and about 25 boats, everyone had a great time running and talking about old outboards. Members from CT, MA, RI, NH, NY, NJ and PA were in attendance - the long distance award goes to RC who came up from Florida!

Heavy rains for several days up in Massachusetts and Vermont caused the river to be about 5-8 feet above normal with a strong current running at about 4 mph. (Not so good if you were running a Cub or MD!) Another caution was a lot of debris that went floating by, even several large trees!

The Anti-race was run at noon, this is an event to see how s l o w. . . a boat can be propelled by an outboard. The organizers picked pre 1933 twins and rowboat motors as the focus for this years race. Exploiting a hole in the rules, the hands-down winner was Bob G. with his Aerothrust - a motor that propelled his boat so slowly that it had to be towed to the starting line because even at full throttle it couldn't make headway against the current. Bob should also win an award for bravery running that beast! Other entries included an Evinrude Model N, Johnson A-35 and an Elto Super G Ruddertwin. Strong current and the blades of the Aerothrust made the competition challenging.

Later in the day host Ray S. took a number of folks for a tour of the river in his Bayliner powered by a '67 Homelite Bearcat 55. Due to the Bearcat's efficient 4-cycle design this writer is sure that, despite the number of hours Ray used it, he still burned less fuel than a certain Elto....

Thanks to Ray S. and family for sponsoring this great meet.

 

8:00 AM in the Lot	Lot's of folks ready to go!	The welcoming committee. (Lots of delicious hot coffee and doughnuts!)
Oliver 16hp dug out of the ground under a decomposed shed!	Another shot of the buried Oliver	Talking old iron
Early birds getting ready to go	A busy day at the launch ramp	Even more boats being launched
Bob P. launching the Speedifour	Roping over the Speedifour	3 pulls and she's off!
A very speedy Speedifour!	Frank & his beautiful all original '57 Johnson CD-14 5.5hp	Bob G. zooms under the I-291 bridge
Aerothrust - winner of the anti-race! For safety reasons, Bob has removed his necktie.	Cruising under the I-291 bridge	Hurricane Harry running the CD-12
All original Evinrude 10 - NICE!	Ken H. & his cool Feathercraft	... that's a '58 Johnson Javelin in back of the fin
Lauson OB-410 4-cycle	Bearcat 55 4-cycle & host Ray S.	Walt L. and Merc 200 at speed
	The next few photos were submitted by Richard G and wife Michele.
Real concentration is needed to run the Elto "Super G"		Michele at the helm
Calm water	A beautiful day on the water	A great day to explore
H E L P !!!!!!!	Not enough horsepower	Aerothrust in action
		And from Michael S. the following pictures
Dan T. out for a spin	Nice rig, love those 58 Johnson's
D Hydro	And Merc	Closeup of Ray's Bearcat
RC & Bob talking about Speedidifour starting technique	Dad, this Johnson is pretty good - but not as fast as one of my Merc's

About The Anti-Race

The June 18th Hartford meet featured a fun event, yes, the Anti-Race! In case you don't know, The Anti-Race is a friendly competition to see who has the slowest boat and motor combination. This year the entries were limited to any motor made prior to 1933, except for single cylinder motors other than Caille or RBMs.

The Rules:

#1 - It's a friendly competition, no cheating!

#2 - The AOMCI motto is "Dedicated to Restoration and Preservation" so any activity which may harm the motor or alter it beyond repair is strictly forbidden.

#3 -Safety. We require all equipment required by law, as well as safe boat handling, avoiding a collision is OK, but no wig-wagging.

Allowed activities include a passenger, and tweaking the carb while under way.