Outboard national championship come to Moses Lake
Outboard boats, like the one pictured here, will be cruising Moses Lake as part of a national championship next week,
MOSES LAKE - National and world champions will be crowned next week as Cascade Park hosts the 2014 APBA Stock/Mid/J Nationals and UIM J World Championships.
Adult boaters from across the country will race in a circular course, getting up to nearly 100 mph, Race Director Ana Cappelletti said.
Children from around the globe, including the son of Qatari Sheikh Hassan, will compete for a world championship, she said, getting up to about 35 mph.
Racers lie down or kneel in the tiny cockpit and control the wheel with one hand and the throttle with the other. There are no pedals on the speedy boats, making for true white-knuckle racing.
Cappelletti said more than 280 boaters are set to compete during the event. "The city is going to be packed with boaters that week," she said.
The event lasts all week with a practice day on Monday, qualifying Tuesday through Thursday and championship rounds on Friday and Saturday. The race is free and family-friendly, Cappelletti said. There will be a beer garden, sponsored by Moses Lake's Ten Pin Brewery.
Racing begins about 10 a.m. on Tuesday through Thursday and should last until about 5 p.m. The sponsors for the event include Scott and Linda Carson, NauticPromo- UIM J Worlds, Papa's Casino, Pack's Taxi, Chico's Pizza, Cascade Marina, Inland Cellular, Jerry's Auto Supply, Jodi Montoya, Penway Media, Larry Oberto, Woodshed Embroidery and Bayside Marine,
Dave and Mel Cossette, Julie Sparrowgrove Photography, Elliott Insurance, Mike and Lori Jones, City of Moses Lake, Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, Columbia Basin Herald and Grant County Fairgrounds.