If you're worried about your sins, make your peace with your God before you get in (your boat) – but hell, I love it!” he chuckles, eyes flashing like a kid who's gotten away with all the candy. Warby fits in with AMF and his low-key manner provides a father figure and foil for Haggin's ringmaster persona. The mutual admiration and passion for fast boat is obvious. “I've been around racing a long time,” says Warby, “And I've never seen anything like him!”

“I love a gladiator!” proclaims Haggin, “That's why I sponsor all these P-class boats – these guys are the gladiators – the ones building their boats in their garages. No one has heroes anymore – I want' us to be everyone's hero!” Pass the Kool-Aid! He's on a roll and the philosophy continues. “This is all about life, humor and wisdom,” he says, “We've been together as a team for over a year – we won 51 checkered flags last year and have never had a fight or a cross word. What matters in life is being taken care of,” says Haggin who is a master at taking good care as being taken care of. “And have a bloody good time doing it!” adds Warby in his think and charming Aussie accent, his cunning grin providing just a hint of the humor and wisdom to be imparted over the course of the event – a week-long spring break for speed freaks.

On with the Event! Monday through Wednesday were devoted to the OPA racers who ran tests on Monday in preparation for the official Kilo runs, which included APBA boats Thursday-Saturday. APBA Hall of Champions racer and founder, and APBA Champ Boat director, Fred Miller was Referee. The course was set by a local surveyor and monitored by Russ and Carol Dodge, professional kilo administrators from Seattle. Russ is a Hall of Champions racer in the 1-7 litre inboards and like everyone else here, is a consummate boat motorhead and philosopher.

“Racing is all about preparation and opportunity… you take your chances, pay your dues – in racing and in life. And that's the beauty of this!” he states, gesturing to the meticulous set-up where every detail from the kilo equipment and sound system, to the chow line is magnanimously arranged to the “T.” Dodge marveled at the setting, “ I love the attitude and the orientation of the people. The challenges are difficult, but they create compassion. Everything is team-orientated and each one has a little team behind them – it's very grass roots.” Regarding Haggin, Dodge smiled and remarked, “He is bigger than life in his own time and strikingly wonderful to infuse all this energy into the sport… He is unpretentious in many ways – though he can afford it, most aren't willing to share. John is like a 100-year storm; when it comes around, it is big and furious and the legand lasts until the next storm comes around. Everyone who was there knows it was great to be apart of it!”

Monday night's dinner was a precursor of what was ahead. The meal at the 3 Bananas waterfront biker and boater bar was a tasty barbeque for a large array of guests. But as the party shifted to the marina pits, Haggin's cooks put on a second dinner of surf and turf. Dr. Atkins would be proud of his chef and crew –it's no place for a vegetarian, but the eats were plentiful and graciously served to a crowd hungry for food for the body, but also for the soul. They all wanted to earn those speed records in the days ahead.

The atmosphere resembled a campfire that night. Philosophies and stories were shared as the anticipated cold front moved across the lake. The prevailing theme was successful racing and its single most important factor – dedication. “Don't come here without it!” Haggin exclaimed, “What you do in life, you do for eternity,” so we can assume that John will be racing in heaven – or hell. “Insecurity and jealousy are the two things I hate!” he furthered, coincidentally noting two of the very emotions that undermined offshore racing. “This sport will be in the toilet in two years unless we give people prize money instead of entry fees – then people will come out! I want everyone to come back – otherwise, what am I doing here?! When you praise people they help you – and leave behind those ones who are a pain in the ass!” Those and other words echoed off the winds which rose as the water slapped against the docks when the philosophers were spent, the crews retired and waited for Tuesdays weather report.

Weather Permitting: While the morning brought sunny skies the wind blew steadily, creating waves across the lake. The safty teams, a crew from Maryland and an additional crewmember from Georgia were on hand to assist but eyed the water doubtfully. “The wind better die down!” said Warby, “I don't feel like dying in Crescent City! It's the rollers that bite you – if you hit them at right angles, they'll barrel roll you. I like a nice even 6” chop, it's like running on marbles,” he added, telling of Blowering Damn in Australia where he set the record and hopes to break it again in the near future – when water levels permit.

The Australian dam area has experienced a 5-year draught, so with out enough water to make a run there, Crescent City was to be another test run for Warby's new boat, Aussie Spirit, built I his Ohio garage. It is a modification of the recode holding boat, though it has a new 9,000 HP engine package – a 50% increase from the Spirit of Australia. Reminiscent of the Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines – the front looks like a trimaran connected to the back of an airplane tail wing by a central large cylinder – the jet engine. The tiny cockpit seems incapable of holding a man of Warby's size, but he fits snugly and as safely as can be expected – when shooting for speeds well over 300 mph!

But the winds kept blowing all day, leaving racers restless and rather bored, though in good company, food and conversation filed the anxious void. While some bantered about boats and engines, others talked about guns – and other kinds of power. Warby had just purchased a GTO – because he liked its gutsy horsepower but mainly because it was made by GM in Australia – and he drove it from Ohio to Florida with Aussie friend Bayden Gardam. Gardam, another race fan and motorhead laughed about his next project, a jet powered margarita blender – to complement AMF's new margarita mix (a hot item on the www.amfoffshoreracing.com website).

After Warby and crew signed autographs and gave a racing talk to a group of kids from a local school (who were more amazed by the flat screen TV in the Outerlimits than it's 1,850 hp jet engine),