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  1. #1
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    Mississippi Saga

    I promised some time back to relate this story and got busy and
    failed to follow through so here it is.. 2002
    We used to race every year in the Mississippi River Marathon race.
    For those of you unfamiliar with this race it was supposed to be
    a recreation of the old paddle wheel races that were run on the
    Mississippi in the 1800's between New Orleans and St Louis. This
    race when we first started was run up river from New Orleans and
    my dad started running it back in our wood boat days of 1958.
    At that time it was a straight through event run non-stop.
    The boats were equipped with headlights and ran the full 1068 miles
    only stopping for repairs, fuel, food and water. The boats
    were launched into Lake Ponchetrain (sp) and had to go thru locks to
    get into the river channel. The very first year my dad had never even
    seen the river before the start of the race. They were late getting the
    race started as there was a lot of commercial boat traffic through the
    locks and it was almost dark by the time all the boats were out into the
    river and the race started. They had been given chart books and some
    instructions of how to follow the navigation lights on the river. This
    first year Bobby Brown, who was my dads half brother and
    went on in latter years to found Avenger Boats,was co-pilot.
    The race started and they headed up river. Darkness soon closed in.
    As my dad related to us later they were running fine at full speed
    (16ft wood cat with twin Mark 78 6cyl Merc. engines and about 250
    gallons of gas) which was probably 45-50 mph. All of a sudden the boat
    jumped straight up in the air back down and up in the air again....
    The first thought that went through my dads mind was that there were
    rapids on the Mississippi river!!! Backing out of the throttle and
    keeping on course they soon discovered the source of the 4ft swells
    was the wake from tugboats pushing barges up river.. The swells would
    line up all the way across the river for miles behind a tug pushing a
    long line of barges up river. The Mississippi is a very treacherous
    run of river. The currents change the location of the sandbars
    regularly making any deviation from the center channel a gamble at best.
    Many of the racers would be running in full daylight and take what
    looked like a clear shortcut around a bend in the river hoping to save
    a mile or more in distance only to find themselves several hundred
    feet from deep water stranded in inches of water. Whole trees could be
    floating inches below the surface in mid channel making it a necessity
    to carry several spare lower units on board to be changed out on some
    muddy bank after impacting one of these obstacles. The pit stops were
    located at pre-arranged locations. The race organization provided only
    a gravity flow gas truck parked as close as they could get to the water
    but only with a short gas fill hose. This is where your "pit crew"
    came into play. My mom, my brother, and myself were the pit crew.
    Which was a wild job in itself. We had pulled the boat to the race with
    our family 55 Cadillac sedan. On the trailer we had about 10 10-gallon
    milk cans and some spare parts, All tied down with rope. We left
    New Orleans at the same time as the racers. The idea was we were to
    beat them to the next pit stop location, fill up the milk cans with the
    gas from the truck (it was pre-mix at least) and be ready when the racers
    arrived. Sure the racers were only averaging 50mph at best. But they had
    the benefit of going in a straight line. We had to negotiate towns, cross
    the river back and forth, often on some very slow ferry boats.
    (Remember this is 1958 in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri)
    We often found ourselves flying down dirt roads at over a 100mph with the
    trailer barely touching the ground and milk cans rattling like God knows
    what, trying to find our way through some cotton field to a spot on a map
    that no one new the existence of. I was 12 years old and my brother was
    10. Our job was to carry those 10 gallon milk cans from the gas truck
    to the boat while my Mom, Dad, and Uncle Bobby would be filling the
    tanks by dumping the cans into a large funnel in the neck of the tanks.
    I can remember several of these stops being at night with the mosquitos
    so thick by the river bank they would carry you off.
    Dad was one of the front runners most of the way. We were at what
    was to be the last gas stop waiting for them to arrive. They didn't
    arrive.... Many of the racers came and went but still no sign of
    my Dad. Finally another Powercat racer came in and said he had seen
    them a couple of miles back underway but moving slowly. It was after
    dark when they pulled in. They had hit a huge tree that had broken
    the lower unit on one motor and had pulled the transom loose such that
    when they stopped, the boat filled with water and sank. They had gotten
    up on a sandbar and managed to change the lower unit but the rear of
    transom was damaged so bad that my dad wanted to quit. My mom would
    not hear of it. She had been through hell on this trip and was not
    going to quit now. A farmer had come down to watch the crazy boat
    racers and had driven up on his tractor. My mom got him to pull his
    tractor down and we hooked a rope up to the boat and drug it up on the
    bank with the back of the boat up on dry land. They went and found some
    tin from the side of a barn that was nearby. With hammer and nails they
    patched the rear of the boat and stuffed blankets in the opening so that
    it kept the water out. My mom and us shoved the boat in and it floated.
    My dad and uncle jumped in started up the motors and headed off for
    St Louis. We made it there ahead of them to see them finish the race
    in 13th place that year...
    More on other years to follow....
    Danny Leger
    Last edited by Powercat; 05-07-2017 at 09:15 PM. Reason: add date

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  3. #2
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    Thumbs up

    Awesome, and hillarious!

