© Copyright 2011 Julianne Dodds
Speedboat and hydroplane Championships
1921 - 1925
Retirement postponed
Griffith Cup plaques – from left:
Won by Century Tire February 1924,
won by Tortoise October 1925 and
won by Century Tire February 1925.
Norman Wright’s boat building yard in the 1920’s.
Courtesy Bill Wright.
Three days later the auction for Mac’s Century Tire and Miss Coorparoo went ahead. Although a large
crowd assembled, most of them were there out of curiosity. Not a single bid was made so the boats
were ‘passed in’.
Meanwhile, Whatmore’s Gee Whiz was refloated after her mishap the previous week when she had
overturned and sunk. Whatmore was convinced that the hull had been damaged so he decided to
build yet another new boat with the intention of trying again for the Griffith Cup.
After Mac’s second win of the Australasian Championship, he decided to quit while he was still ahead.
He announced that he had retired from racing. It had originally been Mac’s suggestion that the
Australasian Championship race for the Griffith Cup be held twice a year. After all, he was a ‘good sport’
and following Tortoise II ‘s forced retirement in the February race, Mac wanted to give the Rymills
another chance at the Cup. This race had been set
for a date in August but shipping troubles made it
impossible for Rymill to ship Tortoise II to Brisbane
so the race was postponed to a later date.
Entries for this event closed on the last day of
August. On this final day Mac was being
pressured by Whatmore to enter and race again.
Mac did not want to go back on his retirement
announcement but he was put on the spot.
Six months of resistance came down and Mac
signed the entry. It was a decision that he would
regret. Mac’s entry was the topic of conversation
as the race would then go ahead with the
‘main star’.
In addition to Tortoise II, Whatmore’s new boat,
Miss Queensland, had just been completed by
Norman Wright in Brisbane and would be raced
by George Whatmore Junior. Jules’ Moxon’s
Willing Mind was the fourth entrant.
Saturday the 31st October 1925 turned out to be a glorious day for Mac’s final race. Hundreds of
people sat in the Spring sunshine for hours on the retaining wall at Hamilton while on the other side
of the river thousands of spectators and long lines of motor cars dotted and covered the bank for
several hundred yards. The river presented a picturesque sight - dozens of motor boats anchored
out on the fairway alongside sailing craft with bellying white wings. The conditions of the race provided
that the boat winning two of the three heats should be declared the winner but in the event of the same
boat winning the first two heats there would be no third heat. The fourth competitor, Jules Moxon did
not start. The contest was early robbed of much of its interest by a mishap to the Century Tire, which
was forced to withdraw from the contest. During the second lap Century Tire struck a submerged
object that broke off one of the three propeller blades and bent the propeller shaft. Spectators saw
the propeller shoot into the air. Without the propeller the boat began to shudder and the tremendous
vibration tore the transom out of the boat and threatened to split the hull from stern to stern. Mac
managed to steer the sinking Century Tire to the Hamilton wall before the motor was stopped by the
inrush of water. Needless to say, his boat was withdrawn from the race. Tortoise II and Miss
Queensland continued on fighting it out and Tortoise II won.
This was not the way Mac had planned to end his career in speed boat racing.
Speedboat and hydroplane Championships
1921 - 1925
Retirement postponed
Griffith Cup plaques – from left:
Won by Century Tire February 1924,
won by Tortoise October 1925 and
won by Century Tire February 1925.
Norman Wright’s boat building yard in the 1920’s.
Courtesy Bill Wright.
Three days later the auction for Mac’s Century Tire and Miss Coorparoo went ahead. Although a large
crowd assembled, most of them were there out of curiosity. Not a single bid was made so the boats
were ‘passed in’.
Meanwhile, Whatmore’s Gee Whiz was refloated after her mishap the previous week when she had
overturned and sunk. Whatmore was convinced that the hull had been damaged so he decided to
build yet another new boat with the intention of trying again for the Griffith Cup.
After Mac’s second win of the Australasian Championship, he decided to quit while he was still ahead.
He announced that he had retired from racing. It had originally been Mac’s suggestion that the
Australasian Championship race for the Griffith Cup be held twice a year. After all, he was a ‘good sport’
and following Tortoise II ‘s forced retirement in the February race, Mac wanted to give the Rymills
another chance at the Cup. This race had been set
for a date in August but shipping troubles made it
impossible for Rymill to ship Tortoise II to Brisbane
so the race was postponed to a later date.
Entries for this event closed on the last day of
August. On this final day Mac was being
pressured by Whatmore to enter and race again.
Mac did not want to go back on his retirement
announcement but he was put on the spot.
Six months of resistance came down and Mac
signed the entry. It was a decision that he would
regret. Mac’s entry was the topic of conversation
as the race would then go ahead with the
‘main star’.
In addition to Tortoise II, Whatmore’s new boat,
Miss Queensland, had just been completed by
Norman Wright in Brisbane and would be raced
by George Whatmore Junior. Jules’ Moxon’s
Willing Mind was the fourth entrant.
Saturday the 31st October 1925 turned out to be a glorious day for Mac’s final race. Hundreds of
people sat in the Spring sunshine for hours on the retaining wall at Hamilton while on the other side
of the river thousands of spectators and long lines of motor cars dotted and covered the bank for
several hundred yards. The river presented a picturesque sight - dozens of motor boats anchored
out on the fairway alongside sailing craft with bellying white wings. The conditions of the race provided
that the boat winning two of the three heats should be declared the winner but in the event of the same
boat winning the first two heats there would be no third heat. The fourth competitor, Jules Moxon did
not start. The contest was early robbed of much of its interest by a mishap to the Century Tire, which
was forced to withdraw from the contest. During the second lap Century Tire struck a submerged
object that broke off one of the three propeller blades and bent the propeller shaft. Spectators saw
the propeller shoot into the air. Without the propeller the boat began to shudder and the tremendous
vibration tore the transom out of the boat and threatened to split the hull from stern to stern. Mac
managed to steer the sinking Century Tire to the Hamilton wall before the motor was stopped by the
inrush of water. Needless to say, his boat was withdrawn from the race. Tortoise II and Miss
Queensland continued on fighting it out and Tortoise II won.
This was not the way Mac had planned to end his career in speed boat racing.