Captain Mike's Big Ride

(TYBEE WINS RESPECT IN THE OFFSHORE RACING WORLD)

All's well that ends well.

Ends well feels good kind of well.

In the beginning, there was thunder. Enough of it to make Tybee Island resound as far west from the ocean as Lewis and South Campbell Avenues. It was a big, continuing, throbbing noise that created a droning, weekend presence. Boats, racing boats off Tybee the July 4th weekend. It wasn't the sound of cracking fireworks that drew daytime locals, tourists, and racing fans to the beach. It was the spector of an APBA off shore pro series in our backyard where a speeding craft dubbed Drambuie On Ice would claim attention along with a Super Cat speeder dubbed Tommy Bahama.

That's the boat, not the person. And the Dirty Duck, a boat and not an animal, won the hearts of fans outside on the walkway of the Tybee Light Shrine Club cheering as it sputtered and lost ground in the race. For sure, the Duck captured attention.


It was the stuff of spectacle that included a Sunday helicopter rescue of two racers submerged on their craft on Turn 6 of the course right in front of Fort Screven. It just flipped. Rescue divers jumped from their hovering, overhead, chopper. The crowd was hushed, waiting, then two bobbing racers with orange helmits made the surface, unhurt, to cheers from onlookers within thirty something seconds, long seconds, what-if seconds.

One doesn't see this kind of action just 1,800 feet off shore.

This deal was spectactor intense and brought home by Tybee Island's Mike Scarbrough, that's Dolphin Boat Captain Mike who tours each day out of Lazaretto Creek with his wife and shipmate, Iris.

Adventure, for sure, in the sweltering sun of a first annual sporting event that those in the know say will become part of Tybee's landscape for years to come. It is more than a maybe. It is now about making it happen.

This event made more noise on the beach and in the Shrine Club than talk of the missing $50,000 dollars at City Hall that some sages claim to be closer to $135,000. That would be for another day. The passing of Teddy Ballgame, Ted Williams, had it's place on National Public Radio, television, and the internet. And pictures of Serena beating Venus Williams at Wimbledon unfolded in the world court, over there, where songster George M. Cohan said the Yanks were coming anyway.

Quite a weekend...and all a backdrop for Mike Scarbrough. His game would be getting the president of APBA to see the advantage of putting the course off Fort Screven and not a mile from The Pier where all spectators could have barely seen the rooster tails on the boats. His message was heard and acted on quickly.

No, this would be upclose and personal. Thrilling. On Race Weekend Saturday, two racers were thrown from craft and rescued. On Sunday, a boat caught fire on the last lap. It all got handled because the hurried preparation was, in fact, on time, precise, and safety sure. The APBA is tough on that with medics and divers in place as the organization works with strict rules and standards to race.

And where else on earth could a shrimp boat serve as a race marker?

The racers themselves loved that touch.

Kevin Peterson, Director Club/Member Services of the APBA called it " a kick ass event," and said firmly that Mike Scarbrough stepped up and pretty much made it come to life.

" Mike made everything happen on the Tybee side, " said Peterson. He called the event that included three world record speed runs off River Street in Savannah, " the best ever, awesome...every single class had something special to it...it was an incredible event." Peterson got to know Tybee folks during all this and was touched by the support behind Mike Scarbrough that included realtor Bonnie Gaster and attorney Robert Mullins. Volunteers came forward. Things started happening in government on Butler Avenue with the time and help of City Manager Bob Thomson. All were not in favor of this there and asked if Tybee really needed to do it at all.

May 28th this year was the pivot date with the Savannah Sports Council and the APBA. It could have gone away. The APBA is over a hundred years old and a sporting part of a marine industry that generates multi-millions each year. Not small time stuff. This is racing with tv cameras in choppers close to the boats recording every move. This is a showing on pay for view Fox Speed Channel in September. This is an outfit that claims the allegiance of racing fans to travel to each venue.

" We have landed a world class event that can be our's for years to come and we know we can do it better. We just have to do it," said the visionary, Mike Scarbrough.

