The Bridge-to-Bridge

The Bridge-to-Bridge Race, from the Hawkesbury River Bridge at Dangar Island to the Windsor Bridge, a distance of 70 miles (112 kilometres) is now a world classic in water ski-ing. In over 18 years of running, “the Bridge” has attracted the fastest machinery afloat and the keenest skiers in Australia, and, more recently, overseas competitors.

The first race was held in 1961, but as boating came increasingly under the control of the Maritime Services Board, the finishing line had to be moved – speeding under the Windsor Bridge was declared illegal. The race now finishes at Pitt Town Bottoms.

Winners of the first race were Chica Courtney and Fred Crofts, ski-ing behind an outboard, Yogi Bear.

In those days the race had a different character. Competition was keen, but less professional. For many competitors and spectators the race was a social ski outing. Average speeds were in forty m.p.h. (64 k.p.h.) range and an honest 50 m.p.h. (80 k.p.h.) gave a good chance of a win. Until the late “sixties” and the early “seventies”, the competing boats were largely centremount inboards.

Outboards were not in the big power league, and usually a couple of motors were needed for each boat though there were classes for lower horse power units. Observers had to be confident that their skiers would make it, for not many boats had the luxury of a rear-facing seat! Though I must admit quite comicly when a skier has fallen or the observer was busy talking to the driver much time went by before discovering they only had one up and had to double back to the disgust of the above water skier.

Back in 1961, there had been for a number of years a Bridge to Bridge boat race, so Jack Murray rang up Jeff Lovatt, who was then the Sales Manager for Mercury and said, “Look, what about we have a ski race, they have got a boat race on so let’s have a ski race as well, so Mercury sponsored the first Bridge to Bridge Ski Race for One hundred pounds, fifty pounds went to the winner, thirty to second and twenty to third placings.

There were around about 20 entries and Jack Murray started with his boat with a side valve Dodge, and came second last, so the race was actually conducted by the Aqua Ski Club which Jack Murray is a member, and from those small beginnings we have now seen the World’s biggest ski race.

Since then, ski technology has been much improved. Present day skiers have better fittings and equipment than the Courtneys, or by Col Billington and Paul McManus in 1970, the first team to break the 60 minute barrier behind “Caroline”, which was one of the first of the SK´s along with Snake, Jimmy Irishes Chuck Wagon or the revolutionary Peter Stuarts Kleer Kube.

Boat designs have also changed radically, and the boats are much faster. The old-time winners had gear boxes with Z-drives rather than V-drive. “Louise J”, “Wahoo”, “It-1-Do”, “All Torque” and “Fox II” were among the most famous boats which helped create the “leaping centremount” boat tradition. Then came the SK flat-bottom craft with motors at the back. The V-bottoms such as John Timms “Draghunter” arrived soon after and showed that constant jumping did not necessarily man high speeds. Skiers of course had seized the opportunity to ski in a protective wash and to concentrate on something apart from controlling jerky ropes. Actually John Timms Draghunter set the design that still exists today and proved even with a correctly set up 300 c.i. it could still outpace the 454´s.

The Bridge-to-Bridge race has not been without controversy. Noise has been the biggest problem, and some damage to the reputation of the race occurred by two years´consecutive disqualification of two interstate boats plus many local top performers over noise levels. A number had had race-winning times posted. Harada from Victoria spent a “near fortune” to try to win the classic only to be put out for noise”.

It has always been debated who should start first. However, out-boarders who feel hard done by should remember the year Harry Luther in “Miss Pepsi” had to pass more than eighty boats to finish outright third, only marginally over the hour.

Safety standards, too, have improved over the years. Today the Bridge-to-Bridge Race has strict safety rules on equipment and procedure. It was not always so: drivers and observers usually wore only ski vests for safety and towelling hats to keep the sun off. Nowadays, of course, crash helmets are compulsory. Running pickups were the order of the day, with no yellow flags to indicate a fallen skier. Corner-cutting was usual until a few years ago, when left-hand corner buoys were introduced.

Exclusive use of the river was granted for the first time in 1979. Before this, it was unusual to be ski-ing at a fast rate to find oneself face to face with a group of social skiers.

