Worlds water-speed record holder Ken Warby put on a show at Florida's Crescent City Kilo Runs.
By Terry Tomalin

Ken Warby, the world's fastest man on water, has learned throughout the years that patience pays off.

“It is all about the weather,” said Warby, who holds the current water-speed record of 317 mph. “The conditions have to be just right, If not, you could get yourself in trouble”

At the Offshore Performance Association (OPA) Kilo Runs in Crescent City, FL, the surface of Crescent Lake looked flat as a pancake. If Warby were going to get the most of his 28' turbine powered boat, Aussie Spirit, he would need a slight ripple.

“Six inches is all I'm looking for,” the Australian said. “I just need a little bump.”

Warby didn't plan on setting any records on the April morning. He had come to Central FL to “shake down” a new boat and show support for AMF Offshore Racing's John Haggin, who organized the annual event. While more than a dozen racers participated in the three-day event, it quickly became apparent that the star of the show was the unassuming Aussie in his trademark Akubra cowboy hat. “I am still having fun with this.\,” says Warby, who considers anything with pistons a vintage watercraft. “I've never run this boat in the United States before. I g=figured I would come down, make a few runs, put on a little show.” Warby set the current record on October 8, 1978, at Blowering Dam in New South Wales, Australia. His boat, Spirit of Australia, was powered by a 6000 hp Westinghouse jet engine.

Warby built his new boat – Aussie Spirit – in the garage of his home outside of Cincinnati, where he runs a concrete business. Aussie Spirit, which is a foot longer than his original jet boat, has a 9,000 hp Westinghouse jet engine. “To go real quick, all I have to do is push a button and turn on the afterburner,” he said. “My guess is that the boat will do well over 400 mph.”

Warby's attempts to get on the water were stymied by mechanical problems. “We had a fire in the boat that cause some problems with the electrical system,” he explained as his crew installed a new starter. Eventually, Warby made a couple of relatively “slow” passes at 150 mph. But even at half speed, that was enough toe get a racers blood pumping.

“He's the man.” Said Marc Granet, who raced the Offshore Super Series cat outboard boom Loan Shark in 2005. “ Ken Warby has done it all. I can't imagine going that fast on the water.”

Granet will have his chance to show some speed this season. He and Scott Begovich will campaign a 40' jet powered cat called Platinum Princess for Haggin's Team AMF in the new turbine class on both the OSS and Super Boat International and American Power Boat Association circuts. “It has twin T53-703 Lycoming engines, each one putting out 1,850 horsepower,” Granet said. “These are ‘time out' military engines out of Cobra attack helicopters that saw service in the Gulf War.”

Granet and Begovich took a spin in the new boat, but never opened it up.

“I learned the golden rule from the pros: know your boat,” said Granet. “We can't push past our skill set. It will take some time to dial this boat in.” Begovich, another AMF team member who is known to his race fans as part of Kean University crew, said he may have to go back to school to figure out how to run the new Platinum rage model.

“That is the most technology advanced boat that I've ever seen, “ he said. “The inside of the cockpit looks like a space shuttle.”

Race fans will get to see some more of Warby this summer as the 67-year old plans on navigating for Haggin's new 51' turbine-powered Outerlimits.

“We'll be a pace boat at he OSS races and we will be running some SBI races as well,: Warby said. “Bit our hope is to do some long distance speed runs. I have mt mind set on that Key West to Tampa run.”

Warby said he looks forward to shattering some more records.

“You are never too old,” he added. “The only way I'll stop is when they put me in a hole in the ground and throw dirt on my face.”

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