It took just four hours for Mike to show the APBA how the race would lay out off Fort Screven, rather than The Pier plan, to make it happen. Four hours of influencing and proving his idea. That was it. Everything else followed. If there was a lingering doubt about Tybee handling all the variables that come with power boat racing, that doubt was set aside. Investment time. The APBA was in. Captain Mike's Big Ride was about to materialize.

Whether the announcers at the Shrine Club were describing Tybee as Savannah Beach or Tybee Island, the message was clear to those watching live computer screens worldwide tracking the event. The race was here now and on to Cleveland in August.

And that is the sense of all this. Rick Bowling is a retired racer of two years who was active in the sport for twenty years. He was part of Jelly Bean Racing and drawn to Tybee to watch at the Shrine Club. He said, " We used to race against time. That was the goal. Now it is really dangerous with the turns designed for spectators."

He explained the Grand Prize money is not significant and that racers have to get sponsors to survive. He said it was the love of the sport that drove him. What finally drove him away was rolling his boat at Saint Augustine, FA in November of 2000 at 120 miles an hour with his son on board. They both walked away unhurt with the boat totally trashed. He was impressed with the layout of the course.

Rusty Fleetwood, a long time Tybee boat builder, served as a race marker volunteering his boat for use on that course and said Tybee needs more water events because folks just don't know how big it really is. He added with a smile, " I'm not usually into this hot rod stuff... but this is kinda cool!

Real cool, Rusty. Five miles worth of cool. Over four thousand people showed up to prove his point and experience the 18 lap venue, feel the energy, pick a boat to win in any class, and follow it to the finish line.

How about next year? Scarbrough sees temporary docks with pits. He sees it as an all Georgia event. He sees it better held later in the summer and early fall. He sees it self contained on Tybee with world speed record runs at another location on the tour.

" It is all about getting the investers started now, tomorrow, and getting in what we did right and what we need to improve next year with the APBA," he said.

That would include looking at other organizations that want to race off Tybee. Scarbrough says he's already been approached. There is more to bring the people here than just the Lighthouse, folks argue. Our local business people, investers, and promoters sing in agreement.

What needs immediate sighting is parking opportunities and communication according to Police Chief Jimmy Price. He made the call to use Jaycee Park free of charge for visitors and locals .This drew praise from the APBA as well as Tybee organizers for his decision. The Chief says a thousand cars could be parked safely there.

Nearby, the Lighthouse charged $10.00 on Saturday to park after the city parking lot got full. That from Bonnie Hiers at the Historical Society. And they did that, she says, " because our patrons come first. " She denies circulating rumors that an additional fee of $5.00 dollars was tagged on race parkers to use space at the Lighthouse as well as purchase a tour pass. Ms. Hiers calls those rumors, " ludicrous." Historical Society Director Cullen Chambers says two hundred cars were parked at the Lighthouse on Saturday and the grounds were used to land helicopters. He called Mike Scarbrough's handling of the event as, " sensational, " and that any decision the police made on traffic flow and parking was for public safety.

For sure, City Hall is now looking at parking options at Jaycee Park as well other ideas. Chief Price met with City Manager Bob Thomson and Mayor Walter Parker the day after the race to start the investigation. He says no parking citations were given for the event. The night the racing ended found Captain Mike finally at ease on his boat, the Key West Express with Iris. She says she is looking forward to him back on the Dolphin Tour and not so super concentrated on racing and Tybee, Tybee and racing. He took cell phone calls of congratulations and spent time with friends including Mike and Tina Stanley, his daughter Lisa, Frank Schuman and Jamie Webb. Kevin Peterson stopped by to thank him again for the APBA and take back some race course flags.

End of the business day that started May 28th. Quite a race of his own. Mike's big orange course marker was on the boat... already autographed by his fans and supporters.

It was wind down time to reflect. How did Captain Mike feel? " From North Beach to around the curve there were people standing, cheering, whistling. It got to me."

All's well that ends well.
Ends well feels good kind of well.
All, just 1800 feet off Tybee Island.

By: Michael D. Sullivan