Equal opportunity at Friendship races

The Friendship Lobster Boat Races on Sunday, July 21 in Friendship Harbor, Maine, was the sixth race of the 2024 racing season. Thirty-nine boats signed up to race, which was nine more than last year. Included in that lineup was Randy Durkee’s Black Diamond, a Holland 32 with a 1,000-hp 632 Chevy, that holds a lot of high-speed promise but so far hasn’t met expectations.

Before the races started, two local lobster boats, the Reel Catch and the Ellen Louise (ex-Miss Kristen), ran down the course in memory of local fishermen who passed away in the past year.

At the races, there’s a place for almost everyone to compete. You don’t need a large lobster boat crammed with horsepower. That’s certainly true for the early races which are reserved for low-power skiffs.

One skiff that got a lot of attention was Jenily, a Corson 40 with a 30-hp Johnson, in the first race of the day. Skippered by Jennifer Noyes with assistance from her brother, Jacob, the Jenily won that race for skiffs 16 feet and under with outboards up to 30 hp, and operators 18 years and younger.

Races are often combined when not enough boats show up to make a race competitive. That’s what happened in the 18th race when three boats from two classes lined up for the same race. That was Misty, (Crowley Beal 33, 650-hp Scania) and Lil’ Lisa Marie (Mussel Ridge 28, 600-hp FPT) in Class I (551 to 700 hp, 28 to 35 feet) and Mean Kathleen (Wayne Beal 36, 700-hp Scania) in Class J (551 to 700 hp, 36 feet and over). First across the line was Lil’ Lisa Marie at 41 mph.

In a three-boat race combining two classes, Lil’ Lisa Marie (right) wins at 41 mph. Second was Misty and Mean Kathleen was third. Jon Johansen photo.

A good race was Diesel Class K (701 to 900 hp, 28 feet and over), which pitted Jeff Eaton’s La Bella Vita (Northern Bay 38, 815-hp FPT) against Blue Eyed Girl (Morgan Bay 38, 900-hp Scania). Before the Friendship Races, Andrew Taylor’s Blue Eyed Girl had only raced in Boothbay, where she won the Fastest Working Lobster Boat race at 49 mph. Speeds generally weren’t being recorded at Friendship, but Blue Eyed Girl took first place in Diesel Class K, Diesel Free-For-All, and the Fastest Lobster Boat Race. Jeff Eaton’s La Bella Vita (Northern Bay 38, 815-hp FPT) remained close to Blue Eyed Girl and took second in those races.

One of the best races in the 2024 contests has been between Obsession (Young Brothers 40, 1,000-hp Caterpillar) and Natalie E (Libby 41, 1,000-hp FPT). Both boats showed up at Friendship and went at it in Diesel Class N(A) (40 feet and over, 751 to 1,000 hp). That was a close race, but as they neared the finish line, Obsession separated from Natalie E and crossed the line first.

Randy Durkee’s Black Diamond started to show what she’s capable of in winning the Gasoline Free For All at 50 mph but also indicated potential future issues. Black Diamond burns alcohol for fuel, which is permitted in the category, and earlier in the day, the alcohol caught fire during one race. Fortunately, Durkee was able to extinguish it. In another race, the engine heated up so much that it melted the plastic dipstick handle. Still, Durkee was able to come back and win the Gasoline Free For All.

The raffling off of a new fiberglass lobster boat hull at the Stonington races helped bring in a lot more boats than usual to race. Well, expect to see more boats than normal at the Winter Harbor races on August 10, for the Winter Harbor race committee will be giving away a 33 Crowley fiberglass hull. Racers put their names in a hat, and at the end of the day, someone has a new hull.