I moved to Whidbey Island the summer of 1992 from Hawaii; specifically Oahu.  Every year I was there, I watched the hydroplane races held in Pearl Harbor.  What fun they were!  It hadn’t occurred to me that Oak Harbor may have hosted hydro races, but according to some sources, forty years ago, there were hydroplane races held here. The summer of 2014, they returned!  Complete with a variety of food and drink venues to enjoy, town folk came out and lined the harbor’s shore to enjoy the races.  It was a quite a production much like the races in Hawaii but for our little Oak Harbor, it was HUGE and a great success!  Here is a photo-log of what I saw!

Here is an actual frame-by-frame progression of a race heet….

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Fun photos of boats racing and rooster tails!

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The coming and going of boats….

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How some boats are rinsed after their heet and how pit crews cool off on a hot summer day!

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This is just ONE of several sponsors and big players who were contenders in this event.

Fox Heating and Plumbing….

…is a major sponsor….

….and contender in the races.

Such beautiful lines these boats have!

Underneath….

Cockpit….

If you notice, to the left, they are a fan of the Seahawks!

Actually, I was told they claim to be the ORIGINAL Twelve…..This is their race number and always has been.

I like this team because their philosophies are aligned with mine.

The prop is carried separately and gently.

This is the POWER!!!

Just some photos of the actual pit crew activity down on the boat ramp in the harbor…..

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Lastly, how one boat is trailer-ed after a race…

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Here’s the deal, THEY PLAN TO BE BACK NEXT YEAR TO DO THIS AGAIN!