powerboat racer dies

Beloved powerboat racer killed in crash: "Heartbroken over the loss"

by Scott Lawrence, Mya Caleb

Port Neches — The powerboat racing community is mourning the death of a man they call a beloved member of their sport in a collision during the Thunder on the Neches races that are part of RiverFest in Port Neches.

Justice of the Peace Tom Gillam III confirms to KFDM/Fox 4 News that Bobby Briggs, 66, of Toledo, Ohio, died at The Medical Center of Southeast Texas. The judge says he's ordered an autopsy into the death that resulted from a collision. Another powerboat racer, Chris Fairchild, was injured. He was treated and released at a hospital.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Marine Division and Criminal Investigations Division responded to the boating accident. According to S.O., two boats reportedly collided in a turn.

The death investigation is ongoing, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife, Port Neches PD and the U.S. Coast Guard assisting.

The U.S. Coast Guard says Thunder on the Neches is a Coast Guard sanctioned powerboat race.

Briggs was killed in the collision at about 5 p.m. Sunday, during the finals of the Formula 1 Powerboat Championship races.

The races are sanctioned by the American Powerboat Association (APBA) and conducted by S.P.O.R.T. Racing for all racing activities throughout the event.

A number of people in the powerboat racing community posted condolences:

"The RACER H2O crew is heartbroken over the loss of our friend Bobby Briggs. He lost his life in an incident at the F1 Powerboat Championship race at the Port Neches Riverfest in Port Neches, TX this weekend. We have so many great memories of him racing like here in September 2022 in Branson, MO. Please keep Bobby's friends and family in your prayers."

Briggs was part of the Busch Cracklin Racing team. He was in boat #41.

According to a posting, his career highlights include 2005 Champboat Series SST-120 Rookie of the Year, 2022 Powerboat Nationals Formula 2 Rookie of Year.

His hobbies included pleasure boating and fishing.

Port Neches mayor Glenn Johnson cites the incident as a tragedy and hopes the community "can look forward to next year having a successful Riverfest again, without incident."

KFDM/Fox 4's Mya Caleb got reaction from the community.

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Team members react to boat racer’s death following RiverFest tragedy

Published 9:04 pm Sunday, May 7, 2023

By Monique Batson

PORT NECHES — Before the Thunder on the Neches boat races began Sunday, the group prayed for each other.

But at approximately 5 p.m., a collision resulted in the death of a longtime racer from Toledo, Ohio.

“These guys here are family,” one of his team members said Sunday night. “Everybody here knows everybody.”

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Those who were at Port Neches RiverFest with Bobby Briggs asked not to be named out of respect for his family.

“It was a racing accident that resulted in the death of one of our drivers,” one woman said. “He’s been racing for decades.”

And Briggs had been a part of the RiverFest boat races for decades.

“It’s a long-standing event and Bobby has been a part of this event for as long as it’s been going on,” she said. “He’s been a boat racer for a long time — generational, I guess. And it was two boats in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

According to information from Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Ryan Hall, the crash occurred near 5 p.m. on Neches River.

Hall said the collision occurred during a U.S. Coast Guard-sanctioned event.

Port Neches Police Cheri Griffin was made aware of the creash but said the waterway was not in the department’s jurisdiction.

Briggs is listed as a board member for Powerboat Nationalists.

— Mary Meaux contributed to this report.

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UPDATE — Authorities identify woman killed following house fire in Port Neches

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Powerboat racer dies after crash during Michigan race

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ST. CLAIR, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a powerboat racer has died following a crash during a Michigan boat racing event on a river that runs between the U.S. and Canada.

The St. Clair County sheriff’s department says two boats collided on Sunday evening during the St. Clair River Classic. A man in one of the boats was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

St. Clair County sheriff’s Marine Division Lt. Paul Reid identified him as Keith Holmes of Nunica. The Times Herald of Port Huron reports that Holmes was the throttleman for a boat named American Ethanol Cat Can Do. A boat named Miss GEICO also was involved in the crash.

The sheriff’s department says the race was cut short following the crash. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

This story has been updated to correct the man who died wasn’t driving the boat, based on updated information from authorities.

Information from: Times Herald, http://www.thetimesherald.com

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Powerboat Racer Dies After Crash During Michigan Race

A powerboat racer has died following a crash during a Michigan boat race, according to authorities.

