1998 SALMON
- THE 1998 SALMON FROM THE LEFT SEAT OF "VAL-OSITY"
- The water level was very scary: last year we were running in 25000
to 30000 cubic ft per sec;
- this year it was down to 8500 cfs. There are some ROCKS in that river!!!!
- In Ladder Creek there was really only one path through the rocks that
- required running about a boat width off the boulders along the shore
- while dodging the boulders just under the surface, then lining up to
jump
- through a space between 2 boulders that wasn't quite a boat width and
- remembering to make a hard left turn just as you hopefully cleared
the passage.
- If you did it just right, the navigator's sponson just grazed the smaller
of the 2 boulders.
- I got off to the wrong side in Fiddle Creek which resulted in a wet,
rough ride through
- the boilers but the trip down and the last leg up went beautifully.
I probably suffered
- as little damage as anyone. The river took it's toll: Jeff Edwardson
(B Class) sank his
- boat in Time Zone.
- Bruce Mills (A Class) proved that rocks are tougher than aluminum and
caved in the front
- side of Rabbit but no holes. It brought a tear to my eye - ole sentimental
me! On the down
- leg he lost a gasket and filled his engine up with water so only finished
one leg. Jake Wyatt
- (A Class) was too hot coming out of Black Hawk rapids and smashed into
compression waves.
- He suffered a split hull. Dean Miles (A Class) also split his hull
in Time Zone. Bob Durkin (A
- Class) bounced on rock and broke his pump. Donny Smith (Unlimited)
and Chuck Thompson
- (A Class) lost their distributors and ignition on leg 3.
- By Val Ramsdell Driver of #111 THANKS VAL!
- And this coverage graciously provided by Sam Whitten,
Salmon Race Director.
- The 14th Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Race was held April 18 and 19
, 1998 on the famous
- " River of No Return" in Riggins , Idaho. The Idaho Cup and
first place overall winner was
- A-Class Team Danger Zone driven by Jeff Laird in boat # 211 from Gold
Beach, Oregon , with
- a total time of 1 hour 12 min. 28 sec for the 99 mile extreme course.
With two former world
- champions in hot pursuit, Jeff set a new record on the down river leg
23min.13 sec. for 33 miles.
- Three-time world champion Mark Cromie and team Kwik Kiwi of Whangarie,
New Zealand, placed
- first in the unlimited class and second overall with a time of 1 hour
16 minutes and 27 seconds in
- boat # 354. Mark has raced worldwide for the past 22 years, including
sixteen world championships.
- Donny Smith in boat #357 of White City, Oregon took second in the unlimited
class.
- Veteran Salmon River racer Dwain Longfellow of Lewiston , Idaho, Placed
second in the A-Class and
- third overall in Boat #244. Spencer King, the 1994 world champion,
from Hay River, NWT , Canada,
- Finished third in the A-Class and fourth overall in boat # 388.
- Val Ramsdell And navigator husband ,Del Ransdell of Medford, Oregon,
repeated there first place
- victory in the B-Class as in 1997. Val is the only woman jet boat driver
to race and win on the wild
- Salmon River.
- Jet boat builder and owner of Outlaw Marine Alex Miller and team Outlaw
Placed first in the C-Class
- in boat # 72. Alex has raced on the salmon River many times, including
the first race in 1984.
- Thirteen powerful jet boats , some with 1200 horsepower, started the
event with only six crossing the
- finish line. the mechanical gremlins played havoc with Donny Smith
#357 and Chuck Thompson #280.
- The infamous " time Zone Rapid" claimed another victim in
1998, boat #251 driven by Jeff Edwardsen
- of Lewiston, Idaho, when it sank after being swamped by a huge wave.
Both Jeff and his navigator
- escaped with minor injuries.
- The 14th annual Salmon River Jet Boat race is the first leg of the
APBA- sanctioned U. S. championship
- Jet Boat Race Marathon. The three races completing the circuit are
Grants Pass, Oregon, May 23 and 24,
- Klamath , California , on June 6 and 7 and the final leg on the Rogue
River at Gold Beach, Oregon, on June
- 12 and14 .
- U. S. Standings after Salmon River Race ;
- Unlimited class ; Mark Cromie # 354 800 points , Donny Smith # 357
600 Points
- A-Class ; Jeff Laird # 211 800 points , Dwain Longfellow #244 525 points
, Chuck Thompson # 280 469 points ,
- Spencer King # 288 394 points , Bob Durkin # 301 254 points, Bruce
Mills #222 190 points , Dean Miles # 212
- 142 points, Jake Waytt #327 106 points
- B-Class Val Ramsdell # 111 800 points Jeff Edwardsen # 251 600 points
- C-Class Alex Miller # 72 800 points.
- Congratulations to all racers!
- The Salmon River will host the first race of the U.S. Championships
on the third weekend in April 1999