Racing boats Videos

Billy Kosick ended up being our tour guide. He’s already been coming to Blarney Island every their life.

John Groth reveals Jay Shefsky his drag ship.

John Groth’s ship.

The Blarney Island Queen is just one of the ferries which takes you off to the area.

Rob Hardman owns Blarney Island.

Racer Jeff Houghtaling together with his vessel.

Ron Brandt puts his ship inside liquid.

Racer Ron Brandt with his gf and team member Anne Champion.

Darryl Olandese with his boat.

Billy Kosick takes united states off to Blarney Island.

The method of Blarney Island.

Jay Shefsky gets their protection gear on.

Jeff Houghtaling takes Jay Shefsky out for a trip.

The thing that was going right through Jay Shefsky’s mind when Jeff Houghtaling punched it?

Shefsky and Houghtaling return after their particular run.

Shefsky’s all smiles. Probably because he’s possessing the pier.

Shefsky and Houghtaling with Houghtaling’s partner Nina.

Shefsky and Houghtaling. (Thanks for bringing Jay back one-piece!)

Drag boats inside "pit" area prior to the races begin.

One of many spectator boats docked within pier. Not a proper crab.

Not an actual pirate. Most Likely.

Jeff Houghtaling heads aside for a race.

Spectators watch the competition through the area, and from spectators ships anchored over the course.

Ron Brandt heads out for a race.

The scene through the back as two boats prepare to race. The barge on right has actually a red-yellow-green stoplight that informs all of them once they can gun it.

The light turns green as well as the boats disappear in a squirt of water.

That’s right – Shefsky and Houghtaling hit 95 mph.

TRANSCRIPT

Jay Shefsky: Blarney Island in far north residential district Antioch is a bar with a well-deserved track record of partying hard.

With motif evenings like “anything but clothing” – featuring an expert human body artist – “Blarney Gras, ” and “drink us dry” week-end, Blarney Island patrons attended to anticipate a rowdy good time.

Tonight, 30 boats will contend in 10 courses, flying by at around 150 mph on an 800-foot, straight-shot course.

Blarney Island in fact is an area … type of. The entire club may be the area, out in the center of Grass Lake – the main Chain O’ Lakes region – 60 miles north of Chicago.

You reach it yourself boat or regarding the Blarney Island ferry which departs regularly from the Port of Blarney restaurant on coast.

That’s in addition where in fact the racers start their particular boats.

Ron Brandt Ron Brandt: I’m a manufacturing manager at Spee-Dee Packaging Machinery, Inc. The other day we performed pretty good out right here. We struck 110 miles per hour.

John Groth: We have Groth Production in Carpentersville, Ill. Speed is a sickness that there is no treatment for.

JS: and owner of this blarney, since 2003, is Rob Hardman.

Rob Hardman: It’s existed in some fashion since 1901. it is got a very storied last, including Al Capone controlling it during prohibition.

JS: The Al Capone component may be legend, he admits. But Capone did spend a lot of time in this area and another of their guys obviously did possess the bar this is certainly now Blarney Island.

And there’s been watercraft rushing right here for a long time.

RH: it absolutely was an informal thing that truly continued in Mineola Bay and Fox Lake.

Billy Kosick Billy Kosick: They began using wood ships and modifying all of them, putting high end engines inside them.

RH: and in the end once the people got organized it relocated to Blarney Island where there clearly was an official drag course setup.

BK: by the ‘70s and ‘80s all the performance you are aware from the dragster days, they started using that to water and going-over 100 miles per hour.

JS: That’s Billy Kiosk. He’s a longtime Blarney Island patron, a periodic racer and today, my help guide to this really unfamiliar world.

And today, Blarney Island is ground zero for really serious amateur boat rushing.

RH: We’re truly the only devote the united states that does grassroots racing every week, every Thursday night from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The xmas tree

JS: As each class is called, the boats move from what they call “the pit” on racecourse, perhaps not missing the opportunity to strut their particular material.