Stock outboard powerboat racing champions from across the U.S. and Canada converged on Greenfield State Park last weekend for the inaugural “Greenfield Howler,” bringing high-speed powerboats to Otter Lake.
Organized by the South Shore Outboard Association and the American Power Boat Association, the two-day event drew 70 competitors from as far away as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maine, and Canada.
Longtime Greenfield resident Jay Gignac, an SSOA member, said he had hoped to host a powerboat race at Otter Lake for years. On Monday, Gignac said that while he was “still a little deaf from being in the boat,” the first Greenfield Howler could not have gone better.
“The town was absolutely great in helping me make this all happen. The Select Board we have right now is very open to events. Wendy Drouin, the town administrator, has been absolutely amazing. The state park was excellent, and Alec Woolley, the park manager, was fabulous,” Gignac said. “It was a very long-drawn-out process to get it all organized, and it was kind of touch and go with the state, getting the permits at the last minute, but now that the first one is behind us, it should hopefully all go easier in the years to come.”
Because Otter Lake is subject to state regulations normally prohibiting boat wakes, the town granted a temporary variance for the weekend competition. The Greenfield Fire Department hosted a fundraiser grill selling hot dogs and hamburgers, and the event donated proceeds to the Greenfield Food Pantry.
“The town really stepped up to the plate with this. The whole Select Board supported it, and they thought it would be a great thing for the town. We had a great turnout. It just kind of woke everything up in town,” Gignac said.
Racing on the water
Stock outboard racing features two primary craft designs: runabouts, which have pointed hulls designed to skim the water’s surface, and hydroplanes, which ride on a cushion of air. Weighing roughly 125 pounds, the lightweight boats are built from marine plywood, mahogany, carbon fiber, and fiberglass.
Like car races, boats race around an oval “track” on the water and earn points based on position.
Gignac said the most challenging part of outboard racing may be the “flying start,” which requires racers to be at the starting line exactly when the judges’ clock, displayed on a floating stand, hits zero.
“We’re all there, waiting patiently, hearts beating like crazy, waiting for the green flag, which means we can enter the racecourse,” Gignac said.
After entering the course, racers spend a few minutes “milling” and waiting for the white flag, which means one minute remains until the race starts.
Gignac said every racer knows exactly how long it will take to get from where they are “milling” to the starting line.
“In this race, I had already calculated that from the buoy to starting point would be 11 to 12 seconds, and that I would go full throttle,” Gignac said.
Most heats have five or six boats, although Gignac has seen as many as 11.
Each event consists of two three-lap heats grouped by engine and weight classes. Rescue and support boats remained on the water throughout the competition, backed by an on-site crew from Peterborough Ambulance.
Gignac grew up in a powerboat-racing family in Dracut, Massachusetts.
“I’m 65, and I drove my first race boat on my 5th birthday,” Gignac said. “I’ve driven the small ones, and I’ve driven the big ones that go 150 miles an hour.”
Gignac acknowledges that powerboat racing, like most sports, involves some risk.
“You have to be aware of a lot of different things. We have lost drivers; I have lost some friends; there are instances when we have lost people in races,” he said. “I’ve been racing since I was 13, so I was unfortunately born into this sickness. It’s all for the love of the sport.”
According to Gignac, outboard racing is equally popular among men and women, with two women among recent national champions, and several women winning multiple races at the Howler. Gignac said outboard racing is “very family oriented,” with many racers growing up as he did, in a racing family.
Gignac said he has gotten back into racing smaller, custom-made race boats, the type that competed in Greenfield. The SSOA also typically hosts an annual race in Kingston but it was canceled this year because of the September 26 Nor’easter.
“Nobody is making money at this. We all do it because we love it, and we all help each other out. Yesterday, when my motor just wouldn’t start, people ran into the water to help me, lifted it up, and had it running in no time. It is really a lot of fun,” Gignac said.
A video of the race is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGH0It94ZVQ.
The Greenfield Howler results are posted at https://southshoreoutboard.com/schedule/.
