The first ERCU Winter Meeting was held on Tuesday, Nov. 24 via Zoom, and was very productive.

Given the shorter offseason we find ourselves in due to the Covid-19 pandemic that cut our racing season in half this year, it was a high priority to get back on track with offseason decisions and recommendations to the membership.

In attendance were Nelson Holmberg, Rick Evans, Ron Daum, Len Taylor, Jerry Dunlap, Bill Mowatt, Ben Keller and Jim Clark (a former ERCU racer who's interested in what we're doing).

We’ve adopted the name “Winter Meetings” for the offseason club work (which is primarily handled by the board, but with recommendations for feedback and input from club members) as a way to make it even more clear to everyone that all are welcome. These meetings are open and if you’re interested in participating, we would love to have you.

On to the business of our first winter meeting.

Board Elections
After our board elections that were conducted online this year, we’ve added Bill Mowatt as a new member to the board. Bill replaces Kerry Kjos, who served two terms and gave a lot to the club. Kerry’s work for the club is appreciated.

• Appointments for the different positions on the 2021 board: Nelson Holmberg, chairman; Rick Evans, secretary; Ron Daum, registrar/treasurer; Len Taylor, statistician; Robbie Roberts, inspector; and Bill Mowatt at large.
  
• The board chose to appoint Bill in an at large position due to the experience of the other board members in their positions, and Bill’s relatively new status as a club member. This is a great way for Bill to serve the club and to get familiar with serving on the board and what the different jobs entail.
  

2020 Awards
We were able to finalize the awards for 2020 ERCU members, which will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m., during a club Zoom Happy Hour. Everyone is welcome to attend from the comfort of their own homes (masked or not), with beverages and snacks of your choice. We’ll celebrate our abbreviated season together by announcing the award winners and have a little fellowship for an hour or so virtually.

• Award winners will be posted on the club website and club Facebook shortly after the Zoom Happy Hour, too.
  
• But wait…there’s more! This year, we’ll double-dip the honors for our award winners. At the first race of the 2021 season, we’ll have an extended lunch break where we’ll actually physically hand out all of our awards and get photos to honor the winners appropriately.
  

2021 Registrations
With the season being interrupted and abbreviated, not to mention running beyond the end of our normal October 31 registration expiration, the board acted to make a one-time exception to the grace period for renewing your registrations.

• If you had a boat registered in the club for the 2020 season, each of your registrations are also valid for the 2021 season, and you will not need to pay another $5 per boat in 2021.
  
• You will need to pay your $25 membership fee to the club to stay current as an ERCU member.
  
• New registrations will be charged at the full $5 per boat, and $25 for annual membership.
  

Potential Rule Changes?
There was also discussion about potential changes to the ERCU rulebook, but the board ultimately decided to leave it alone this year. The justification behind that decision was that the club made significant changes in 2020, and we have not heard any strong concerns about changing any rules for 2021.

Motor Rule
Having said we wouldn’t make general changes to the rules this winter, we are finding ourselves in a situation different than we were in during the winter of 2010-11 when we changed the motor rule to include the Himax 1500 kv, ProBoats Dynamite 1500 kv and the Aquacraft 1500 kv, which all were 3630-1500 motors that were readily available on the market.

• Today, we have just Himax motors available as 3630-1500s, since the Dynamite and Aquacraft motors are no longer in production.
  
• Himax motors have had quality and distribution inconsistencies and have become difficult to find, at times, in the numbers we’ll need them
  
• As a result of a lengthy conversation about motors, the club board recommended a member review of the NAMBA P-Limited approved motors, which most closely match the motors we use.
  
• This rule (on page 108 of the NAMBA rulebook) states “Motors shall be of an inrunner design and shall not exceed the following dimensions: a) Length: 60mm (2.362 in.), this includes any bearing protrusion; b) Diameter: 37mm (1.457 in.)
  
• Use of this rule would mean the motors we currently run ARE still legal.
  
• It also would mean the upper end kv limit on motors would be eliminated
  
• It would additionally mean that a much larger stock of motors would become available to racers.
  
• There has been significant testing done on a long laundry list of motors, by Darin Jordan. The results of which were published in the June 2018 issue of Propwash.
  
• Ultimately, the difference in kv is made up by boat setup and propellers.
  
• At this point, no formal decision has been made, but the club board is asking for feedback from members about changing the motor rule. We will take all club member feedback into consideration at the next Winter Meeting, Sunday, Dec. 13 at 11 a.m.
  

Members are certainly welcome to also join in on that meeting and weigh in with their opinions, but we’d like to be able to study feedback prior to the meeting as much as possible, so please do provide feedback prior to the meeting.

