Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Classic Race Boat meet in Tavares -- VERY cool

The Classic Race Boat Association held their annual meet at the Tavares, FL boat ramp facility and we took the pontoon boat over to see what we could see. Of course, Photo Dog, Cody, was planning to lead this operation!

We traveled through the Dora Canal to get to Lake Dora and on the way, saw this great STEAM powered launch traveling through the canal. The canal is a beautiful waterway and full of wildlife -- and on this day, other boats.

We reached Lake Dora and found a race course laid out in the water with spectator areas also designated by buoys. This photo shows the Tavares ramp facility which was using a large crane to place these classic boats in the water. The ramp also services seaplanes, so it is a great place to come watch the action.

And the action was fast and furious! There were several classes of antique boats racing flat out. These boats could really move! This was an inboard powered class with a driver and mechanic aboard and as you can see, racing was a serious business.

There was a wide variety of boats and this sleek entry was perhaps one of the fastest. It almost flew around the course -- and in the background, you can see a seaplane that had just landed. This was a great chance to see some very unique craft.


I was not surprised to see these classic hydroplanes racing, but was amazed at the fast speeds they attained. These are inboard powered boats and there were about 5 in this race.

This was a great shot of a more modern outboard powered hydro that cruised past and was also watching the races.

We had a great time at the races and look forward to the upcoming Classic boat show that will feature even more old boats. Rick thinks this is just great!

1 comment:

Chuck and Anneke's RV travels said...

Now that is what I would call a great day on the water.