    I can't wait to read more!

  4. #3
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    I am working on gathering more information regarding the Mississippi River Marathon race and came across this photo from
    1957 race finish. I have ID'd only two of the gentlemen in the photo and was wondering if anyone might recognize any of the others. ..... ...... ...... Danny Leger
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails tmp80.jpg  

  5. #4
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    That feller' on the far right looks a whole lot like Elmer C. K. to me.
    Membership upgrade options: http://www.screamandfly.com/payments.php

  6. #5
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    I'm thinking the fellow with the beard could be Jim Wynn, but I've never seen a photo of him wearing glasses. The next guy over to the right is very familiar, but I can't recall his name

  7. #6
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    Another photo that shows the motors from that year better...
    Danny
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails tmp81.jpg  

  8. #7
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    neat story, wish it would have been me. cool photos.

  9. #8
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    Raceman:
    That was my guess also, but I was not sure... I know he was
    there as in these early years this race was his "baby".
    Danny
    Originally posted by Raceman
    That feller' on the far right looks a whole lot like Elmer C. K. to me.

  10. #9
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    Avenger Boats?

    I noticed in your story that you mentioned Avenger. I came across a 15-16' v-bottom the other day that had a chrome Avenger emblem that said the boat was made in New Orleans. The hull looked much like a 16 Ally from the late 60/70's. Do you know anything of Avenger? Would this be a cool/good/retro/fast?'/worthwhile project? (The bote was sitting in the weeds full of trash and even worst,had a Slomc "Selectric" shift on it).
    Keep the Faith


    Socially Disfuktional

  11. #10
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    I believe Jon Culver ran in that race too.

    T2x

  12. #11
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    Re: Avenger Boats?

    There have been several companies that have
    used the Avenger name for their boats. While the
    Avenger I refered to did make V-bottoms as you
    describe, they were from Southern California and
    were not made in New Orleans... Probably not the
    same company.
    Danny Leger

    Originally posted by Psyco
    I noticed in your story that you mentioned Avenger. I came across a 15-16' v-bottom the other day that had a chrome Avenger emblem that said the boat was made in New Orleans. The hull looked much like a 16 Ally from the late 60/70's. Do you know anything of Avenger? Would this be a cool/good/retro/fast?'/worthwhile project? (The bote was sitting in the weeds full of trash and even worst,had a Slomc "Selectric" shift on it).

  13. #12
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    I updated the Identity of all but one person in this photo now.
    I have a page dedicated to the Mississippi River Marathon at the
    following link.. Sure would like to expand on any and all stories from
    the running of this race, so if you have photos or stories to tell please
    share. Thanks to Bob Kemmerling for reviving this history.
    Danny Leger
    http://www.powercatboat.com/race/MRM-1068/misssaga.html
    Last edited by Powercat; 10-02-2011 at 09:19 AM.

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Powercat View Post
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Tmp80.jpg 
Views:	103 
Size:	73.5 KB 
ID:	243849
    I updated the Identity of all but one person in this photo now.
    I have a page dedicated to the Mississippi River Marathon at the
    following link.. Sure would like to expand on any and all stories from
    the running of this race, so if you have photos or stories to tell please
    share. Thanks to Bob Kemmerling for reviving this history.
    Danny Leger
    http://www.powercatboat.com/race/MRM-1068/misssaga.html
    Danny,
    I sent Dave Craig the picture..I thought it might be him and he thinks it is too..It would make sense he was with Carl as they were buddies, and he got his dealership from him about that time..I know he was in the race a couple times also..I have some pictures of him taken about 5 years later, and the face is the same but the hairline has receded a little more. I notice he and Chuck are wearing the same Tee shirts.

