Like Mark Twain, news of the demise of the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing are greatly exaggerated.
Though rumors are flying after the boat came back to the dock with heavy damage after the final, crew chief Scott Raney says that you can count on seeing the boat in the pits next weekend.
No way, Raney said of rumors that theyd be missing from the field. This Beacon Plumbing team, were all fighters. Weve faced way worse circumstances than this, and weve come through. Expect that well be in the final heat in Seattle.
Driver Jean Theoret opened up a commanding lead in the final heat and was leading Steve David by more than a roostertail when the boat suddenly went dead coming out of turn 4 on lap three.
Were obviously upset that we didnt finish the final heat, Raney said. But thats part of the deal. Youve got to finish to win.
When the boat returned to the dock, it became apparent that it had lost a blade on the propeller. The resulting vibration from the rapidly spinning and suddenly unbalanced prop did heavy damage to the underside of the boat.
Well be in Seattle next week, Theoret assured. This is our hometown race, and our hometown sponsor. We have to be there.
There was also significant damage to the afterplane and rear shoes, but Raney said that he didnt believe the two were related.
The initial evaluation is that the propeller pulled out a portion of the bottom. Theres also some damage on the side, he said. I dont think those two things theres no relation. Its different incidents.
Qualifying begins Friday for SeaFair racing in Seattle. Between now and then, Raney doesnt see much sleep on the horizon for himself or his crew.
In addition to the visible body damage, Raney expects to find damage to the steering system and other components once the boat is torn apart and a closer evaluation is made.
He also said the motor that was in the boat at the time was seriously damaged, adding more work to the teams schedule.
Theres no sleep for the next week, he said.
