Shutt Memorial Hydrobowl 2006dateline July 29 & 30 Elkhart, Indiana

The rhetoric of this author will be short and sweet, because that’s how the SHUTT MEMORIAL HYDROBOWL 06 went down. Short and sweet. There were four participants in this years' Hydrobowl: Jake Free, Daniel Grow, Bob Buerger and Steve Mar. The four words that characterised this years’ event were “I CAME TO RACE!!” , and they were brought fourth by Grow.

Defending champ Free did a respectable :24.36 sec.(9.15 miles/hr) to start off the sprints. It was a personal Best. Comming off a long bunch of work rebuilding a wreacked boat, he was happy with it. Daniel Grow lined up for his run and did a :21.56 sec. 100 (over 10 miles/hr!! 10.34). Not only was this his personal best, but a course record. Buerger chimed in with a :27.4 sec.(8.31 mi / hr). The next event was the slalom. While Buerger opted to stay with his Long-proa cruiser, it would not serve him as well as his short quick-turning catamaran that normally dominates the Slalom Event. Although “one boat change per year” is allowed, He stayed with the proa so he would do well with it in the criterium. Dan Grow fired off a 1:54.75 and Jake Free pulled a 1:57.56 sec. It was definitely worth another shot at it in Free’s mind since his time was so close. The only factor playing was the 95 degree heat and blistering Summer sun. Free decided to make the run but a slight wanting in foresight was to do him in. While Hydrobowl competitors have the option to wait out breezes and take off at optimum times, they are also obligated to determine a clear track. It is the racer’s responsibility to know whether the track is raceable.

This rule was to make Free pay dearly by a happening that was a true freak of nature! As he was approaching the end of the course marking the halfway portion of the run, Free thought the corner buoy had drifted towards shore, as it was close to a big floating tree (two tons worth). He thought “oh well” just run the wide-drifting buoy and try and beat 2:54. As Free got closer, he realized two things. One, the tree had worked its way loose from the shore and was drifting into the boat clearence around that corner, and two, with as wide a boat as Free had, he might not make through.

Now there are a lot of crazy things in this world, and some events intersect our time-space at Hayden Pond. There are for instance ½ inch diameter freshwater jellyfish that appear late Summer, early Fall. There werent any of these jellyfishes this year, but we hydrobowlers have seen them. Another crazy thing is that the perimeter of Haydon Pond is lined with logs and cut-down trees, many of them floating. Some work their way loose and drift back and fourth as the wind changes, but never (6 or seven years) does this author remember any obstructing our races. While Free took a wide outside approach around the end of a still-regulation-course, an observing Grow said, “... go ahead and hit the buoy”. The pragmatic Free however lined his boat to clear the marker and bounced off the tree with his left outrigger and finished the run. It looked good at the halfway point and Free felt good in the run, but clocked a 2:07.66. Not good enough. For third, Bob clocked a 2.22, and Mar a 3:35.78 sec. For comparison's sake Buerger tried out the short catamaran (you know, the one that's fast around corners?) and clocked a 2:03.

A little time to clear some weeds discovered on the north end, and to wedge that tree against the shore and it is time for the 2000m Criterium. While Buerger turns in a respectable run in 17:18.33, and Free does a consistasnt (year to year) 14:28.17, Daniel Grow cranks a 13:35.42 for another course record !

A new gravity-work machine is brought in by Bob Buerger for the static thrust. The readings prove to differ from the Hanson scale with Jake Free lifting 68 lbs of bricks, Bob Buerger with 46, Dan Grow with 34

2006 Steve Shutt Memorial Hydrobowl RESULTS Participant Sprint Criterium Slalom Static Thrust point total overall place race series points Bob Buerger 27.4 seconds/3rd place (35 points) 17:18 min:sec/3 rd place (35 points) 2:22.2 min;sec/3rd place (35 points) 46 pounds (gravity and pulleys)/ 2nd place (37 points) 142 3rd 35 Jake Free 24.36 /2nd (37) 14:28 /2nd (37) 1:57.56 /2nd (37) 65 (gravity) /2rd (37) 151 2nd 37 Dan Grow 21.56 /1st (40) 13:35.42 /1st (40) 1:54.75 /1st (40) 34/3rd (gravity) (35) 155 1st 40 Steve Mar 43.9/4th (34) - 3:35.78 /4th (34) - - 4th 34 Three boaters hit the ramp at sixspan the next day on a blustery day. While Grow retired early, Buerger and Free went upstream halfway up to Bristol and back. Threatening as it was none of the parties got rained on. 8--06