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2 Powerboat Racers Die After High Speed Crash in Key West

Nov. 9, 2011: In this photo, provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, rescue personnel, right, work on extracting offshore powerboat racers Robert M. Morgan of Sunrise Beach, Mo., and Jeffrey Tillman of Kaiser, Mo., after their 46-foot catamaran was involved in an accident, during the first of three race days at the Key West World Championship in Key West, Fla. (AP/Florida Keys News Bureau)

KEY WEST, Fla. – Two offshore powerboat racers died Wednesday after their catamaran went airborne at high speed and crashed, marring the opening of three days of racing at the Key West World Championship, officials said.

Big Thunder Marine — a 46-foot Skater catamaran with four 1,200 horsepower engines that competed in the Superboat Unlimited Class — came down so hard its right front hull was severely damaged on the third lap of Wednesday's race inside Key West Harbor, organizers said.

Superboat International President John Carbonell said he witnessed the crash, which occurred adjacent to a spectator area.

"He was probably going about 130 mph and the boat's propellers were barely in the water," Carbonell said. "The boat apparently caught some air and went bow (front) up; straight into the air, came down and went backwards."

He identified the dead as Robert M. Morgan, of Sunrise Beach, Mo., and Jeffrey Tillman, of Kaiser, Mo. They were piloting the boat as throttleman and driver respectively.

Carbonell said rescue divers deployed to the accident site in less than a minute. Both men were removed alive from the wreckage of the catamaran and transported to Lower Keys Medical Center, he added.

Tillman died either before or just after arrival at the hospital, and Morgan apparently soon after leaving Key West aboard an air trauma ambulance, according to organizers.

Carbonell said the force of the boat coming down was powerful and crushing.

Morgan had come out of retirement to race with SBI this year, Carbonell said.

"He told me a few days ago that this (Key West) was his last hurrah," he said "He was a helluva of a nice guy and is going to be missed."

Despite the accident and rescue efforts, the race later continued. But Carbonell said he stopped the race before the scheduled seventh lap due to another accident, which stretched medical and safety resources. Scott Roman of Marlton, N.J., and Ron Roman of Lumberton, N.J., escaped injury after their Motley Crew boat overturned.

Carbonell said that the world championship will continue with scheduled races Friday and the finals Sunday.

"This is a very dangerous sport and the racers know that," he said. "You push it to the edge and see how far you go."

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Fla. paramedic dies in powerboat race crash

Mike salber, a 22-year veteran of the sanford fire department, died after a collision involving a second powerboat that also injured three others.

By Teresa Stepzinski The Florida Times-Union

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The driver of a racing powerboat has died following a collision involving a second powerboat Saturday that also injured three other racers on the St. Johns River during the Jacksonville Grand Prix of the Sea early Saturday afternoon

Mike Salber, 56, died in the crash offshore of Memorial Park involving the Rapid Building Solutions and Frank & Al’s Pizza powerboats during the race, which is part of the Powerboat P1 SuperStock USA Series.

“Our thoughts are with Mike’s family, friends, colleagues and the powerboat racing community as a whole at this difficult time,” said Powerboat P1 SuperStock USA officials on its website Sunday.

Salber was identified as the driver of the Rapid Building Solutions racing power boat, according to the Powerboat P1 website. His son, Zane Salber, 22, was listed as the boat’s navigator.

Authorities haven’t released the names of the injured racers. All were taken to UF Health Jacksonville following the collision. Information wasn’t available whether the younger Salber was among the injured.

Mike Salber served as a lieutenant/ paramedic with the Sanford Fire Department, where he was a 22-year veteran. Fellow firefighters along with friends and many in the powerboat racing community mourned Salber — offering condolences to his family — in public Facebook posts.

“It is with deep sadness and with a heavy heart that we inform you that Sanford Fire Department Tower Lieutenant Mike Salber has passed away this afternoon from injuries sustained during a boating accident. Please keep Mike’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” Sanford fire officials posted on the department’s Facebook page.

Public social media posts show Salber was an avid powerboat racer and water sport enthusiast.

“He died doing what he loved...racing. I have never met anyone that had such a hunger for life. ... Michael Joseph Salber was one of a kind. He was larger than Life,” one post read.

Witnesses told the Times-Union the two power boats collided in the first turn during the third race Saturday.

Azam Rangoonwala, managing director of Powerboat P1, said the Rapid Building boat turned over and collided with the Frank and Al’s Pizza boat. The Rapid Building boat is from Orlando, while the Frank & Al’s Pizza boat is from Port St. Luice, he said.

The accident remains under investigation.

