:jawdrop: Girl Rescued from Pend Oreille River by race driverThe REAL story from our Columbia Boat Racing Club Ione event was not who won the three flat classes , or who was the fastest, or how many boats graced the super City Park (more than any 2007 event), or the cleanest boat, or who had new APBA inspired uniforms, or who allmost crashed, or who got the tipsyest or anything as trivial as that but the human interest story
The 'Sweet Caroline' once again stole the show but without a boat(distributor gear broke)! Mark T. and Robbie were giving rides to everyone (with parental consent) after Sat racing. Over the exhaust of Mullet Jeff's Stevens small block, a cry for help was heard and a small girl was spotted swimming, or trying to swim to shore from her Fathers boat. To the best of my knowledge her Dad had consumed one too many 'party pops' and had scared her so bad, she jumped overboard! Mark rescued her and took her back to the Park and our great family of racers called home to the relief of her family. It seems she and her sister were 8 hours or more overdue from their boating trip!
Dont get the impression this drunken irresponsible boater was a flat bottom owner, he only wished he was. He did steal a cooler belonging to our rescue boat owner with $70 worth of smoked fish and was seen boating all night and into the early morning hours of Sunday! Lucky for us he did not return when racing resumed. Thank God no one was injured that I know of.
11 racers filled three classes, 2 flats were there to cruise and 2 had broken stuff and came as campers and in this case heros! Our largest turnout in two years of silly cubic inch classes. I hear the Pateros race was also scheduled for the same weekend with the Seattle flats so their boat count had to be miserable. Some things never change.......
Robbie burned up lots of 110 with professional excursion rides to the dam and back with classy runner bottom speed to anyone willing. Most of us would have joined him but if you race, you must trailer it when the course is closed. It's simply the rules and most of us were beat up from bouncing in the BACK! I dont mind a bit, Larry!