1906 Palm Beach Regatta
Motor Boat Carnival Opens At Palm Beach
Champion Dixie Fails To Arrive In Time For First Races
Will Try For Record To-Day
Simplex III Is The Only New York Boat To Win --- Mercedes And Six Shooter Disabled
PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 30---Ideal weather which greeted the yachtsmen in the opening of the motor boat carnival at Lake Worth to-day did not fully compensate them for the failure of E. J. Schroeder's Dixie to arrive in time to compete for laurels. The Dixie did not reach here until after the early events on the programme had been decided, but she will be hurriedly fitted for competition to-morrow. On the unruffled surface of the picturesque lake with neither tide nor wind to bother them the boats that did compete made a fair showing. It is hoped if to-morrow's conditions equal to-day's that Dixie will make a new world's record for a mile, beating the present standard of 2:02, made by W. Gould Browka's Challenger.
Three races were contested to-day. Tyler Morse's The Allen, from Boston, won the Class E contest on corrected time; A. D. Proctor Smith's Simplex III, from New York, won the Class C, and George Gingras's "23", of Rockledge, Fla., won the Class A race. The best time was made by "23," which covered 18 knots in 1 hour and 9 minutes, better than the E boats were able to do over the nine-knot course they covered.
"23" defeated T. B. Collins's Comet of Jacksonville, which finished second, and George C, Chaplin's Six Shooter of Lansing, Mich., and New York, and H. L. Bowden's Mercedes of Boston. The latter two had trouble with their engines, and were unable to finish the course.
Simplex III defeated J. C. King's Topsy of New York, L. T. Pettie's Twentieth Century of Stamford, and C. S. Coggin's Blanche of Rockledge, Fla., which finished in that order, and H. L. Willoughby's The Possum of Newport, which broke down and did not finish.
The boats racing against The Allen were three, James K. Clarke's Carita of Philadelphia, W. C. Perkins's The Dorothy of Jacksonville, and George E. Andrews's The Shadow of Palm Beach, named in the order of their finish. Carita made the best elapsed time.
Summary of the races follows:
| CLASS E - Course, 9 knots | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boat and Owner | Finish | Corrected Time |
| Allen, Cuyler Morse | 1:43:00 | 1:38:03 |
| Carita, James K. Clarke | 1:00:34 | 1:44:37 |
| Dorothy, W. C. Perkins | 1:11:48 | 1:47:46 |
| Shadow, George E. Andrews | 1:20:57 | 1:55:38 |
| CLASS C - Course, 13½ knots | ||
| Simplex III, A. D. Proctor Smith | 1:51:31 | 1:48:52 |
| Topsy, John C. King | 1:53:36 | 1:50:15 |
| Twentieth Century, L. T. Pettie | 1:57:24 | 1:55:02 |
| Blanche, C. S. Coggin | 1:59:19 | 1:59:19 |
| Possum II, H. L. Willoughby | Disabled | |
| CLASS A - Course, 18 knots | ||
| 23, George Gingras | 1:09:18 | 1:08:53 |
| Comet, T. B. Collins | 1:26:52 | 1:21:43 |
| Six Shooter, G. C. Chaplin | Disabled | |
| Mercedes, H. L. Bowden | Disabled | |
(Transcribed from the New York Times, Jan. 31, 1906, p. 8. )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page]