Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887
Webb’s Slough hosts first high-speed event since August 2019
ST. JOHN – Sprint boat racers return to the water Saturday, June 19, after nearly two years hiatus.
“It’s going to be chaos,” Dennis Hughes, owner of the No. 69 DeLeon Taco and Bar-sponsored boat, said Monday.
Hughes’ Overkill team will be among more than 30 expected on the course at Webb’s Slough this Saturday.
Qualifying runs begin at 9 a.m. and racing continues throughout the day.
The first race of the year is among one of the largest tourism draws to Whitman County and the St. John area each year.
The community will also be hosting the annual Canuck Cup Golf Scramble, a race boat parade and Show and Shine, and a barbecue fundraiser by volunteer firefighters.
Hughes, a 15-year spring boat veteran from Green Acres, is the Overkill driver. His daughter, Samantha Hughes is his navigator. She’s in her fifth year.
According to Hughes, his boat can hit speeds of more than 80 mph as it weaves through the course.
Both driver and navigator will experience turns pulling more than seven times that of gravity, colloquially called “pulling 7Gs.”
Overkill was one of the fastest boats on the course in August 2018, the last time a spring boat race took place here.
In addition to boat racing, the Canuck Cup Golf Scramble kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 19, at St. John Golf Course. The shotgun start begins at 11 a.m.
On Friday evening, the boat parade starts at 4 p.m. at the slough, followed by the annual Show and Shine.
Local firefighters will put on a barbecue fundraiser during the Show and Shine.
Hughes said fans won’t want to miss the first race of the year here.
“It’s pretty exciting; nobody has driven their boat in 18 months,” he said. “And the weather is going to be phenomenal.
Roger Harnack is co-owner and publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.
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