Evening star., 1952-07-27
Police, Coast Guard
Save Norfolk Driver
After CraftisLosf
By MoIcoIm Lomborne, Jr.

An estimated crowd of 10000
yesterday thrilled to an event.
filled regatta on the choppy Poto-
mac between Lincoln Memorial
and Fourteenth Street bridges as
the rough going capsized 10 boats,
sent one driver to the hospital,
and his boat to the bottom of the
river.
Clarence Collins. veteran 1885,
cubic-inch hydroplane driver from
Norfolk, Va, was treated for
decorations and bruises at Emer-
gency Hospital after he spilled in
the second heat of his class in the
Capital Power Boat Association
regatta. He was released from
the hospital later.
Collins set a blistering pace in a
10-boat field in the first heat and
got the checkered flag first. His
winning speed for the five miles
was $500 m.p.h. He was on his
way to repeating in the second
heat. when disaster struck on the
back stretch toward the Virginia
shore. His boat Shirley hit al
wave and tipped over, tossing
Collins into the river. The boat
disappeared in the choppy water
Kept Afoat BY Jacket.
Meanwhile, Collins, dazed and
his clothes partially torn off byI
the impact when he hit the water,
was kept af1oat by his life jacket.
Other hydroplanes roared by, mar
rowly missing him. Two other
drivers, Joe Palmer of Arlington
and Jerry Powell of Richmond,
turned back to aid him. But the
harbor police and Coast Guard
got there in time to fish him out.
John M. Kipp of Baltimore, in
Sabre. sped on to first place for
that heat. And with enough points
from a sixth in the earlier heat,
he was awarded the top prize
later by Commodore John Nc
Keever. Palmer earned a third
place trophy.
The crowd earlier in the day
witnessed one of those raritieS in
Speedboating, a runaway boat that
threw its driver, then sped on for
nearly five minutes in crazy Cir
cles, until it ran up on the stern
of a small Coast Guard boat
which was towing another
swamped racer. The impact
stopped the runaway cold.
Richmond Driver Thrown.
Charles C. Hines of Richmond
was thrown out of his boat as he
came out of the choppy lower turn.
He, too. narrowly escaped being
ruined down as big field of b
stock utility outboards swept by.
Hines was quickly rescued without
injury. The final winner was DON
aid Reidel of Hasbrouck Heights,
N. j.
So many B outboards were en-
tered the committee had to run
two qualifying heats. Fourteen
flnalistS out of list of 26 starters
were picked for the race in which
Hines boat staged the runaway
act.
Jack Holt of Fort Belvoir. Va.
winner of the D stock outboard
regional championship week ago
at Solomons. Md, captured the D
event with a first and a second.
Richard ODea, 19-year-old Pat
terson, N. j., outboard driver won
both heats of the A stock utility.
Chairman Is Winner
Aubrey Thacker, chairman Of
the regatta committee, took time
out to drive his 225-cubic- Inch hy-I
droplane to a first prize in the
266-cubic-inch hydroplane class.
Thacker stepped up to the 1861
class after no other boats showed
up in his class. His Jezebel TX
took two seconds.
The unexpectedly large crowd
was estimated by Edward j. Kelly,
superintendent of National Capital
Parks which co-operated in stag
ing the regatta. There were spec
tators on both the Virginia and
Washington shores and aboard
anchored pleasure craft.
The regatta summaries: