I asked him to take me to a ride down some country roads to get a break from the waiting and wind watching.

Chatting with Warby is like being a sponge, soaking up bits of the fascinating and unpretentious man's past, present and presence – you can feel him in a room as much as hear and see him. As we scorched the road with a quick 100 mph blast, we settled back to a comfortable cruising speed and took in the bucolic scenery, wondering what people out here do.

When a Silverado sped by, passing him, I asked if it bothered his competitive nature to get passed by a pickup. Warby shrugged and said, “I've got nothing to prove. I know what I can do but I don't have to prove it to every jerk on the highway. I could have blown him away – so what?” Coming from a man who is driven to be the best, I marveled at the acquired wisdom of “been there, done that” and wondered if he would have reacted the same 30 years ago. Probably – Warby seems to have been nonplussed and keeled his whole like – even if it revolved around the preposterous notion of being the Fastest Man on Water.

Warby talked to the Royal Motor Yacht Club Challenge Cup, the trophy he won for the World's Water Speed Record. He said it originated in 1870 for schooner races, the reappeared in the early 1900's ad was awarded to several others before he took the record. The trophy bears the figure of a woman bearing a sword as well as an owl. “The designer of the trophy was very smart,” said Warby, “He knew that to seduce the fighting lady, a man must have both courage and wisdom.” Pearls to savor from a man who had seduced the fighting lady and slain the dragon waters.

Back at the marina, the only boats out on the lake were the safety divers who opted for a test run. As the sun and temperatures dropped, after another bountiful cookout and a few warm-up toddies, it was an early to bed night with visions of calm waters dancing through racers heads.

Let the Games Begin! Wednesday morning's sunrise shome over a flat lake and ther AMF Big Smile was prominent on each racer's face. The new AMF Platinum boat arrived from John Arruda's Turbine Marine in Pompano, FL, ready for it's first splash with new Cobra helicopter engines. With so many jet engines firing up, the high, turbine whine made the docks feel like an airstrip than a marina! “Horsepower just doesn't sound the same anymore,” laughed Pete Larson, a racing fan from Orlando who made the trip to Crescent City to see the action.

After a day of hurry up and wait, the docks came alive. The Jersey Skiff, the AMF P1-13, Freeze Frame's tunnel boat, the 27' Laveycraft and the new 40' Platinum Princess did run. With some irreverence and many laughs, even a houseboat and a pontoon boat officially ran in the kilo, but all waited for Ken Warby and Aussie Spirit to take the field. After his brand new starter blew and took a bit of wind out of everyone's sails, Warby quipped, “Who wants to buy a fast boat?” But in a minute, the cowling was off and a new starter motor was being installed. By the afternoon, Warby was ready to get back on the water, “Sitting around is not what my life is about – I need it!” he stated with more gusto than lais-back amiability. “I need a fast time, not a meeting with The Father!” he then laughed. “Father Time will get me eventually, but not now!” he added, feet tapping, knees jumping.

As the pontoon boat towed Aussie Spirit out to clean water where Warby could safely start the flaming engines, all hands ran to the deck of the houseboats for a prime viewing, There were as many cameras as boats as a PBS crew scurried, a helicopter hovered and still photographers covered the docks. Warby fired up Aussie Spirit and we could feel the power – the same thrust as an F-15 burning up the course. “That's the most amazing boat on the planet right there!” grinned Begovich as Warby blew across the lake, just warming up the engines at over 175 mph, goose bumps raised on every spectator's arms. “His B**** are as big as coconuts!” laughed Haggin.

As Warby came out of the cockpit and flashed the thumbs up sign, he responded to the question, “How do you feel?” with a grin, “Better than I did an hour ago!” And that's what the week was really about.

While Haggin rolled out the red carpet to everyone from OPA and APBA, records were broken, and new records were set. Everyone there was a piece of history. “This is all about Mr. Warby, my hero, the Fastest Man on Water.” Proclaimed Haggin. We were in the presence of a legend that Haggin invited to the party last year by chance; he accepted and became a part of American Offshore Racing. “Life is full of coincidence,” said Warby, “You just have to have the guts to walk through the door.”