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Web EditionTable of Contents
(Underlined articles from the printed issue of ACBS Rudder are online.)
News from International
Calendar of Events
President's Message:
From the Chapters
Open Exhaust
Museum Watch
Spotlight on a Chapter: Philadelphia
Guy Lombardo, Boatman
Raceboats-Tempo VI
Allison Power to Win
Ship's Stores
Trading Dock-Classified Ads
Officers for '98-'99President...............John Harvey |
DirectorsJeff Stebbins (BSLOL) ...............1999 |
President's Message
The ACBS Approaches Its 25th Year
It’s time to prepare for the millennium, not to mention the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. We feel it’s a time to celebrate, so we’ve formed a committee to plan activities associate with both events.
A big part of my new job is to direct the Society the 21st century, but in doing that, I find myself frequently reflecting on the past. My past with the ACBS is only eight years, but it’s been a wonderful eight years and I want the next eight, in fact, the next quarter century and the millennium to be as good even better than the first. I have no doubt that it will be.
I plan to work hard encouraging our members to become involved in Society activities. I earnestly believe that participation is the key element in making membership worthwhile. Participation in boat shows has surely caught on. During the summer months there are scores of boats shows. Too many, maybe. It’s becoming difficult to decide just which shows to attend. River cruises have become more popular. Currently there are more folks wanting to participate in a river cruise than there are spots to fill. We’ll work on that.
Displaying your boat at a show is one thing, using it to navigate a river is another, even better, use for an old boat. Meetings provide a great opportunity to get to know Society members. The notion that meetings are for the executive committee and directors only is wrong and I personally want to invite each and every ACBS member to attend our quarterly and annual meeting. There is a good deal of fun mixed in with our business. The 1999 Winter meeting will be held February 19-21 at the Plantation Inn in Crystal River, Florida.
In the beginning there were wooden boats and an occasional anomaly such as a Mullins. Inasmuch as our classic boat classification includes vessels built as recently as 1968, we are confronted with the dilemma of the fiberglass boat. The truth is, it’s not a dilemma; it’s progress. We will be seeing more and more boats made of materials other than wood and our job as a society is to accept them and to determine how they fit into the overall picture. We want owners of these later models to feel comfortable as ACBS member. We are currently developing guidelines for fiberglass boats and in the months that follow you will be hearing more regarding this subject.
You’ve heard it before and I’ll say it again. If you haven’t renewed your membership for 1999, do it now. Inclusion in the directory is possible only if your dues are received by February 15. The truth is, we would far prefer having you renew prior to that to help avoid a last minute bottleneck inputting data.
Those renewing after February 15 will not be included in the improved 1999 edition of the ACBS Directory.
Finally, I have been elected to serve. Please let me know your thoughts about the ACBS. Compliments and criticism are welcome. I will pass the compliments along to those who deserve them and I will do my best to assess, explain and/or correct the thing that need attention. I can be reached by calling (972) 377-6222 or you may e-mail me at jharvey@voyarermarine.com.
Best wishes to each and every member for a great 1999 in preparation for an even better 2000. Is it possible?
"I want you to interview the boatman
that leads a band," POPULAR BOATING’S Editor told me.
"Are you free Tuesday night? A pair of tickets will be waiting for you at the
"Showboat" box office at Jones Beach..."
Everybody has seen Lombardo, the baton waver. How about the Lombardo who shows up periodically on the sporting pages? The headlines have said, "LOMBARDO IN TEMPO VI CAPTURES GOLD CUP," "TEMPO VII TAKES SILVER CUP," "DANNY FOSTER IN LOMBARDO BOAT AWARDED GULF GOLD CUP." People have said: "What’s a band leader doing in a boat?" "Is money all it takes?" "Can he be great at both?"
It was a few minutes before show time. A
smiling fellow in a neat blue suit strode up, cordially grabbed my hand. He stood a lean
and sturdy five-feet ten, and that familiar Indian-chief visage was deeply bronzed. He
looked just like the Guy you see in pictures.