With the end of our brief 2020 ERCU Championship Series, presented by Pentair, it's time to shift into the offseason.

As Robbie said during our last race, in Longview: "April will be here before we know it".

There's some work to do this winter, and I wanted to take a moment to thank a few people for all that got done this year, and to share some pride in our club.

First, I'd like to thank Kerry Kjos for his service to the ERCU Board of Directors. For the last four years, Kerry served as the scale inspector, and we've seen some really beautiful scale boats come through the club. His diligence to the scale appearance of boats, but flexibility to keep it from being rigorous has been appreciated. Kerry's input on health and safety during this crazy year of 2020 has been valuable and helpful, as well, lending a perspective that was needed as we developed our Safe Start Plan to get a chance to race at all this year. Thank you, Kerry, for your service to the board and the members of ERCU.

Next, it's time to introduce the new board of directors. Thanks to all 17 members who voted in our board election this year. I'm happy to share that Ron Daum and Robbie Roberts have won two-year terms on the board. This year, we're also honored to add Bill Mowatt to the board, as he was also elected. The election also brought write in votes for Bill Smiley and Mick Shutt, which both deserve to be recognized as well.

In the coming days, the "old board" and the "new board" will meet via Zoom to assign officer positions, and to begin working on offseason issues for the club. We'll be sure and communicate the time and login details for any and all ERCU Winter Meetings because we would love to have member participation from any and all who are interested in providing input and feedback to the board. Just so you know, some of the issues we'll discuss include the November-January holdover period for registrations; possible motor rule changes (due to apparent shrinking availability of 3630-1500 motors, now that Dynamites are discontinued by ProBoats); possible bylaws changes, and whatever is of concern to the membership. Again, we'll communicated with you all throughout the winter to make sure you're all involved to the extent you'd like to be in what the club is working on.

Finally, we've finalized the 2020 ERCU Season Awards, which we'll present at a date and time to be determined in the coming days. Due to the most recent ruling from the Governor on gatherings, it looks like we'll have to pivot and do this year's awards presentation virtually, so we'll likely set up a Zoom Happy Hour to celebrate together. Sort of.

If you haven't yet seen it, the final season points standings are posted on the "Statistics" page (click here for a shortcut). Many congrats to Vintage High Points Champion Gerry Bordon and his 1970 Parco's O-Ring Miss; to Classic High Points Champion David Newton and his 1985 The Squire Shop; and to Modern High Points Champion David Newton. The Modern Boat High Points Champion is Harry Gatjens, who owns the 1985 Miss Budweiser (Bubble Bud) that Newton drove to the title this year.

Stay tuned. I'll post more information about all of this very soon. Until then, enjoy your Thanksgiving and stay healthy and safe everyone!

-Nellie

All week, the weather forecasts for Longview predicted heavy rain and wind for Saturday.

It didn’t happen.

Without the rainstorm, ERCU was able to get in its final race of the Covid-19 Pandemic shortened season – the 2020 Seafair Cup at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview.

It was a great day of racing, camaraderie and growth of ERCU, as 22 boats were in the pits, including new racers to the club.

The first exciting and cool thing to happen was when rookie Jay Fonville – in vintage 1C, his first heat of ERCU action – piloted his 1963 Tahoe Miss to first place, from the trailer position, after penalties to the Hawaii Kai and the Hallmark Homes.

Jay eventually also won the vintage connie and moved himself into the final as the trailer.

The modern final, as it has been in each of the three points races this year, was won by David Newton, driving Harry Gatjens’ 1986 Miss Budweiser “Bubble Bud”. Second in the modern final went to another new ERCU member having a great day – David Heilbrunn, with his 2019 Miss J&D’s. In third place was Ron Daum’s 2009 Grandview on the Lake, which really only “turbinated” Nelson Holmberg, driving Jim Bakke’s 2013 Graham Trucking, who finished fourth.

The classic final was another good race. Brad Lewis took a quick lead and held it start-to-finish. In fact, the first half lap was led by three different models of the 8255 hull as Paul Dunlap with the Boat and Bill Mowatt with the Miss Houston were in the mix. It didn’t take long, though, for Newton – who won the classic connie and started the final as a trailer – to pick his way through the pack and end up in third place.

Before the classic final was over, Newton had almost caught Dunlap in the boat for second. Fourth place went to Gerry Bordon in the defending Seafair champion 1974 Miss U.S. Fifth was Mowatt with his Miss Houston.

Nelson Holmberg finished second in the classic connie with his 1987 Oh Boy! Oberto and Heilbrunn was third. Joey Caines didn’t finish the connie with his 1976 Spirit of Dayton Walther.

