Osman’s, three generations of model
boat racers.
There is no way that I could have
made so many good friends and had so
many great experiences without those
model boaters I met decades ago. The
gentlemen and their families in Spokane
encouraged me to get into model boat
racing. Stuart Russell, the gentlemen and
their families in Oklahoma City made
sure that I knew I was welcome to race
with them. The gentlemen and families I
met in Alberta, welcomed my sons and
me to their 1982 National Champion-
ships. I’ve often wondered what made
model boating such a great family sport.
At a race in Norway I learned an
important lesson. One of the racers
preparing to race was not happy. He
swore loudly. The CD told him to pick
up his boat and leave as he would not be
racing in this heat. The racer made an
obscene gesture. The CD notified the
racer that he was disqualified for the
next 10 days, the length of the event.
“We do not tolerate vulgar language or
gestures at our events,” the CD told me.
“This is a family event. It is a
gentlemen’s sport.”
To compare what I first saw in
NAMBA model boat racing and what I
saw in Europe with some of our events
today is different worlds. First of all, we
rarely see family racing today. There are
so few children racing that at our Nats,
we often scramble to find enough kids to
hold a Kids ‘R’ Boaters Too event. Why
is that? When my sons were young, my
family drove all over Oklahoma, Texas,
Kansas and Missouri together. We were
going racing. I had fun with my kids.
They had fun racing model boats. My
wife watched us and enjoyed the
experience. Any vulgar language was
kept low so as not to embarrass anyone.
With the way some boat racers act today,
I would not take my children to some of
the races. I would not ask my wife to put
up with these people and the language.
The language at boat races, is often
not acceptable for a family situation. Not
only is the language unacceptable, in the
past few years we’ve seen boaters
threaten to fight in the parking lot.
We’ve seen people screaming at each
other. We’ve seen people throwing their
radios, parts, and tools.
PROPWASH
22
November 2012
the USA and parts of Canada. From the
Pacific Northwest to Southern Florida
and from New England to San Diego,
plus many points in between, I’ve
enjoyed model boats.
In 1998, I started racing my model
boats in Europe. I did not know what to
expect, but who could turn down such a
great opportunity? Andy Brown and I
were the USA team. My boats were too
loud. The course was too tight. It was
eight boat heat racing. There was no
drivers’ stand. You stood in the launch
area. While I finished a few heats, I was
not even close to qualifying for the
finals.
There were 34 countries represented
at this race in France. People came
around our pit area all of the time to
meet the Americans. They wanted to see
our boats and radios. They wanted to see
the props and pipes. They wanted to just
say hello and welcome us to the event.
What I saw in Europe was a gentleman’s
sport. Families were there to enjoy a
vacation. There were children racing in
the Junior Events. There were women
racing. Most of the families were
camping at the race site. Most people
slept on the ground, in tents to save
money.
One evening, some boaters from Kiev
invited us to their camp. They offered us
food and some strong drinks. At first we
declined, but we were told that when a
Ukrainian offers you food and drink, it is
not polite to refuse. Before I knew it, it
was early morning. I was full of Vodka
and Sugar Wine. These gentlemen and
their families wanted to show us their
boats, tell us their stories, hear what we
had to say, and make friends.
It has been my good fortune to have
raced my boats in Australia, France,
Slovenia, Poland, Norway, Italy and
Hungary. At these races I’ve met many
people from across the world, who love
model boats. My very best friends are
people I have met through model
boating. Chris from Poland and Simona
from Slovenia showed me areas of their
countries. Andrea from Italy took me on
a tour of the castle at Bergamo. I met
Justin Hill when he was barely a
teenager. Years later we raced against
each other near Sydney, Australia. I met
Jim and Tracy Osborne when they were
children. I’ve watched families, like the
A Gentleman’s Sport
(Continued from page 21)
The first race I entered was in
Oklahoma City. I did not do very well
and my high score was 25 points for a
start. I was racing a 21 stock outboard
and a B Mono. The mono was a Steve
Muck Streaker with a K&B 45 marine
engine. I was having a very bad day
racing.
A fellow came over and introduced
himself as Stuart Russell. As there was
some time before my next heat, Stuart
suggested that we go over to a small
restaurant for lunch. We had a nice
lunch and Stuart talked to me about
model boating. I found out that Stuart
was the NAMBA President.
“This is a gentleman’s sport,” he
said. He told me about the families that
were racing and how many children
were at this race. He told me about
NAMBA. He said that he knew how
frustrated I was feeling because he had
found himself in the same situation
when he started. Nothing was working
right. When the boat was running well,
he had driven poorly. “But, it is the
people that matter,” he said. “It is not
winning trophies and ribbons that
should be the most important. It is the
people.”
We went back to the pond and my
boats did not run any better. I did not
drive any better. But, I was not so
frustrated. There were some other
people at that same race having the
same problems I was having. Dick
Roberts and his sons were there. Jerry
Wright was there. They also were just
getting into model boat racing.
When the racing was over Sunday
afternoon, they handed out trophies to
the winners. We all clapped for the
trophy winners. As I was packing up my
boats, people came over to tell me that it
was nice to meet me. They said things
like, “We’re looking forward to seeing
you at the next race.” They said things
like, “If you need any help, let me
know.” Their children came over to say
good bye. While it was a contest, Stuart
Russell was right, it was a gentleman’s
sport.
Since I started trying to get model
boats running 40 years ago, it has been
my good fortune to meet many people in
this hobby. I’ve raced in every corner of