Copyright 2018 The Florida Times-Union

https://www.facebook.com/SanfordFireDept/posts/1633369040112900 https://www.facebook.com/HammerDownBoating/videos/1695519527164270/

Powerboat driver dies after crash during Michigan race

Authorities say a powerboat racer has died following a crash during a Michigan boat racing event on a river that runs between the U.S. and Canada.

The St. Clair County sheriff's department says two boats collided on Sunday evening during the St. Clair River Classic. A man in one of the boats was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

St. Clair County sheriff's Marine Division Lt. Paul Reid identified him as Keith Holmes of Nunica. The Times Herald of Port Huron reports that Holmes was the throttleman for a boat named American Ethanol Cat Can Do. A boat named Miss GEICO also was involved in the crash.

The sheriff's department says the race was cut short following the crash. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

This story has been updated to correct the man who died wasn't driving the boat, based on updated information from authorities.

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Third Power Boat Racer Dies In Key West Race

November 12, 2011 / 3:52 PM EST / CBS Miami

KEY WEST (CBS4)- A third Florida offshore powerboat racer died from injuries during the 31st annual Key West World Championships, Super Boat International reported.

Meanwhile, his teammate is in good condition following a Friday accident at the championship event.

Joey Gratton, of Sarasota, was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center in Miami in critical condition and later died, according to officials with Super Boat International, the event's sanctioning body.

Super Boat International released a statement Saturday announcing Gratton's death.

"Gratton, a veteran throttleman of offshore racing will be greatly missed," the release read. "Our prayers are with the entire Gratton family and racing community."

Gratton's death marks the third power boat racer death since the championship race began Wednesday.

Big Thunder Marine, a 46-foot Skater catamaran (#100) with four 1,200 hp engines, crashed during the third lap of Wednesday's race inside Key West Harbor. Robert M. Morgan of Sunrise Beach, Mo., and Jeffrey Tillman of Kaiser, Mo., were the throttleman and driver respectively piloting the boat.

Story: Deadly Crash On 1st Day Of Keys Power Boat Races

Rescue divers were deployed within a minute of the accident and the crew members were transferred to Lower Keys Medical Center. Both died later, according to Rodrick Cox, public relations director for Superboat International, the world championship's public relations director.

Gratton and teammate Stephen Page, owner and driver of Page Motorsports, rolled over during the final lap of Friday's race at checkpoint 1. The 38-foot Superboat 850-class Skater catamaran, rolled over twice in turn 1 of the 6.5-mile course Friday. No other boats were involved in the accident.

Page, a Fort Myers resident, was admitted in good condition to Lower Keys Medical Center, officials said. He has since been released from the hospital.

The Page Motorsports facebook page posted was filled with condolence messages from fans. A photo of Gratton and his partner, Priscilla, was also posted with a comment that read:

"Joey and Priscilla in happier times.....We are deeply saddened and stunned by the tragic sudden loss of Joey.....Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the Gratton family especially Priscilla, Brock and Blake, as well as Steve and Maisey Page....You will be missed Joey.....Our deepest sympathies, Terrie & Ron."

A memorial was held Saturday afternoon for Gratton.

For more on the Key West World Championship visit http://www.superboat.com

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Andy Newman of the Florida Keys News Bureau contributed material for this report)

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Powerboat racer dies

Updated 17/09/2012 at 13:01 GMT

Powerboat racer Mike Lovell has died from injuries suffered in a race crash in Weymouth on Sunday.

Mike Lovell, who died after a P1 Superstock powerboat crash on September 16

Image credit: From Official Website

British powerboat racer killed

15/07/2012 at 09:38

Third Powerboat Racer Dies in Hospital

Racer dies following friday's powerboat crash in championship race, by lourdes reigosa • published november 12, 2011 • updated on november 12, 2011 at 1:59 pm.

Joey Gratton of University Park, Fla., has died in the Key West Super Boat World Championship, according to the Miami Herald.

He and his partner, fellow powerboat racer Stephen Page, were injured yesterday after their 38-foot boat overturned during the 6.5-mile course race, the Florida Keys News Bureau said. Page was able to swim out of the overturned boat by himself, but paramedics had to pull Gratton out.

Gratton was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson in critical condition, while Page was taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center.

A memorial service was scheduled for the fallen racer at noon today at the race pits of the Truman Waterfront.  Page has since been released from the hospital.

Gratton is the third powerboat racer to die since the championship's inception on Wednesday, following Big Thunder Marine owner Bob Morgan and driver Jeffrey Tillman.

