Thunderboat Regatta san Diego Mission Bay 2007

rpcrowe

I was at the tryouts of the unlimited hydroplane races at San Diego. Although, the title of the event refers to "Unlimited Hydroplanes" I am not sure if this specific boat was an unlimited hydroplane since there were various types of boats trying out on Friday 9/14/07.

Rooster Tail... I picked my spot on the course where the boats come out of a turn so that the rooster tail would be the background for the image instead of various shore subjects.

leaforte

The 'rooster tail' in this shot, being a sidelong view, instead of the typical static 'following behind' view make this a cool shot. I love to get to the Seafair races here in Seattle, and try to get to the races on the Columbia River, in the tri-cities every two, or three, years. I've also had the grand pleasure to watch the circuit in Mission Bay once, a few years back. Bill Muncey (62 career wins before his tragic crash 16 years ago) and Chip Hanauer are very respected names here in the Northwest. Thanks for sharing this photo.

rpcrowe

Another Thunderboat
Here is one more...

rpcrowe

Typical Thunderboat Shot
This is a typical shot with the roostertail behind the boat as it crosses the camera position...

colourbox

The Formula boat at the bottom is definitely Unlimited class. The second one is Unlimited Light, compare its proportions to the red Formula boat. The top one looks like it might be Unlimited Light.

They're so cool. What tech geek could resist aerodynamic turbine-powered machines skimming the water at 200MPH?

dbaker1221

terrific job !!!!