ROAR! Here come the powerboats!

ROOAAAAR!! I have mixed feelings about high-speed powerboat races.  When I was a kid, my Dad and I watched them on Fox Lake in northern Illinois.  They were fun.  But noisy!   And now I realize fuel spills may have damaged the lake’s ecology, notably its famed lotus beds.  Such thoughts occur to me when I read and hear about the Stuart Sailfish Regatta to be held on the Indian River Lagoon at the Stuart Causeway next Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21.  The causeway will be closed to traffic and a grandstand built on it.  Ten classes will compete on the 1.1 mile oval.  The fastest boats can exceed 170 miles an hour.  The regatta resumed in 2012 after a 15-year hiatus.  Organizers say their top priority is to protect the safety of drivers and spectators.  If a dolphin or manatee is spotted on the course, racing will be stopped until the animal is in the clear.  Fueling will be closely monitored.  All appropriate governments and agencies are supposedly in the loop, including Sewall’s Point, which complained it was skipped over last year.  OK.  Safety – check.  Environment – check.  Coordination – check.  Of course, there is nothing they can do about the noise. ROOAAAAR!! For 88.9 FM, this is Paul Janensch.