Race director John Carbonell of Super Boat International Productions, said Sunday's final race will go on as scheduled.  

Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

Powerboat great greg foster dies at 63.

American powerboat racing pioneer Greg Foster passed away Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 63 years old.

Foster began his career in off-road racing before entering powerboat competition in the 1970s, winning the 1974 National High Points 72cc Inboard Hydro championship. He was part of the “California Gang” that reigned over the powerboat scene through the 1980s and 1990s. On 5 March 1980, Foster set the world water speed record in his “Second Generation” runabout boat at 119.58 mph (192.44 kph).

By the 2000s, he decided to focus on running his crane rental service and went out with back-to-back North American titles in 2001 and 2002, though returned for another championship in 2017.

Between those titles, he also returned to his off-road roots by competing in the Mint 400 and Best In The Desert races like its premier event Vegas to Reno, racing a Class 1 car. In 2013, Foster entered the inaugural Stadium Super Trucks race weekend at the Sand Sports Super Show, finishing eighth in the first two races and sixth in the last. He also took part in the Catalina Ski Race.

Foster continued to race in the UIM F1 H2O World Championship with his last win in 2019. While he stepped back again to focus on his cancer fight, his former F1H2O team-mate Brent Dillard paid tribute at the Grand Prix of France in June by putting his logo on his helmet.

“Always an optimist, hoping to beat his aggressive cancer, Greg refused to sell any of his racing equipment feeling that he would beat the odds and be back on the UIM F1 H2O starting grid in the near future. That hope never came as he passed away peacefully early this week finally reaching the ‘finish line of life,'” recounted a eulogy from F1H2O . “He was a bright shining star in the sport of powerboat racing. Gone too soon and will always be remembered as a funny, generous man, who forced his fellow competitors to push and race hard while on the edge keeping them honest, or, he’d find a way to take the ‘top step’ when the race was done!

“Greg Foster lived life to the fullest in his 63 years, earning glory on the water, while living life with gusto off it as well!”

Greg Foster: 11 December 1959 – 17 July 2023

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In memoriam: naval architect and powerboat racer Donovan Shead dies aged 87

Legendary naval architect and powerboat racer Donovan Shead has died aged 87. According to a statement released by Sunseeker , he passed peacefully while surrounded by his family.

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Powerboat racer dies after crash during Michigan race

Authorities say a powerboat racer has died following a crash during a Michigan boat racing event on a river that runs between the U.S. and Canada.

The St. Clair County sheriff's department says two boats collided on Sunday evening during the St. Clair River Classic. A man in one of the boats was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

St. Clair County sheriff's Marine Division Lt. Paul Reid identified him as Keith Holmes of Nunica. The Times Herald of Port Huron reports that Holmes was the throttleman for a boat named American Ethanol Cat Can Do. A boat named Miss GEICO also was involved in the crash.

The sheriff's department says the race was cut short following the crash. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Outerlimits President Joe Sgro Dies In Florida Keys Boat Accident

• By Boating Staff
• Updated: November 21, 2017

Joe Sgro, the president of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats in Bristol, Rhode Island, died from injuries following a single-boat crash of a new 50-foot Outerlimits boat on November 9 during the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run, said Carol Lyn Parrish, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission public information coordinator. There were four other men, all from New York, on the boat with Sgro just before noon about a quarter-mile offshore near the 33rd Street boat ramp, Mile Marker 48.5, near Faro Blanco Resort and Yacht Club in Marathon, Florida.

Parrish said Joseph Cibellis, 52, was at the helm while Sgro was operating the throttles. Joseph Nestola, 56, Joseph Latona, 60, and Steven Kropp, 60, were passengers. Nestola and Latona were taken to Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon for treatment while Cibellis and Krupp were not hurt.

Sgro, 63, is survived by his wife, Eileen, and six children ranging in age from 15 to 38.

“We’re all longtime friends, all five of us,” Nestola told Newsday from his hospital bed at a Miami trauma center. Sgro, he said, “was a great guy and a great family man. … He was a good friend to everybody and a hardworking entrepreneur.”

Mercury Racing worked closely with Sgro over the years in support of his offshore powerboat competition and poker-run efforts. Sgro recently supported a Mercury Marine media event in New York City by supplying members of the media with quick spins down the Hudson River in his record-setting SV43 Outerlimits hull.

On April 29, 2014, Sgro and Brian Forehand made back-to-back passes of 179.5 mph and 181.42 mph for an American Power Boat Association Unlimited V-bottom kilo speed record of 180.47 mph. The record still stands.