It is often said (I am sure not be the quickies) that “The Bridge” is water ski-ing´s year´s easiest race. True, it is run one way, and generally in calm conditions. (I remember 1967 when Drag-On took hr. 17 and there was a 3 or 4 foot swell between the Bridges) Nevertheless, it remains the hardest to win and each year it seems to draw an increasing number of entrants – in 1978 the 300 barrier was broken and it continues to rise.

Organising the Bridge-to-Bridge is in the hands of a committee of over 20 Association members who spend ten months of the year preparing for and planning the event – with the assistance of 200 organisers and administrators with jobs to do on the day.

The Australian Volunteer Coast Guard regards “The Bridge” as a major exercise in safety procedures and communications. They place 70 vessels along the course in the early hours of Sunday morning. Each vessel has radio communication with all others, and a line-of-sight surveillance is maintained from start to finish. The preparation and organisation of the A.V.C.G. flotila is enormous: hundreds of gallons of fuel, thousands of dollars” worth of radio equipment, hours of practice, strategic placing of doctors and first-aid stations, and a responsibility of ensuring that every boat in the race is accounted for.

Under Maritime Services Board direction, the Coast Guard acts as aids for ensuring safe conditions and exclusive use of the river for the race.

The New South Wales Water Ski-ing Association Water Ski Judging Division has the vital task on the day of producing results of the twenty classes. Their meetings start some three months beforehand, organising timing equipment, briefing and appointing judges to man the four ferry stops. Information from the ferries is transmitted by the State Emergency Services (S.E.S.) to the finishing point. The judges desks at the finish take on the appearance of an election counting room! Unofficially the ferry masters always give the fullest co-operation in allowing boats through where possible without stopping the ferry traffic unnecessarily.

Like the A.V.C.G., the S.E.S. takes a very professional approach to “The Bridge”. It is one of the few occasions, outside of a real emergency, where, like the Coast Guard, the S.E.S. can try out its mobile communications equipment. High quality two-way radio equipment is required for transmitting successfully in the difficult terrain of the lower Hawkesbury. The S.E.S. assumes the responsibility for notifying times lost at ferries: for manning the stop boats to ferries: which are manned with flashing lights, and for advising the finish of breakdown locations, although the W.J.A. actually time the ferry time. During the race more than 600 messages may pass through its control centre. No other event in Australia caters for such numbers of competitors in providing a test of skill and stamina and determination as the Bridge-to-Bridge. It is a race which brings dozens of past champions out of retirement just to compete again. It attracts a strong entry from skiers from the U.S.A., Britain, South Africa and New Zealand as well as Europe and Australia: and the size of our own interstate and country entries is indicated by the fact that normally only about 50 to 80 boats compete in other races held in the metropolitan area at various times during the year except the Lion Island which usually attracts over the 100 mark.

The finish is quite an event also with more hard luck stories than all of the Hawkesbury River, Botany Bay and Port Hacking fishermen stories put together. You could say it is the social meeting of the year where trialies, footers, tourny and even Kite Flyers try their luck in “THE BRIDGE”.

In 1978 the race was open to nineteen classes of competitors, from children of nine years of age to adults over 50, from the super-fast record holder “Assassin” with a super charged 454 with all the top racing gear with the motor valued at over $15,000 (50 minutes 02 seconds) to rubber dinghies with a 25 H.P. outboard.

It is estimated that over $3 million dollars worth of boats compete in the “Classic” with the top boats valued at over $30,000 down to the modest $3,000 or even less.

Without doubt, the most spectacular part of the event is the start where the whole population of Dangar Island turn out. Boats line up in the bay 3 or 4 deep, helicopters from all the channels hover over. Food and drink stalls are set up and the locals love to poune on any left over 20 litre drums. 7.30 a.m. Noel Berringer, starter for the past ten years or more gives the final briefing. Nerves reach fever pitch as there are five minutes to go. There is a tangled rope, a battery goes flat, a motor floods and at last the hot shots are away, always with plenty of action.

If you have never seen a start of a Bridge somehow please do – you won’t regret it.

By Bob Wing