"Come along into the office," he said. We sat on a bench along the wall of show
manager Al Goldin’s room. The lighting was dim, and the atmosphere quiet, but there
were people milling about getting ready for curtain time.
"Everybody knows you as a band leader," I said. "How did you come to get
into boating?"
He spoke in a low voice, smiling, but with his forehead wrinkled seriously.
"I’ve always liked boats," he said. "Actually, boating came first. I
came from a boating family and I remember being on the water at a very early age--and I
mean two or three years old. We lived in London, Ontario, and Dad would take us to the
lake. We’d knock around in an old rowboat. Then we got an outboard. It went a lot
faster than rowing, and seemed like flying to us kids."
In those days, six miles an hour in a flat-bottom klunker was a big thrill. Guy got on the water all he could, mostly in outboards, finally hitting the fabulous figure of 15 miles an hour in a borrowed runabout. Living near Detroit, he saw the speedboat races held on the river, and as he grew older began to catch the fever.
"All this time I was mostly interested
in runabouts.’
A birdlike woman walked over and broke in.
"I don’t suppose you remember me," she warbled, grasping Guy’s hand,
"but I danced to you at the Roosevelt." He rose and exchanged a few polite
words, then walked back to me.
"When I came to New York in 1930 I bought my first runabout," Guy said, "a
24-footer. From then on came others--the next was a 30-foot runabout--and in 1934 I bought
my first cruiser. I lived on it when I first moved to Freeport, Long Island, so I could be
near the water. I liked Freeport with its canals and the Great South Bay because there I
could have my home and my boat too."
Guy’s recital had been matter-of-fact and quiet, but suddenly he lit up. "In
1938 at the Toronto Fair I saw my first three-point suspension boat," he said.
"Then I was a goner!
"In 1939 I bought a 225-cubic-inch racer. This boat wasn’t really for the
purpose of racing, mostly just for my own amusement. But by the end of the season,
when I took the boat to Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey, I was beginning to get the racing
bug. By the end of 1939, and during 1940 and 1941 I was in a lot of races. I didn’t
win many, but came in with lots of seconds and thirds."
Those scars on the leg: education in Tempo I. Rough water is like a fast slide down the ties of a railroad track. "Vibration" turns into hammering torture. Even with the best construction, expert mechanics, things come apart. On the Ohio River at Cincinnati a broken line spewed scalding oil. Guy had to keep his leg braced firmly in this bath or be thrown out of the boat. Having Tempo II blow up implanted more ideas on safe design: balancing power plant to hull and having room so exhaust stacks don’t breathe on gasoline tanks. Tempo III had a built-in course of instructions on jockeying for position in the pack. Simple--it just wouldn’t get out in front. After going through a lot of thought, work, and cash, Tempo IV turned out to have all the fine qualities of a stove lid. So there had to be a Tempo V.
"The turning point came in 1941," Guy said. "I won the Atlantic City to May’s Landing trophy--and then, of course, I was off to the races! Next year, 1942, I won the national speedboat championship."
This meant winning 20 out of 21 races. World War II hit--the boat went into mothballs. The long years affected people differently. They persuaded Zalmon Simmons, two-time winner of the fastest speedboat plum, the Gold Cup, to retire from racing. They persuaded Guy he wanted Simmon’s boat, My Sin, more than a mere pot of money. In those days a boat like this would run $50,000 to $75,000. So Tempo VI was christened.
"Believe me, I worked harder over
that boat, getting it in shape for the 1946 racing season, than I had ever worked on
anything before.
"I lightened the boat by converting it from a two-seater to one I could drive alone.
With my mechanics I checked every detail--we literally took the boat apart and put it back
together again, trying to improve it just one tiny bit wherever we could.
"I won the Gold Cup race with this boat--and that was the beginning of three good
years."
Fastest race on record; fastest heat; finally recognition. Hard luck in following Gold Cup tries, but still taking races--like several wins in the National Speedboat Sweepstake Regatta.