After Bordon’s Parco’s O-Ring Miss scratched out of the vintage connie and Holmberg’s 1975 Oh Boy! Oberto didn’t start, the connie was a two-boat affair. Despite starting as a trailer, Fonville’s Tahoe Miss was solid and steady without mistakes. Daum’s Miss U.S. I missed a couple of buoys and Tahoe came home in first, advancing to the final.

In the vintage final, there were some thrills and spills, when Lewis – while way out front at the end of lap four – blew over 360 and landed right side up. He kept going and won the race. His second straight vintage final of the shortened season. Second place went to Robbie Roberts in the 1971 Hallmark Homes, followed by Jerry Dunlap, rounding out the podium with the Hawaii Kai III. Fonville finished fourth in the final with the Tahoe Miss. Mowatt was the only boat to not finish the final, as his 1963 Miss Bardahl blew over in the backstretch.

All in all, it was a fantastic day of racing and ERCU is feeling like it’s turning the corner to get back on top. Everyone was happy the club continued to try and race responsibly during the pandemic, even though it stretched the season into mid-November.

April will be here before we know it, so the offseason will be shorter than usual. Stay tuned to ERCU’s website and social media for news that we’ll keep you informed about as the winter continues.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. We want to see all of you back at the races very soon!

The 2020 ERCU Seafair Cup is set to be run on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview. Here is all you need to know about the day.

This will be the last race of the 2020 ERCU Championship Series.

Due to the Covid guidelines, we cannot do a picnic or buffet lunch. Please bring whatever food you’d like to eat during the event, and eat at your own convenience. We will not take a lunch break, in order to get the race in as promptly as possible considering weather and available daylight.

The local forecast is calling for rain through the course of the day. You’ll want to bring your EZ Ups and protection from the weather for your transmitters.

Classes

• 1/10-scale FE
  
• 1/7 scale FE
  
• 1/8 scale FE
  

Location
Lake Sacajawea Park, Longview, WA
(approximately 1700 Nichols Blvd., Longview, WA 98632)

Restroom Facilities
ERCU has rented a Honey Bucket for the day. The Honey Bucket will be delivered on Friday afternoon prior to the race. It will be locked overnight so it’s kept clean for our use on Saturday. The permanent facilities at the park will be locked and unavailable to us.

Saturday
ERCU Board of Directors members will arrive on site at 7 a.m. to set up the club’s equipment, the pits and the racecourse. The course will open for testing and practice at approximately 8:30 a.m. Open water will close at 9:30 a.m. to be followed by the mandatory drivers meeting.

If your boats need an inspection, please have them ready for inspection prior to your arrival and arrange for scale and technical inspections to be done before you take to open water. You’ll need to have your inspection sheets filled in prior to inspections.

Drivers Meeting
A mandatory drivers meeting will be held at 9:40 a.m. at the official barge. This meeting will be mandatory for ALL drivers, regardless of scale, size, class or club of origin. It is for safety and communication purposes, so ALL drivers must attend the meeting in its entirety.

Heat Racing
Heat racing will begin five minutes after the conclusion of the drivers meeting.

Three Minute Clock
Due to the recent move to Standard Time, a three-minute start clock will be used for every heat. In order to avoid delays to the day’s racing, once the clock is started for a heat, it will not be paused or stopped for any reason. If you need time between back-to-back heats, please alert the chief referee before the three-minute clock has started.

Race Format

• Three preliminary heats of five laps each for vintage, classic and modern classes
  
• First and second connies for both classes (depending on boat count and attrition). Second connie winner advances to first connie as a trailer. First connie winner advances to the final as a trailer.
  
• Second place boat in the first connie is an alternate for the final.
  
• Winner-take-all championship finals for vintage, classic and modern.
  

Defending Champions
Modern Gold Cup: 1974 Miss U.S., Gerry Bordon
Vintage Gold Cup: 1960 Miss Thriftway, David Newton (Owner: Kerry Kjos)

1/7 Scale FE, 1/8 Scale FE
* Scale FE boats in these two classes will be allowed to race during the event.
* 1/8 scale will race as an exhibition, due to our agreement with R/CU.
* 1/7 scale will only race as an official race if there are a minimum of three boats running in each heat and will be scored by 1/7-scale racers. Otherwise, the class shall be run as an exhibition.

Payment
In ERCU, your first boat is $10 to enter, paid on Saturday morning at registration. Each additional entry, regardless of class, is $5. Please pay via exact change or bring a check made payable to ERCU.

Safety Plan
Please familiarize yourself with the ERCU Safe Start Plan (click here). We need every member to follow this if you want to continue racing in 2020!

The Roger Newton Memorial is a staple in each year’s ERCU racing schedule.

