Puerto Rico OSS Race: An Incredible Event

Date: 12 June 2006

By Bob Teague, reporting from San Juan. OSS has accomplished the nearly impossible in the world of offshore racing. The entire organization, all the boats, trucks, big rigs, parties and camaraderie were shipped, transported, and flown to San Juan. The results have proven to be an incredible event. Puerto Rico rolled out the red carpet and met OSS, the racers, and fans with open arms. All the hard work and support by RJ Reynolds/Winston, PROSS, Pepe Llama, Juan Bravo, Joey Jimenez, Nino Contreras and their partners resulted in an amazingly successful event. The racing was tough, fierce and challenging. Ultimately, all the boats made it back successfully and everyone was safe with no injuries.

On Saturday, the waters were typical Puerto Rico rough. Racers in the OSS Cat Outboard and OSS Vee Lite classes were faced with 20 knot winds, 6 to 8 foot seas on the outside leg, and plenty of drama.

Rumor has it that the water was so big that some of the Vee Lite guys were rallying to not race and to draw cards instead to see who the winner was. Among those racers were not the guys in the AMF Team Lavey boat who were ready to show their Pacific Ocean stuff in Puerto Rico. When the green flag dropped, Kevin and Brian checked out and never looked back. At the end of the only four laps of the storm shortened race, the Lavey Craft (the smallest boat in the fleet) was 3 minutes and 29 seconds ahead of second place. To the Lavey Craft gang, it was just like another day at Dana Point or Ventura California.

Running in a distant, but solid second the entire race was Wild Ride. They ran pretty much by themselves the whole day. WHM Mini Me ran one of their best races of the year and finished third in racing. But after the inspection process was completed, a three minute penalty accessed to the WHM Vee Lite team for a propeller that was a little too thin moved them back a position to 4th place. This moved Typhoon up to an official position of 3rd place. IMCO who ran under the sponsor’s name of Senior Frog (a local bar) finished 5th. Earlier in the race, Screamin’ Eagle was in the hunt, but just as they completed the 3rd lap had a mechanical failure and didn’t finish which gave them a 6th place.