1906 Frontenac Y.C. Regatta
Frontenac Motor Boat Races
by Lloyd E. Brown
The Frontenac Yacht Club at Thousand Islands inaugurated a program of power boat races during July and August that would indeed be hard to equal in both variety and quality of events and the wide-spread interest evoked.
The July races were held on July 20th and 21st and consisting of a handicap event for boats of 30-foot water line or over, twice around the course, or 14 miles in all; and a grand free-for-all race of 21 miles, three times around the triangular course. The start was made from in front of the palatial Hotel Frontenac, the officials being stationed in the pavilion of the Frontenac Yacht Club. The handicap event was run off both days, two heats being held on July 20 and the final heat on July 21. Six fast boats were entered, namely, the 23, owned by May Irwin, the actress [famous for the Edison Kinetoscope 1896 short clip, "The Kiss' --LF]; Roma, Louis T. Hunt, Brooklyn; Too Easy and Vingt-et-Un II, owned by Willis Sharpe Kilmer, of Binghampton; and Canard, owner, J. H. Morgan. of New York. 23 and Too Easy did not start in the first two heats but Too Easy entered the third, taking next to last place. The winner of all three heats of the handicap event was So-Long II, whose best time for the course was 35 min. 13 sec. The prize was a handsome silver trophy cup. The second place cup was awarded the Vingt-et-Un II, this boat winning 15 points to So Long's 18. The Roma broke down after the first heat and was out of the races.
Only two boats out of ten entries got away in the free-for-all race, the Too Easy and the Canard, the former winning in one hour seven minutes 59 sec. Both boats got cups. Just at the starting gun a collision occurred between the Vingt-et-Un and Got-to-Go, owned by W. D. Hayden, of New York, in which the forward bulkhead of the French auto boat was badly smashed so that she narrowly escaped sinking, and was towed to the dock by the steam yacht Jean, owned by T. A. Gillespie, of New York. The Vingt-et-Un's engine cannot be reversed so that she could not avoid the prow of the Hayden boat which tore down on the Kilmer entry. The So-Long did not enter this race owing to an engine break-down, and had to be content with the laurels won in the handicap event at Chippewa Bay and Frontenac.
| TIME SHEET | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First heat of the 14-mile handicap, July 20 | ||||
| Boat | Start | First Round | Finish | Elapsed Time |
| Roma | 2:30:20 | 2:53:58 | 3:22:20 | 52:00 |
| Canard | 2:32:00 | 2:57:12 | 3:21:28 | 49:28 |
| Vingt-et-Un II | 2:35:55 | 2:56:22 | 3:16:45 | 40:50 |
| So-Long II | 2:39:48 | 2:57:27 | 3:15:05 | 35:27 |
| Second heat, July 20 | ||||
| So-Long II | 3:56:17 | 4:13:53 | 4:31:30 | 35:13 |
| Vingt-et-Un II | 3:52:47 | 4:13:04 | 4:33:25 | 40:38 |
| Canard | 3:51:20 | 4:15:30 | 4:39:46 | 48:26 |
| Third heat, July 21 | ||||
| Too Easy | 2:30:20 | 2:52:28 | 3:14:40 | 44:20 |
| Canard | 2:30:18 | 2:53:18 | 3:17:43 | 47:25 |
| Vingt-et-Un II | 2:31:56 | 2:52:40 | 3:13:18 | 41:22 |
| So-Long II | 2:35:51 | 2:53:38 | 3:12:35 | 36:44 |
| Free-For-All, July 21 | ||||
| Start | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | El. Time |
| Too Easy | 4:06:21 | 4:28:06 | 5:14:20 | 1:07:59 |
| Canard | 4:08:20 | 4:33:20 | 5:20:21 | 1:12:01 |
Ideal racing conditions prevailed Aug. 11 for the handicap race at Frontenac, Thousand Islands, N.Y., under the auspices of the Frontenac Yacht Club. Ten speedy boats were entered for the handsome silver trophy presented by Commodore C. G. Emery, of New York, which becomes the permanent property of the person winning three of the annual races. Only craft of not less than 30 feet water line are eligible for this event, which is held under A.P.B.A. rules.
The course was 21 statute miles, three times around the triangular field. John C. King's Topsy, better known as Simplex III, was a competitor. This boat won the 125-mile run to Poughkeepsie at the Hudson carnival last fall, when the National Association of Engine and Boat Builders held their annual series of races at New York City. Simplex III also showed her heels to competitors last February at the Palm Beach regatta. The boat is owned by Harry Crouse, of Utica, who has rechristened her the What-Next.
So Long II, owned by Geo. Hasbrouck, of New York, winner of several local races this summer on the St. Lawrence, broke her rudder on the second lap and had to drop out of the race. This boat will probably represent the Thousand Islands Yacht Club in the Gold Challenge Cup races at Chippewa Bay. The race was awarded the Jewel, owned by E. S. Burke, with A. B. and W. W. Richardson's TZR in second place, and Kilmer's Vingt-et-Un II third.
| Name | Start | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What-Next | 3:00:43 | 3:32:17 | 3:52:05 | 4:07:33 |
| Jewel | 3:02:00 | 3:23:51 | 3:46:02 | 4:08:12 |
| TZR | 3:08:33 | 3:29:40 | 3:49:40 | 4:10:25 |
| Too Easy | 3:12:24 | 3:39:07 | 4:00:01 | 4:22:15 |
| Vagabondia | 3:12:25 | 3:32:34 | 3:52:36 | 4:12:47 |
| Canard | 3:14:55 | 3:39:33 | 4:04:27 | 4:29:05 |
| Vingt-et-Un II | 3:14:53 | 3:33:26 | 3:52:19 | 4:10:56 |
(Transcribed from Boating, Sep. 1906, pp. 302-304. )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. — LF]