And even Covid couldn’t stop it.

Twenty boats were in the pits for the 2020 Roger Newton Memorial, Saturday, Nov. 7 at Woodland Creek Community Park in Lacey.

But speaking of couldn’t be stopped…in vintage and classic, it was Brad Lewis who pretty much couldn’t be stopped.

Even when his 1982 Oh Boy! Oberto submarined at the launch for the classic final, he still went out and won it.

When the final hit the water, Lewis was piloting the trailer boat after having won the classic connie. But after another boat was DQ’d during the mill, he was able to move up and start from the front line. That’s all he needed as his start was terrific and the Oberto proved to be the fastest classic boat on the water that day.

Lewis was followed by David Newton with the 1985 Squire Shop in second, and in third by Gerry Bordon with the 1974 Miss U.S.

Lewis’s good fortune didn’t stop there.

His 1962 Miss Supertest was easily the fastest vintage boat all day, and the final was no different. Lewis won easily, with Bill Mowatt in second, driving Rick Evans’ 1963 Miss Bardahl. Gerry Bordon in the 1970 Parco’s O-Ring Miss, Jerry Dunlap in the 1957 Hawaii Kai III and Robbie Roberts in the 1971 Hallmark Homes did not finish the final.

In the modern final, it was Newton himself who took home the trophy with his dad’s name on it. Newton collected his second race victory in two events, piloting Harry Gatjens’ model of the 1986 Miss Budweiser “Bubble Bud”. Second in the modern final went to Joey Caines, driving Jim Bakke’s 2013 Graham Trucking. David Heilbrunn with the 2019 J&D’s and Paul Dunlap with the 2015 Dalton Industries were both unable to finish

The 2020 ERCU Roger Newton Memorial is set to be run on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Woodland Creek Park in Lacey. Here is all you need to know about the day.

Due to the Covid guidelines, David Newton will not be able to provide the lunch that he normally does for this race. David, will, however, be providing the normal drawing for great hydroplane related prizes throughout the course of the day. You'll be given raffle tickets when you register for the race.

Each driver who registers will also be given a "Roger Newton Memorial 2020" decal, courtesy of Mike McKnight.
 
Classes

• 1/10-scale FE
  
• 1/7 scale FE, 1/8 scale FE
  

 
Location
Woodland Creek Community Park, Lacey, WA
 
Saturday
ERCU Board of Directors members will arrive on site at 7 a.m. to set up the club’s equipment, the pits and the racecourse. The course will open for testing and practice at 8 a.m. Open water will close at 9:30 a.m. to be followed by the mandatory drivers meeting.

If your boats need an inspection, please have them ready for inspection prior to your arrival and arrange for scale and technical inspections to be done before you take to open water. You’ll need to have your inspection sheets filled in prior to inspections.

Drivers Meeting
A mandatory drivers meeting will be held at 9:40 a.m. at the official barge. This meeting will be mandatory for ALL drivers, regardless of scale, size, class or club of origin. It is for safety and communication purposes, so ALL drivers must attend the meeting in its entirety.

Heat Racing
Heat racing will begin five minutes after the conclusion of the drivers meeting.

Three Minute Clock
Due to the move last weekend to Standard Time, a three-minute start clock will be used for every heat. In order to avoid delays to the day’s racing, once the clock is started for a heat, it will not be paused or stopped for any reason. If you need time between back-to-back heats, please alert the chief referee before the three-minute clock has started.

Race Format

• Three preliminary heats of five laps each for vintage, classic and modern classes
  
• First and second connies for both classes (depending on boat count and attrition). Second connie winner advances to first connie as a trailer. First connie winner advances to the final as a trailer.
  
• Second place boat in the first connie is an alternate for the final.
  
• Winner-take-all championship finals for vintage, classic and modern.
  

Defending Champions
Modern Gold Cup: 1972 Notre Dame, Rick Evans
Vintage Gold Cup: 1960 Miss Thriftway, David Newton (Owner: Kerry Kjos)

1/7 Scale FE, 1/8 Scale FE
* Scale FE boats in these two classes will be allowed to race during the event.
* 1/8 scale will race as an exhibition, due to our agreement with R/CU.
* 1/7 scale will only race as an official race if there are a minimum of three boats running in each heat and will be scored by 1/7-scale racers. Otherwise, the class shall be run as an exhibition.

Payment
In ERCU, your first boat is $15 to enter, paid on Saturday morning at registration. Each additional entry, regardless of class, is $5. Please pay via exact change or bring a check made payable to ERCU.
 
Safety Plan
Please familiarize yourself with the ERCU Safe Start Plan (click here). We need every member to follow this if you want to continue racing in 2020!