Racers flock to Soap Lake Regatta

SOAP LAKE — It’s a water sport, so the morning rain did little more than prime the racers and race fans at the sixth annual Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce Hydro Regatta Saturday.

The sound of motors straining under the stress of gaining RPMs, the smell of racing fuel and the chatter of race crews filled the air along the shores of the “Smokiam” — the healing waters — Saturday as boats and crews gathered to see whose setup was dialed in and which watercraft would rule supreme.

Members of the Seattle Drag and Ski Club came to race. Some came from the other direction. Region 10 spans from Washington to North Dakota along the Canadian border and south all the way to Utah. It’s a tow in all directions for racers from all over the western United States to participate in the hydroplane races. Some came from as far away as Maryland and Michigan.

For a local crew, with an Auburn driver and Oregon owner, the healing waters of the Smokiam are just down the road. Scott Stewart from Ephrata is the crew chief, the man in the headphones in the driver’s ear. He also turns the wrench and works with the setup. His son Christopher and daughter Cassie are on the crew, along with Colby Murray, helping with whatever needs to be done with the boat, anything from getting it in the water to holding it still while the driver gets in. Stewart’s brother Mike Jarvis is the driver and John Bosserman from Oregon is the owner.

“My brother and I have been racing together probably since we were 14-years-old,” said Stewart, whose job it is to let the driver know who’s around him, where the openings are and when to go. “I build the motors and Mike drives the boat.

“We go all over Washington and race against these same guys. So to have one in our own backyard is nice. Ya know racing is racing, but at the end of the day everybody here is like family. We’ve all been doing it for a really long time and we do it for love, because it’s not a inexpensive sport to do.”

Sitting in the seat is one part adrenaline and one part skill set, Jarvis said. There’s no brakes, just fast and stop and the knowledge how to run hard in traffic.

“I’ve been racing against these guys for a long time, so it’s about trying to find new ways to try and beat them,” said Jarvis, who runs a nice little composite, wood boat in the 5-liter pro lite class. “Going four wide into the curve gets a little dicey sometimes. You try and pick the best line for your boat set up. A lot of the guys are in faster, lighter boats. I definitely try to stick my nose in there (on the turn) if I can.

“I’ve been driving so long we didn’t have cockpits so you could just turn around and see who’s around you. So now I count on Scott to let me know the conditions and where and when to.”

There’s going to be a day when 2018 Ephrata graduate Christopher Stewart is issuing citations for excessive speed, but over the weekend he was happy to be a part of the racing culture. Stewart will be attending Big Bend Community College to study criminal justice with the idea of becoming a state patrol trooper. But his summer job is to help the team wherever he can, whether it be a little bit of wrenching on the setup or helping steady the boat when it’s in the water.

“I grew up around racing and I don’t mind doing some of the grunt work,” he said. “It’s pretty fun for me to be around the boat. I’ve given some thought to getting in the seat, but I like working on the motor and helping out where I can. I’ve learned a lot about this from my uncle and my dad, it’s all part of the family.”

Rodney Harwood is a sports writer for the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com