“An event like this reinforces how fragile life really is,” said Mercury Racing General Manager Erik Christiansen. “Joe was not only a friend and partner of Mercury Racing, he was also a successful and devoted family man who loved to help others. He had a passion for life and will be missed.”

In a 2009 profile in Newsday , Sgro called himself “an adrenaline junkie.”

Sgro, who grew up in the Bensonhurst neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, told Newsday he got his sea legs during summers spent in Hampton Bays, where his parents had a house when he was a kid.

“I’d come home from the last day of school, and my dad would be packing up the car,” Sgro said. He would spend all summer out on the water, fishing, crabbing and, eventually, boating.

He says his powerboat racing was a natural progression, a way to stay out of trouble, really.

“Around 1985, my friend Joe Latona moved to Long Island. He bought an old race boat. It was loud, fast, annoying,” Sgro said. “We had a lot of problems with the bay constable, with the marine police, the Coast Guard.

“After getting a handful of tickets,” he said, they began racing in the Northeast, taking their 28-foot Manta Fever boat to second place in their first race in 1986.

By midsummer of 2009, Sgro was racing in the Powerboat P1 World Championship, piloting a 43-foot, 8,000-pound V-bottom boat against international teams at Grand Prix of the Sea events across Europe and the Middle East. Sgro bought the assets of Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats in 2015 after his longtime friend and founder of the company, Mike Fiore, died in a high-speed powerboat crash during the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout the year prior.

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Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

Fabio buzzi: legend dies in boat crash.

By Dan Spurr , Oct 1, 2019

Fabio Buzzi redmarks a set of engineering drawings for further revision, in his office at FB Design in 2011.

Live by the sword, die by the sword. The legendary offshore powerboat racer and boatbuilder, Fabio Buzzi, died September 17 off Venice, Italy, while attempting to break another speed record in a 65 ’ (19.8m) boat of his own design and build. He hit a barrier of rocks installed to protect a dam placed to prevent flooding of the city, apparently misjudging entry to the lagoon on the other side—passage he surely had made many times. The boat reportedly flew 100’ (30m) in the air before landing on the water and sinking, instantly killing Buzzi and two crew; a fourth was taken to a hospital. Buzzi was 76.

Professional BoatBuilder 175, October/November 2018

Retired powerboat racer and builder of offshore powerboats, Allan “Brownie” Brown, said Buzzi was an “engineering genius” who made “thousands of advancements in marine propulsion.”

Professional BoatBuilder has published numerous articles by and about Buzzi. Most recent was an account in this column ( PBB No. 175 ) describing a record run for diesel-powered boats—172.4 mph (277.5 kmh) running a 1,800-hp (1,350 kW) Fiat Powertrain Technologies engine and a prop turning at 10,000 rpm. Just the latest in a remarkable career.

In PBB No. 164 Buzzi wrote a Design Brief for a 60 ’ (18.3m) Search & Rescue designed and built by his FB Design company in Annnone Brianza, Italy; its purpose: to rescue refugees from the Middle East that too often drown in the Mediterranean Sea while fleeing to Europe. It incorporated FB’s patented 3TAB control system that enables the boat to plane with a heavy payload; it averaged 52 knots over 1,200 nm from Monte Carlo to Venice during one test run.

Professional BoatBuilder 164, December/January 2017

A graduate of the Polytechnic University of Turin, Buzzi holds more records than one could fit in one of his super special raceboats, like his sentimental favorite, the 47 ’ (14.3m) Cesa , built in 1984, that soon after won 17 races in a single year, including the European, UIM world championships, the APBA offshore world championship at Key West, Florida, and the Miami-Nassau-Miami Race. In all he holds 40 world speed records, 55 world championships, and eight Harmsworth Trophys. No one else comes close. Not included above was a 1994 victory in the 1,700 nm Cannonball Run from Miami to New York City in his Tecno 40 (12.2m), a boat he designed, built, rigged with engines he engineered under the Seatek brand, turning his own Trimax props, and riding comfortably in Tecno bolster seats he helped develop. Vying for second were entries from Cigarette, Fountain, Scarab, Skater, and Donzi; Buzzi finished seven hours ahead of the next boat.

