Hey!  I have a great idea. 

Let’s find the most powerful cigarette boats on the planet, tune them up to monstrous proportions, throw a skier behind them and see who can do 64 miles the fastest! 

An eerie sense of calm washed over the Coast Hotel near the Queensbay Bridge, as more than fifty speedboats sat silently awaiting the marine fog to lift so they could turn over their massive engines and begin a mad dash in the 60th annual Catalina Ski Race this morning.

Competitors from five nations gathered to compete in more than ten classes, as riders and drivers prepared themselves in the shadow of the Long Beach skyline and Queen Mary.  The boats took off around 9:45am, churning up white water as they made a break for the breakwater – before being released into the open ocean on the way to Avalon and back.

The Men’s Open division was won this morning by the #191 Nordic boat towing American Todd Haig, which finished the 64-mile race in just under 52 minutes!  Haig actually fell in the rough Pacific waters on the way back from Catalina and fell into second place, but kept pushing and was able to regain the lead and the victory.

The Formula II Outboard division was won by the #70 Bernico with American rider Cameron King earning the trophy.