"How fast was Tempo VI?" I asked.
"She was first powered with a Miller, and that gave me a top speed of 106 miles per
hour, and then I put in the Allison. That topped 119.7 at the Salton Sea Regatta."
Guy didn’t mention it, but I knew there was much more--charter membership in the exclusive Gulf 100-Mile an Hour club; hours spent braced in the cockpit, half-flying without ailerons, and with the shock and vibration shaking all detail out of sight; a new red-hot Tempo VII; Gulf Oil’s Hall of Fame; partnership in the 1955 races with crack racer Danny Foster.
I, myself, have piloted a medium-hot outboard, and had some scaring moments--even at a slow saunter, things can happen fast. I wondered about this 100-mile-an-hour stuff on a closed course, with a bunch of extremely ambitious characters arguing with you for every space. So I asked Guy what he felt was his narrowest scrape.
"In 1948, when I turned over in the Detroit River Gold Cup race," he said, getting serious. "That was instrumental in helping us get the rule about qualifying at a certain speed to be eligible. Up until then a lot of the engines were too powerful for the hull, and there was no limitation or qualification to meet. Boats would be in the race that would be a menace, or drivers wouldn’t know the course. Now racers must qualify by setting a good speed around the course for 9 miles. so, even though I can’t say I enjoyed the accident, it turned out to have a good result in making the races safer."
Hurricane IV zigged when she should have zagged, but across the bow of Tempo VI. To avoid hitting Hurricane, or impaling the spectators on the bank, Lombardo deliberately flipped his boat. When you flip, you lose track of happenings--the next thing you know is waking up in the water--if you are lucky. Pulled out and rushed to the hospital with a broken arm and considerable lost blood Guy turned down the Medics’ invitation to stay with them for awhile, and got back to the race to watch the final 30-mile heat.
Guy’s manager was beginning to
glance at the clock and fidget. I skipped a sheaf of questions and asked about the story
that Guy was selling his boat.
"Well, as of right now the boat hasn’t definitely been sold, and I haven’t
really decided for sure that I want to sell it."
"You still have the cruiser, haven’t you?"
"Oh yes, I keep that at my house. It’s a 44-foot Hacker Commuter."
"With all this exposure to boating," I asked, "how about your
brothers--haven’t they ever developed any interest?"
"Oh, they like boats too," he answered. "Carmen has a sailboat he knocks
around in. Liebert likes to go out fishing. Victor likes to fish too--he has a place at
Fire Island where he fishes and keeps his boat."
"Boating is growing by such bounds," I said, "that most people in the sport
are comparative beginners. What message do you have for newcomers--what advice would you
give them for maximum enjoyment and maximum safety?"
"Well, you don’t really have to be wealthy to enjoy it--or even live near the
water. In places like Texas and Nevada, people trail boats through miles of dust to sail
the inland lakes. You’d be surprised--there are over 300 lakes in Texas, for
instance. And its a good family sport too. My family all like it. Everyone can take part
somehow--handling lines, helping in the galley, keeping her polished.
"As
for safety--vigilance is important. Accidents are caused by overloading and
carelessness--by not following safety rules. Some go out too deep for the kind of boat
they have. And you’ve got to watch the weather."
"That brings up a point that’s been in the papers a lot, lately," I said.
"Do you think there should be closer supervision of pleasure boating, or
licensing?"
Guy was thoughtful for a moment. Then he said, "I would be in favor of some
supervision as long as it didn’t get to be too restrictive.
"However, I don’t feel it is too necessary because the organizations such as the
American Power Boat Association and the Power Squadrons are doing a fine job of educating
and regulating boating as a sport."
"And the Outboard Boating Club and Coast Guard Auxiliary?"
"Yes, in fact, these and similar organizations are just about the ticket for
beginners and learners. If anyone starting in joins and follows their rules, he won’t
get into trouble."