Professional BoatBuilder 133, October/November 2011

Professional BoatBuilder 134, December/January 2012

The FB Design facility is very large, with nearly 140,000 sq ft (13,020 m²) of covered space. Beyond the shops of the architecturally attractive building, which includes a 5-axis router with an 82’ (25m) working envelope, is a showroom of raceboats, offices, and outside, a test basin full of water. Billed as a high-speed research facility, Buzzi kept nearly everything in-house, excepting critical partnerships where necessary. As Paul Lazarus wrote in his two-part piece on Buzzi ( PBB Nos. 133 , 134 ), which were based on an extensive visit with him in 2012, for all projects Buzzi was the designer, engineer, builder, and test driver and/or throttleman. Committed early on to high-performance powerboat development, Lazarus wrote, “…he has always approached the subject systematically as a complete technical problem to be solved. The problem clearly involves numerous interrelated components: hull lines, structure, building materials and methods; engines, drives, and appendages; electrical and hydraulic systems, and electronics; crew safety capsules and equipment; detailed knowledge of class specifications and rules; race strategy and execution; plus variables over which Buzzi has little or no control—namely, race organizations, the behavior of other competitors, and conditions on a given course during the event.”

Wish we could say it was one of those conditions beyond his control that took his life…what went through his mind as he navigated his approach to Venice harbor we may never know. Fortunately, thanks to his memoir, Progetarre per Vincere ( Planning to Win ), and many other writings, we are able to learn some of what went through his mind during the preceding decades of unequaled achievement in the wonderful world of fast boats.

Here are more articles about Fabio Buzzi, going back to 1997, in Professional BoatBuilder ‘s digital archive:

A 2011 online article by Paul Lazarus, “Buzzi’s Test Base” about FB Design, Buzzi’s production yard.

An account in Rovings, PBB Issue 141 . Feb/Mar 2013, of Buzzi breaking the Bermuda Challenge record in Sept. 2012.

Dag Pike’s article in PBB 71 , Jun/Jul 2001, on modified two-speed gearboxes developed by Buzzi for offshore racing and then for the recreational and military markets.

Another article by Dag Pike in PBB 46 , Apr/May 1997, on the Tecno 40, Buzzi’s milestone RIB design.

Read more Design , People/Profiles , Rovings articles

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SAFE Boats Regains Small-Business Status with Employee Ownership

More than 20 years ago, Professional BoatBuilder ran a feature titled “God, Country and Fast Boats” (No. 85, page 64) about SAFE Boats International (SBI), a Bremerton, Washington–based manufacturer of aluminum boats…. Read more »

SNAME Powerboat Symposium Is Back

The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) Technical and Research Program, in cooperation with the Hampton Roads, Virginia Section of SNAME, will host the Sixth Annual Powerboat Symposium… Read more »

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Home » Home » American Police Hall of Fame in Titusville Hosts Law Enforcement Memorial Service for Officers

American Police Hall of Fame in Titusville Hosts Law Enforcement Memorial Service for Officers

By Wayne Ivey, Brevard Sheriff  //  May 18, 2024

Message from Sheriff Wayne Ivey

BREVARD COUNTY • TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA – Last night, the American Police Hall of Fame hosted a Law Enforcement Memorial Service for Officers that have died in the line of duty.

The annual event is in recognition of fallen Law Enforcement Officers from around the country whose family and friends gathered together to honor their memory.

Those in attendance last night and the thousands of others holding similar ceremonies across our great nation, were standing in unity.

An incredible family who joined together to recognize service and sacrifice in honor of those who have given their lives in the performance of their duty.

The ceremony was sullen as the names of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice were read. Each name proudly memorialized for their passion and memory, as they were a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, or friend.

All lost shared a common bond, the desire to protect their communities and a willingness to stand against evil. They didn’t make that choice for money or prestige, but for the love of the job, and a passion for service.

Memorial services are about passion and honor. Passion for our lost loved ones and those who continue to serve. No one joins this profession just to have something to do.

Law Enforcement Officers are different, different because of their desires and commitment for doing a job that requires them to put their own life in harms way to protect others. They are different because they each live with the distinct possibility that each and every shift may be the last time they see their family and friends. Different because for far too many, that possibility becomes reality.

Last night we stood together to remember our fallen heroes who have gone home and are resting in peace knowing that they were servants, peacemakers, and protectors!

Please join me in thanking the Police Hall of Fame and every group or civic organization who reached out to the survivors of our heroes in love and support.

And please take a moment to pause in silence and reflection for our heroes who each have made the ultimate sacrifice!! For in America, our heroes live on in our hearts forever!!

– Sheriff Wayne Ivey

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