Bill went to Bristol with the girls, I never made the Bristol reunion.
Sam is posting me a load of pictures so I can pass them on to you.
Should be ok in the morning, Bill is safely back in St. Louis, I never got to enjoy his visit.
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Bill went to Bristol with the girls, I never made the Bristol reunion.
Sam is posting me a load of pictures so I can pass them on to you.
Should be ok in the morning, Bill is safely back in St. Louis, I never got to enjoy his visit.
Attachment 321068
Tavares 2014---Craig Wilson, Timmy Seebold, Mark Wilson, ME, Billy Seebold.
And to think the danger Bill was in being next to a pressure vessel with a bad relief valve! Glad everyone is OK. All I can picture is Mythbusters exploding a water heater. LMAO
Dave
Seems like a lifetime ago I started on an all English oak Molinari Pickle, pulled it out and started to play. Trouble is, pickles are extremely tricky to get half right. It will come complete with motor, steering bar and mounted nicely.
Molinari and Mercury are written in stone in the annals of power boating history
Heres a chance to own a part of that history.
Do you an "in progress" picture in the next couple of days.
"Beginning to see the light"------ Another good name for a song !!!
Neck still gives me a hard time-----back is 50% easier-----tummy growls and gurgles, do not even dare to think about a "Love Puff" ----(fart to colonials), but I did get three hours in the shop.
Bloody Thursday again tomorrow, will toddle around the airfield looking for that elusive tool that I want but don't need, then put it in the drawer with the rest of the junk.
Last week, Old chap had an ancient Ingersoll Rand Compressor, massive tank with one of the old plonker units, 240v, he wanted £100, so I bid him £40, I know he would have slapped my hand at £50, but I wanted him to sweat for a bit.
Glued up the sponsons to the deck on the Pickle boat, thought up a new idea for the motor, using a billet for the "Stubby" centre section and another for the gear case, trouble is, once I do a really posh motor with polished pipes and a "to die for" gear case, nobody will want the old ones I've already done, HELLUVA DILEMMA
James Last died today, had a tidy innings, 86 He played my kind of music, happy music, afraid I like stuff from Ray Conniff , Burt Bacharat and Hal David, Bernstein------dislike intensely RAP and slack arsed Jean wearers , but then again I'm from the dinosaur age, will share tomorrow with you if I may, Goodnight my friends! MYGGWY.J.
Looks like "it's gonna be a bright sunshiny day" -------another good name for a song,
temperatures are are due to hit the mid 80/s, haven't seen those sort of highs since last year, maybe summers here at last.
a question for Rich, what motors are currently racing! Both in the States and Far East , I could not tell you if they are two or four stroke! ----------2 / 3 or four liter, should have asked Billy, buT we never had any beer time.
Have a great day peeps, catch up with you later. J.
.
Nothing really caught my eye at the car boot sale 'cept for a copper plate litho of a "Handley Page HALIFAX Bomber" which is the machine my dad flew 36 missions over Germany in. He was Flight Engineer, part of 406 Bomber Command!
Frame was broken and missing a piece, but there were seven signatures on the back, I presume all the crew, will give it to my sister Ange's husband to research.
Guy wanted a whole pound for it, didn't have the heart to haggle, I just coughed up like a gentleman! Times are hard.
Tunnel is coming, just like Christmas, see about a piccy tomorrow!
Had a nap and two craps, hope to get down to one at the weekend. Maybe more later(info not crap)
Sorry about the "no news", it's supposed to be good news but "it ain't necessarily so", (good name for a song) dontchathink.
Banned from the shop for a couple of days, her who shall be obeyed has even hidden the workshop key, don't really have the heart to tell her there's no lock on the back door so I could get in there anytime I want. There are times when diplomacy is the better part of valour.
The Bristol Reunion will not mean a great deal to our colonial friends who were not actually participants------Let me try to explain as best I can the esteem in which it is held by ALL European drivers, here goes nothing.
In the mid fifties most of the power boat racing in England revolved around half a dozen clubs dotted around the country, South Staffordshire Hydroplane club (Chasewater) being the most central With Lancashire being the most northerly club ( 300 miles from my house)
as we got more adventurous we ventured further afield-----we arranged Inter Club competitions, we had " Nationals" , then Internationals, we had the Anglo--French competitions. The French all ran single seater boats which were new to us. They also had wonderful inboards with Alfa-Romeo and Ferrari engines, the English usually won, due to local knowledge and reliability.
I think I ran in every match, I usually won, but I made some lifelong friends along the way. There was Rocca, Kiri, Johnny Bloch, Didier and Paul Jusaumme,
Then we went to Paris, this was the start of friendships that still go on to this day, we met the Dutch, the Austrians, the Italians, Spanish, Iron curtain countries, South Africans, Yugoslavs.
Paris was the the true Mecca for all who loved, lived and breathed the sport of powerboating.
There is a bond between boat racers that is stronger and longer lasting than any other that I myself have ever known, Who could have ever imagined the friendships that were forged that Sunday morning on the banks of the Seine when the might of the USA faced the English upstarts.
Mercury and OMC factory drivers had hogged the whole barge which three countries were meant to share, we were a tad pissed is putting it mildly. imagine if you can -about a dozen US drivers in the form of PRUETT,Sirois, Nordskog, May., Sanders, Posey------chin to chin with the likes of Shakey Bill, (4' 10" on a good day)- Me, Don Ross, threatening to chuck their fancy fuel rigs and cranes into the Seine. laughable or what, at the time we were deadly serious, but that's a tale for later.
