The Hudson River was the waterway in 1904 for the first running of the American Power Boat Association Gold Cup race.
In that initial APBA contest, which started at West 86th Street in New York City and went 16 miles up and 16 miles back down the Hudson, the 59-foot boat Standard won with a speed of 22.57 miles per hour, according tolesliefield.com, a hydroplane history website.
If the race on the Hudson had gone 60 miles north of New York City, it would have reached the city of Newburgh.
Newburgh is where Eureka's Robert Calvosa grew up and developed a fondness for water and boats.
”I love boats, love the water. I was raised with boats on the Hudson River,” said Calvosa. “All of us kids like boats. One likes sailboats, another is into sport fishing.”
Calvosa, the oldest of four boys, is a relative newcomer to the sport of white river hydroplane racing.
”I'm the oldest rookie ever,” the 56-year-old Calvosa said with a smile. “They have been very accepting of me as a newcomer. I have a lot of gratitude that I fell in with a group of guys that accept everyone.
”It's really a family-oriented activity. We bring picnic lunches and kids get their photos taken with the boats.”
The accepting guys are the Cal-Ore Rivers Racers (check out their Facebook site), a group of about 20 active drivers whose extreme sport involves whitewater hydroplane
racing along the twists and turns of the Trinity, Rogue, Klamath and Willamette rivers.
Calvosa mentioned a few of the racers whom he respects and who have helped him in his first year of racing.
Hoopa Valley's Roger Sanderson is a 20-year veteran of river racing and a second-generation racer.
”He's been like a sensai, my mentor,” said Calvosa.
Calvosa also spoke of Ryan and Tyler McGinnis, two brothers from Gold Beach, Oregon, Horse Branham from Hoopa and Rob Watson from Gold Beach amon others.
Hydroplane racing on the wild rivers of this region is nothing new. In fact, it's reported that 50 years ago there was a marathon race from the Yreka area to the mouth of the Klamath.
These days, to establish fair competition, the Cal-Ore racers all pilot propeller-driven boats powered by 44-cubic-inch, four-cylinder, 65-horsepower outboard Mercury motors with magneto ignitions. Each boat is required to be at least 13.5 feet long and must weigh, including the driver, at least 575 pounds.
The boats are highly maneuverable and much more fuel-efficient than other types of boats. Calvosa estimates that he uses five gallons of fuel in 35 miles of racing.
How fast do the boats get moving on these wild rivers?
”You hear 80 (mph), but that's pretty much the Holy Grail,” said Calvosa.
By contrast, the current boats in the Unlimited Light class of hydroplanes (ulhra.org) weigh up to 2,800 pounds, use large turbine engines (think helicopters) that produce speeds in excess of 130 mph. The unlimiteds -- referring to no maximum cutoff for horsepower -- have been racing on a 2.5 miles straight stretch of the Columbia River since 1966 when a boat namedMiss Budweiser won with a speed of 92.40 mph, according to historylink.org.
The Cal-Ore racing season, which starts on Mother's Day in May and ends on Labor Day, has two more big races, in Albany, Oregon on Aug. 22, and in Grants Pass on Sept. 6.
A race begins with a modified LeMans start, with the boats lined up in a row on the shoreline. After an official drops the flag, the racers pull on their ropes to start the engines, maneuver their boats away from shore and take off.
Zipping along at a good clip on these wild rivers, what is the biggest danger?
”Wind, without a doubt, it's the wind,” said Calvosa.
To illustrate his point, he had me watch a short You Tube video clip (search: grammymanny) showing the wind upending the two leaders in a race along the Trinity River.
The Cal-Ore drivers each pay annual dues of $500, which help offset the insurance coverage for their racing.
Calvosa enjoys the rush of the freedom as he races on the water, something quite different from his on-land driving habits.
”I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I drive like a granny on highways,” said Calvosa. “But on the water, when I challenge myself, overcome fear, put myself to the test, survive, it's a great feeling.”
His best finish this year was fourth at the 2010 ROBCO Invitational Hydroplane Race at the Rooster Crow on the Rogue River.
But more than just challenging himself, the racing has helped Calvosa connect with his spiritual side.
”I get into a zone where time seems to stop, and while I'm driving I can look over and see a woodpecker in a tree, see fish in the water, all positive influences in my life. It's a spiritual and physical crossroads.”