    Butch

  15. #14
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    I would agree Looks like the Dapper Dave Craig,,,,,, as well as his slim running buddy ECK..... I think they are discussing their evening plans????? Just never remember seeing ECK in a sweater

  16. #15
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    Ok so how is this for procrastination... Started this thread back in 2002 and here it is 2017 and I decided to at least post the story of the other year I remember of the Mississippi Marathon from 1960.. My Dad had run every year starting in 1958 but my Mom, brother, and myself did not go every year, so to put this in perspective, I was 14 years old and a freshman in high school in 1960. Power Cat was to make a big push this year and so we got to go along on this trip.
    Since 2002 I have tried with very little success to find the stories or records of this annual event. I have seen results in magazine articles from some of those years. What follows is what I have pieced together about the running of the race in 1960.


    Mississippi River Marathon
    1960
    This was the second year that the race was run downstream from
    St Louis to New Orleans. The format was different also as there
    were now overnight stops, Memphis, and Vicksburg so that the race
    was only run in daylight hours.
    Power Cat was fielding a whole team of boats this year with the
    backing of Mercury motors. The west coast group made up of 5 boats
    drove to Oshkosh Wisconsin to have the motors rigged at the factory
    there. After a few days we then drove to St. Louis to do the final
    prep work for the race. The race began downstream from St Louis and
    no major issues all the way to Memphis for the first nights stop.
    I remember that night sleeping in the car on the banks of the
    Mississippi river as being nearly carried off by mosquitos. Chuck
    Mercereau was in the lead starting out the next morning from Memphis
    and led the whole run to Vicksburg for the next nights stop before
    the final leg the following day into New Orleans.
    Vicksburg Miss is the location of the Magnolia Boat factory, the
    "guards" that were hired to watch the boats for the overnight stop
    were relatives of many of the Magnolia boat people.
    When we all get to pit area that next morning, we discovered the
    Power Cat team boats had been sabotaged. My Dads boat only had the
    afterplane hydraulics cut. They were so afraid of Chuck Mersereau because
    of his reputation that they put what we believe was sugar in the gas
    tanks and cut his hydraulic lines. My Aunt Della's boat they cut the
    hydraulic lines and shorted the battery out. The rules would not allow
    us to start working on the boats till after the start time of the race.
    So the race starts out and we are left working on the boats. My Dad
    went out with his and tried everything to get on plane... both himself
    and Ray LeCroy up on the bow bouncing up and down with the motors screaming
    at full throttle, and because of the huge gas load and the way the boat
    was set up it would not break over without the afterplane. He comes back
    in and starts helping the others working on their boats.. Della was next
    to try and she and her husband Johnny go out and try to get on the plane.
    Johnny was a pretty large fella and with him up in the deck trying to
    bounce the boat he broke thru the deck on one side.. Then Della sees this
    huge log floating in the river, they drag it up on the foredeck and with
    that extra weight are able to break over on plane and then shove the log
    off and they are away down river. Chuck is still trying to refill his gas
    tanks and now my Dad gets his own tree trunk up on the bow and is able to
    take off and down river he goes. We finally get Chuck running and he does
    the same with a log on the deck and he is able to get away. Almost an
    hour behind the start of that days leg to New Orleans. Now my cousins may
    correct me on this part but what I remember is that somewhere in that
    stretch Della came up on a huge tugboat with a line of barges going up
    river and Johnny got up on the deck to try and hold down the bow going
    thru the swells and he got his ribs broken from the pounding, and she had to
    drop off plane and get him comfortable in the boat before they could get
    another tree log up on the bow and get back on plane to continue. This
    was when my Dad was able to pass her. So my Dad finishes in 5th Della in 7th
    and Chuck comes in 9th.... Because we were the last to get away from
    Vicksburg in our chase/pit crew car caravan, we arrive in New Orleans a bit
    later after most of the racers are in and out of their boats. Once
    everybody is safe and on the dock, tempers start to flair. I can tell you
    Chuck Mersereau was a "hot head", My Aunt Della also was never known for
    backing down from anyone, and Ray LeCroy was one bad hombre when ever
    he felt wronged. The Magnolia pit crews were not exactly gracious in
    victory either and what I heard from Dad was that they actually started
    the fight.. Wound up with several Magnolia team members getting thrown off
    the 30ft high dock into the Mississippi river and a couple bloody noses.
    Carl Kiekhafer and Mercury motors had been one of the biggest financial
    backers of this race. He was so disgusted by the whole thing that he
    pulled the plug on anymore Mercury involvement, and even though they tried
    to run it a few more years, that was the beginning of the end of one of the
    greatest marathon races ever held in the US. 1068 miles on the Mississippi
    river between St Louis and New Orleans.
    Danny Leger
    Austin, Texas

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by Powercat; 05-08-2017 at 06:55 AM. Reason: photo added

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