There is a link here if you bear with me for while, we all became good friends and the Americans told tales of Havasu, Parker and Elsinore, we told them of of Milan, Amsterdam, LONDON. So this is how friendship and comeraderie was born .
Charlie Sheppard was a boat builder and also Commodore of the Cotswold Club, it was his dream to have a race in Bristol docks which was largely derelict at that time. He made Don Ross, Brian Hunt and a few more of the Cotswold drivers run round a course he had put together. The verdict was---It's possible!
To cut to the chase, the event was spectacular, with over 250,000 spectators, speeds within the walls were close to75 mph.
As with most spectators they did not understand the different categories of boats, engines, size, speed etc. so Charlie simplified this by making up four classes to envelope all boats and motors
FORMULA ONE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR.
This is the formula largely used today, I do not know if Formula one does indeed have a formula?
Bristol played a large part in powerboat racing history for the , just like Havasu did in the USA.
Jackie, thank you for sharing - to quote Alan Bennett, the English playwright/screenwriter, “The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you...... it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours”
Keep the stories coming. Being a colonial, every time I hear the name "Bristol", I think of Murray Walker, the F1 commentator, announcing at the Grand Prix - still have that Mercury Marine produced race film from the late 70's. What a challenging and historic race site that was.
You know Mark, Bristol was the race where Murray, [famous for his huge gaffs], yelled into the mike "SOMEONE IS IN THE LEAD" it was me and i was not supposed to be there! not with that international line up of the worlds best power boat racers, Molinari, Hering, Velden, Seebold and a dozen more. The lead was short lived, i spun out on the bottom turn in the "Cosworth" Just for a brief moment in time i was a "SOMEBODY"Quote:
Originally Posted by Watermark
Hi Jackie I don`t think Murrey Walker ever actually went to a Bristol race I can remember when I was lucky enough to lead the race for 1 whole lap in 1976 and the gearcase failed.Saturday came and the race went out on world of sport I watched it and never got mentioned like I was not there at all well you can`t replay it to see what happened can you.Now move on 40 yrs and google Jackie Wilson powerboat racing driver and yo and behold you can on you tube powerboat racing Bristol docks 70s part 2 Murray Walker mentions my teammate no 9 Jeff Edwards is leading the race when you can see he is in third place my boat was no 7 so nice to know it wasn`t my imagination after all Jackie.I would like to mention how wonderfull it was at the Bristol reunion to see some of the old racing drivers and chat about old times and to think about all the old racers that didn`t make it that have since moved on.We did all agree on one thing and I think you might do so too and that this was our time Jackie that we lived through and enjoyed so much and managed to race against all these great overseas drivers who became good friends and acquaintances maybe we even had the best music the best cars and I would say the best boatracing ever.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackie wilson
If you thought Murray Walker never did Bristol -----You thought Wrong, I even paid for his breakfast in the KILN at the old DRAGONARA.Quote:
Originally Posted by STEVERINO
The Cosworth was set up with the wing and appropriate settings for Bristol. it actually came loose after the first heat was over. We were not able to fix the problem and the boat ran the next two heats without the wing. Indeed sorry to have missed the reunion, nearly over the illness, should be up and about next week.
Of course we had the best time to be a boat racer, that was our life for many years, i have enough colonial friends to fill a book, would not swop any of it for the worlds biggest bag of gold.
Had quite a few old friends enquiring after my health, I'm good, just a small hiccup but it got kicked into touch. come Monday morning I'll be in the workshop, just like before.
Sister Ange coming for lunch tomorrow, looking forward to seeing her and Fish, always good company. Never went near the shop today although I did manage to get a lawn mower for my grand daughter Carley.
Reason you got so much writing time, I was sat on my rear all day in the conservatory, beats just lying in bed any day. Time for big zzzzzzzz/s bless you one and all and MYGGWY.J.
Wet, Wet, Wet Saturday morning, i suppose you could call it a one day summer, was almost tempted to put shorts on but resisted it due to the fact the rain would have wet my bare legs. You do not want to see an octogenarian in shorts and wet legs, its damn near disgusting, not a pretty sight!!!
Afraid its a no show in the workshop today, Jilly insisted i get togged up in cords and cashmere with a loose sweater tied around my neck,"IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW" i feel a song coming on!!!! do look just the dogs cajones though, Take a look at me now, song titles come flooding out sometimes.
Might just sneak out with the camera and snap a picky or two OOOOOO You got to take a picky or twoooooo On form ? or what? no stopping the kid this morning---------
Might just have words with the three contemporary composers of the day KITSON, SEEROY and HUNT [ sounds more like a trio of sand dancers, similar to WILSON, KEPPLE AND BETTY] Probably way above most old farts think box.
Stopped looking in the obits columns -----they only mention ACTORS and POLITICIANS-----You have to pay if your an ex boat racer and we are all too bloody mean to do that. Anyway to be sure your still here just log on to google and type your name in, saves time in the long run.
Attachment 321383
Sneaked into the shop, just to take a swift "In progress" piccy of the pickle and to show I was not lying. it's all glued up, motor is halfway there, need to do the best Gearcase ever, fuel fillers, steering bar and a $30 race prop.
Definitely getting serious withdrawal symptoms from lack of shop time, 48 hours since I darkened the workshop doors, not good, will remedy that Sunday morning.