1947 Cincinnati Yacht Club Free For All
Records May Tumble In Ohio River Regatta
Big Show To Open At Noon
Field Shapes Up As Best Ever Entered
In Cincinnati Event 25 Contests Carded
Members of the committee in charge of the 27th annual Ohio River Regatta, which will be staged here Sunday, are pictured with the prizes.
The waters of the Ohio River will be churned by nearly 100 propellers today at the 27th annual Ohio Valley Motor Boat Racing Association's Regatta.
From any approach, this year's speedboat races should be the best ever put on in the Queen City.
A record-breaking list of pilots will race in 25 events from noon until 6 p. m. for prizes totaling $2,700 in cash and some outstanding door prizes.
Guy Lombardo, and leading sportsman whose boat Tempo VI was wrecked recently in a race, may be on hand as a judge after wiring Committee Chairman George Winter that he would be here if possible.
In nearly every event raster and more sturdy boats are entered than ever and Com. W. R. Ballinger of the OVMBRA expects several records to be broken before the afternoon is over.
One of the features will be the appearance of 10-year-old Lou Durbin of Long Beach, Calif., the youngest throttle-pounder in the country. Durbin will pilot his The Mean It'l Kid in the midget hydroplane race.
Three women also are entered In the same race. The gals are Ethel Altman, New Kensington, Pa., and cousins Alice and Janette Wiseman of Cleveland. Miss Altman has been piloting racing craft for two years, while the Wiseman girls are in their freshman year as water-jumpers.
One of the top races should be between W. A. Martin, Jackson, Mich., Clarence Kleinhous, Columbus, Ind., and Paul Wearly of Muncie, Ind., all of whom have entered the Class A hydroplane.
A one and two-thirds miles surf board race is slated as the next-to-last race of the day and should provide a lot of interest. Surf boards, hard to handle, provide plenty of thrills.
Jack Schmittel, the pride of Brookville, Ohio, will drive a high powered job in the Class M hydroplane duel. Only 13-years-old, Schmittel is providing plenty of competition for older drivers.
The races will take place in front of the Cincinnati Yacht Club, foot of Donham Street, East End. The U. S. Coast Guard will patrol the waters throughout the racing period, and all craft will be subject to its orders.
(Reprinted from The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 7, 1947)