Severe setbacks for jet boaters

Press, 10 September 1985, Page 44

Severe setbacks for jet boaters

By

FRANK DUGGAN

Two of New Zealand’s

outstanding jet boat drivers in their class, Colin McCall, of Kaiapoi, and Curt Neilson, of Christchurch, have experienced dramatic incidents in their final wind-ups for the start of tomorrow’s Citizen Watch four-day national marathon over South Island rivers. On Saturday afternoon, on a quickly-swelling Waimakariri River, McCall and his new 5.5 m C.W.F. Hamilton Marine prototype sank through no fault of either party. McCall’s Hamilton Jet, powered by a 454 Chevrolet motor and entered in the unlimited class, took in water as it turned in the swollen river to start its downstream run. The motor cut out and without power the boat drifted on to a log which dragged it down on one side, allowing water to swamp the boat. It took two hours to recover it and the boat has spent the last two days in the workshop “drying out.” The manager of C.W.F. Marine, Limited, Mr A. C. Dick, said last evening he was confident that the craft would be ready tomorrow. Neilson, who has had a most successful season in the Savage Marine (340-4200 c.c.) class, dropped a pin from his steering column during a final trial on Sunday and ended up in the Waimakariri willows.

The boat was undamaged, but Neilson had to have 11 stitches in his head. He will start tomorrow. Three more entries have been received which bring the number up to 47. The most interesting entry is Gordon Chamberlain, of Christchurch, who will be driving the former successful Nat West Finance 545 Chevrolet boat in the open class.