Manager Goldin held up his arm, tapped his wrist watch.
Guy rose and said: "Sorry, but I’ve got to get ready to go on for the
overture."
"How about a few minutes after the show? I have some more questions."
"I’m all tied up," he said, "but give me a call on the phone and
I’ll be glad to answer any that are left. Now I’ve got to rush off."
Al Goldin filled me in on what a busy schedule could mean. After the performance that night Guy had to huddle with NBC people--he was going to do a coast-to-coast Garroway morning show. Then there was planning for a TV show of his own, and all of this in addition to his now-traditional stand at the Roosevelt Hotel, The Jones Beach production of "Showboat", and a new "Bandstand" radio program.
I went around to my seat in the audience and saw him out under the "Showboat" spotlight, fencing with his baton at that ghostly invisible enemy of orchestra leaders. But I could also see that, on top of the musical career, in spite of the intensity of his application to a dozen other activities, Guy has every right to be acknowledged first and foremost as a boatman.
Continue with the history of Tempo VI
PHILADELPHIA: Home of the 42nd ACBS Chapter
As the garage door opened I was permitted a few
moments of travel back in time. I walked around, climbed over, on, and came to rest with
all the years of dust onto the seat of the 1949 Century Resorter, my transcendence through
time began. Having always lived in a world of automation, specialization and now
computerization there were many history lessons to explore in the timbers and planks of
this craft. In dissection of this boat, so that the restoration work on the hull could
begin, the signs that it was built by hand by individual craftsmen was evident everywhere.
No two knees were exactly the same, each one being fit to perform its purpose. I was
extremely intrigued by the use of common gutter down spouting for air intake from the deck
to the bilge. For better or worse you just don’t see this in boats today. Every parrt
in each place was made to be exactly where it lives to perform an exact purpose.
This romantic link to the past has a special attraction to me as it does with many others in The Antique and Classic Boat Society. Although it has always been possible to et in the car and travel a few hours from Philadelphia to go to a show and talk with others who share this love for classic boats, that was not enough. Chad Brenner, the boat builder doing the restoration I was working on, and I talked long and late as we worked, about Philadelphia’s precarious situation in the boating world. Many boat owners lived in the area, but did their boating elsewhere. How many people were there like us who were committed to the Philadelphia area but enjoyed the prospect of being able to drive a few hours to their boat to get away? What could a Philadelphia Chapter of The Antique and Classic Boat Society offer to the ACBS as a whole and specifically to those chapters within a few hours drive?
The first step in evaluating the seriousness of these questions was to call ACBS Headquarters and ask them. We were immediately linked up with Dick Sherwood who was tremendously helpful and encouraging in assessing the situation and informing us what it would take to form a chapter in Philadelphia. We then decided to have a meeting and see what the response would be to this idea. Our first meeting was at the Independence Seaport Museum’s Workshop on the Water where Chad is Manager.
On that first night we received a small but enthusiastic and committed group. We were a few members short of the necessary number to petition for chapter status. The group was determined to meet again in a month and everyone would bring others they thought would be interested. We discussed ways that we could advertise our informal gatherings in order to touch all of those with a shared interest. Dick Sherwood made arrangements to have Tab Miller come and speak to our group as he was a few hours drive away in Annapolis. Tab spoke to an audience of about 25 of us who listened intently as he described the organization from his perspective and how well it had treated him over the years.
With this we were greatly encouraged and were able to fill our petition and set forth to present to the ACBS our hope to become the 42nd Chapter at the July 31st Board Meeting. On behalf of the Philadelphia Chapter, long time ACBS member Bill Mullin, of the Chesapeake Bay Chapter, made the trip to Clayton to make the presentation. We had made it. At our last meeting recently to announce the good news we began to talk about activities, events and boat shows for 1999. We also talked about getting together for a river cruise on the Delaware and where we would go. As a group these boaters, who did not normally take their boats on the Delaware, wanted to get together to make a trip close to home. Maybe we accomplished more than we thought!