No Spray, No Sweat

For four years, the Miami-to-Nassau powerboat race has been monopolized by Boatbuilder Dick Bertram, 49, whose V-hulled Moppies were especially designed to knife through the usually choppy, churning seas. Last week Bertram was back with a brand-new, 38-ft. "heavy weather" boat powered by twin 550-h.p. General Motors diesels. But where was the weather? The 183-mile stretch between Miami and Nassau was as calm as a Palm Beach swimming pool. "Any ski boat could win this race," sneered one disgruntled skipper as 46 competitors lined up for the start.

By the time the leaders reached Cat Cay, just 44 1/2 miles from Miami, it was a two-boat race. Don Aronow, whose boatyard had already turned out the successful Formula racers, had come up with a new boat: Donzi 007, a fiberglass 28-footer, with a deep-V hull like the Bertram and powered by two 450-h.p. Ford engines. His competition was Merrick Lewis, whose Holocaust (730 horses packed into a 23-ft. frame) was --that's right--an Aronow-designed Formula. With 007 throttled up to 5,800 r.p.m., Aronow was hitting a fantastic 66 knots as he screamed into the Cat Cay checkpoint, with Holocaust smack on his stern. Trying to beat 007 to the checkpoint at Cat Cay pier, Lewis lost his bearings, ran Holocaust onto a sand bar and out of the race. By that point, Dick Bertram was two miles back, waging a mighty fight against smooth water.

Cutting his engines back to a cozy 5,200 r.p.m., Aronow sashayed over the glassy Bahama flats at a steady 55 knots, crossed the finish line in 3 hrs. 19 min. 36 sec.--slicing 45 sec. off the race record. "I could have made it in three hours flat," shrugged Aronow, "the sea was so calm." So calm, in fact, that 007 still showed the dirty footprints that somebody had left on her bow back in Miami. Even at 66 knots, 007 had not churned up enough spray to wet the deck.

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