Every Friday after work, a group of guys get together at Hoyt Lake (or Delaware Lake, Gala Waters, etc… it’s all the same) to race their single hull, two-channel, electric offshore racing model boats. These boats can gather speeds of up to 40 mph, and can turn on a dime. Last Friday (around 4:30pm) I found Jerry and one of his friends tinkering around with three boats (though they had more in their cars), each of which possesses different capabilities and are able to test the conditions of the water and more importantly the handling skills of the owner. The boats also have the uncanny ability of eluding the camera lens more often than I’d like to admit.
Although it is fast approaching the end of the racing season, there still may be a couple more Fridays to catch these racers. I found it hard to believe that they’ve been gathering at Delaware Park since the days of Commissioner of Parks, Dan Durawa. All total, there are six of them who meet up as weather permits. They are happy to show off in front of passersby, especially the kids who unsuspectingly creep right up the water’s edge, allowing the boats to spray them as they pass. A couple of the boats have the ability of sending up a good sized rooster tail as well. So what happens if one of the boats breaks down out on the lake? Jerry has an emergency inflatable raft and fishing poles for just such an emergency. Too bad there is not a remote control tugboat that can come to the rescue!
