SeaFair review -

Sunday night:

We are back and the boat is in the shop. Tomorrow is July 15, we have exactly seventeen days to cut the bottom out, fit a new belly pan, put a new bottom on the boat, build transition panels to the cockpit, sand, prime, paint, flip the boat back over and get it back on the trailer – not to mention rebuilding, rewiring and installing the engine, replacing the fuel pump, MSD and radio equipment.

Friday night:

August 3^rd, we have completed over 550 hours of work in 17 days. The boat unfortunately sits at Island Park Elementary school on Mercer Island. Against all odds we completed the work in time and showed up at the Stan Sayers pits Friday morning as first alternate. There isn’t a team in the organization that gave us a shot at getting the boat ready – and we aren’t merely ready the boat is more structurally sound and stronger than before we sank in the St. Lawrence River. We wait for the 5pm deadline when teams in the pits have either demonstrated they are ready to race in the morning or will be asked to leave. At 5pm we are told to move into position outside the pits because at least one and possibly two teams are being told their time is up.

At 9:30pm we pull the boat back to Mercer Island. We sat in the truck for over four hours while the organization and teams involved failed to adhere to and abide by the agreements made before the race. My wife and daughter are angry and hungry, they haven’t had anything to eat since noon. We won’t be racing at SeaFair and “unhappy about the situation” is a mild understatement. The crew did a fantastic job – they worked incredible hours and are not being rewarded with the opportunity to go race. I am deeply grateful to Dean, Jim, Chris, Dwain and Rick – I am deeply disappointed by the performance of the organization and sportsmanship some of the teams demonstrated today.