1947 A.P.B.A. Gold Cup
Empty Beer Cans Boat Race Hazard
Miss Peps V (left), driven by Danny Foster, is shown leading Guy Lombardo, piloting the 1946 winner, Tempo VI, at the turn in the second 90-mile heat of the International Gold Cup race at New York Sunday.
New York, N.Y. -- The 1947 Gold Cup speed boat regatta, which had been billed as a kind of an Indianapolis speedway race with a water chaser, went down into the books Monday as a "Turtle Derby."
Danny Foster managed to win because he was an artful dodger of debris.
Although there had been widespread predictions of new records for the gruelling 90-mile test over the oval course in Jamaica bay, it developed shortly after the start that the waters were far too choppy.
Also the surface was laden with too many empty beer cans, discarded grapefruit and slightly used hot dogs for any speeding.
And Foster, a veteran flier of 2,000 combat hours in a P-38 had to have the racing luck that deserted every one else to win in his sleek aluminum-hued craft, Miss Peps V.
His average time for the 90 miles was 54.88 miles per hour, the slowest since 1941, when only one boat competed and raced only one heat to win in a walkover.
"I don't see how the thing stayed together," said Foster afterward, referring to the terrific pounding Miss Peps V had taken. "I didn't even want to unload the boat when I saw that water, but these guys," he said, pointing to the Dossin brothers, Roy and Russell, "told me O.K. I said all right, go ahead and break up your boat."
"Truthfully," Foster continued, "I was using only one-quarter throttle most of the time, holding it down and trying to drive a cautious race.
"I figured the guy who finished the 90 miles would win, not the one who drove the fastest race. It certainly wasn't the kind of a course to try for any records."
Guy Lombardo, the defending champion and heavy pre-race favorite, struck a piece of driftwood and cracked the starboard pontoon, forcing him to drop to fifth position as the boats hit the finish of the first heat.
A hurried call to the Bronx brought two skilled shipwrights by seaplane and though they worked frantically, they could not patch up the pontoon and ripped it out instead.
Lombardo, riding at reduced speed the rest of the way, wasn't even able to complete the 90 miles and finished in third position behind Miss Great Lakes, driven by Albin Fallon of the Detroit Yachtsmen's association.
Only three of the seven original boats managed to finish and only two of these -- Miss Peps V and Miss Great Lakes -- completed the entire 90 miles.
(Reprinted from the Des Moines Tribune, August 11, 1947)