JW Widmayer tries to hold his lead over Peter Urbani and Robert Edmonds in the 8HP class. PropTalk was the first ever winner of a special prize at the Cocktail Class Oktoberfest. The first-place cocktail glass wasn’t for a race win on the water but is inscribed: “Happy Boat Award Presented to the Owner of the Boat Most Raced.” And Molotov really was the boat most raced at Rock Hall October 25. The regular driving team couldn’t make it to the regatta, so PropTalk offered Molotov to the Association for any drivers who signed up to run. Race drivers included one who had never driven a Cocktail Class boat as well as regular competitors who didn’t have an engine for a particular class. New members T.K. Walker and Sam Wearly, who are considering building a boat, came all the way from Tennessee to see a Cocktail Class regatta. Sam ran Molotov in the Post ‘79 6-hp class and the late classic ‘76 to ‘79 class where he won one of the heat races and qualified for the finals. Sam graciously relinquished his place in the finals since Molotov qualified a driver in each of the two heats, and only one could drive the finals. Although a rookie Cocktail Class racer, Sam confessed to have had experience 20 or so years ago racing everything from little runabouts to 100-plus mile per hour tunnel boats. He observed that the races reminded him how much he had been missing the competition. We’re looking forward to T.K. and Sam’s return with a boat and motors from their Old Outboard Barn in Lebanon, Tennessee. Kim Granbery takes a turn with Art Howard hot on his tail. In addition to Sam’s races, Molotov stayed busy with Grand Poobah Rich Faulkner running in a couple of classes and Jack Pettigrew taking a turn in the Post-‘79 6-hp class where their regular rides didn’t have engines available. A couple of Toothache II’s regulars, Mike Serio and Art Howard, also ran Molotov with a newly acquired 1969 motor in the Early-Classic class, picking up a couple of ribbons. Although we really like to brag about Molotov, we do have to admit that there were 17 or so other boats there, and a bunch of pretty good drivers. As usual, the Edmonds family added to their already impressive trophy collection. BreeAnn, who is the vastly overworked secretary of CCWBRA, drove her Sundowner to the win in the 6-hp Mixed Late Classic class, finding the men easier competition than Gretchen Granbery who took the Late Classic Women’s Class in Clicquot and Dawn Urbani who took home the Women’s Early Classic trophy in Smokin’ Loon. Engine guru Robert Edmonds, coming all the way from Georgia with his Shaken Knot Stirred, took all three 6-hp heavyweight classes and got a second in the 8-hp class, where Darryl Kepler and his Silver Bullet took the class by a point. Dram, driven by Keith Carew scored a win in the hotly competitive 6-hp Mixed Post ‘79 Class, topping Art Howard and Toothache II on a tiebreaker. Tom Kerr in his Rajic was third, only one point back despite an over-early penalty in the second race. It's always a heated competition when the Edmonds brothers are on the race course. Oktoberfest marked the first time that the Classic division was divided into two classes: Early Classics for 6-hp OMC motors built in 1975 and earlier and the Late Classics for 1976 to 1979 OMC 6s. Experience over the races since establishing the Classic Division in 2013 had shown that the early motors couldn’t quite keep up with the ‘76 to ‘79 outboards. Oktoberfest showed that there are enough of each group to make sure the classes are competitive, and competition was close. Fred Allerton’s Smokin’ Loon was the class of the Early Classics, winning the women’s with Dawn Urbani and scoring second in the heavyweight class driven by Todd Steffes. In the 6-hp Mixed Early Classic class, Fred in Smokin’ Loon edged Art Howard and Molotov, giving us Orioles fans another opportunity to say: “Wait’ll next year.” The weather cooperated, with mild temperatures for late October, and light wind. As usual, Rock Hall YC’s hospitality was superb, and the Halloween costume buffet following the awards Saturday evening capped an already great day. by Charlie Iliff