12meter joe

I'm sorry, I was thinking Eastern Express. Your boat is awesome anyway though! Lol

h2oboater

Kirk Strehler was my next door neighbor up here in Chestertucky. Red the apostle of speed is a old friend who won his 50th race in Bob K's Motor City Magic, a Lake St Clair cat.
Cats like AMERICAN EXPRESS won so many races back then & I feel would still hold there own today in p class with OPA & SBI if rebuilt like this restoration.

12meter joe

I used to ride jet skis with kirks son at that house and we would go boating with them often. My dad still sees him but I haven't in a few years. The good ole days!

aex

The American Express ran pretty well , but during the 1990 season balsa bulkheads started getting soft , wet and threw off CG . We put sand bags in rear compartments to offset which didn't help enough . Then we discovered wet stringers and transom so that was it . Fortunately the hull was foam cored and that is solid , otherwise she would have ended up in the scrap heap .
To recore a hull would cost two fortunes .

12meter joe

I used to ride jet skis with kirks son at that house and we would go boating with them often. My dad still sees him but I haven't in a few years. The good ole days!

aex

Hmmm......

TeamSaris

OPA Class 3 is calling you The Old How Sweet It Is found a nice home there!

aex

The gimbals shipped to Performance Marine yesterday !

aex

Here it is !
I got someone to scan and email me the photo that prompted an FAA investigation !

Too Stroked

Jim,

You bring back some fond memories with that picture! You guys (all of the racers) put on one hell of a show here. That was my very first race as Race Director and my father died 2 just weeks before the race. I had to attend to matters here and then take my mother back home to North Carolina. I got back only days before the race and my team had stepped in and taken care of everything for me. You may remember me talking about that at the awards ceremony after the race. I'm sure he was smiling down on all of us during the race.

As for the chopper pilot, that was some awesome flying wasn't it?

Tom