DECATUR — To say Dan Hardy is a fan of boat racing is an understatement.
Jersey speed skiff teams finish a heat as Hardy's Race for the Lake hosts the American Power Boat Association Inboard Nationals in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
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A sportsman entry heat takes off as Hardy's Race for the Lake hosts the American Power Boat Association Inboard Nationals in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
Driver Michael Jarvis and crew member Randy Lemon, of the Seattle area, work on a new engine for their boat during Hardy's Race for the Lake in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
Jackson Lewis, 6, and Georgia Lewis, 2, race boats of their own at a booth in Nelson Park at Hardy's Race for the Lake in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
Photos: 2026 Hardy's Race for the Lake
Jersey speed skiff teams finish a heat as Hardy's Race for the Lake hosts the American Power Boat Association Inboard Nationals in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
Hydroplanes turn a corner during Hardy's Race for the Lake on Lake Decatur on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Grafton Barrows and Skylei Zientara watch the boat races from Nelson Park in Decatur during Hardy's Race for the Lake on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Volunteers aid the large crowd at Hardy's Race for the Lake in Decatur on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
A sportsman entry heat takes off as Hardy's Race for the Lake hosts the American Power Boat Association Inboard Nationals in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
Driver Michael Jarvis and crew member Randy Lemon, of the Seattle area, work on a new engine for their boat during Hardy's Race for the Lake in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
Jackson Lewis, 6, and Georgia Lewis, 2, race boats of their own at a booth in Nelson Park at Hardy's Race for the Lake in Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
A hydroplane turns a corner during Hardy's Race for the Lake on Lake Decatur on Saturday, June 6.
45 photos of the SummerStart boat races in Decatur
2.5 litre stock
1993: 2.5 litre stock
5 Litre
1992: 5 Litre
A Dream Come True
1983: Mary Lou Fry of Pompano Beach, Fla., uses a long hook to keep A Dream Come True from hitting the dock while Gordon Oakley, also of Pompano Beach, awaits a practice session Friday. The hydroplane will compete today in the 145-cc class in the National Inboard Championships on Lake Decatur.
American Power Boat Assn.
1991: American Power Boat Assn.
Bluewater Special
1983: Mike Mammano, co-owner and driver of the Bluewater Special, closes shop after testing Friday. Mammano's boat is the 7-litre Division II 1982 national champion. He purchase the boat in April from Earle Hall of Hampton, Va.
Boat races
1992: Three 5-litre class hydroplane boats all bear down on the starting line in a finals race on the third day of the Grand National Hydroplane competition on Lake Decatur.
Boat racing course
1991: Skip Tenbrook, a surveyor for H.L. Chastain & Associates, helped lay out the boat racing course Friday.
Bottoms up
1992: A scuba diver goes under to secure cables to a capsized power boat, "The Money Monster," already buoyed by floats filled with air. The team was able to salvage the heavily damaged boat.
Busting away
1991: Pilot James Buturla and Roger Harris, both of Florida, break out of the pack in Jersey Speed Skiff JS-711 and finish first.
Call for help
1991: Ann Fitzgerald of Rio Grande, New Jersey yells for help while standing on top of her boat. Her boat struck floating debris and put two holes in the hull.
Chilling winds
1992: Paula Morgan, 20, of Niantic cuddles her boyfriend, Jason Eddinger, 20, of Decatur as the pair brave chilling winds at Thunder on the Lake.
Crow's Nest
1992: Bill Friend watches the Decatur Boat Races through field glasses with his eight-year-old son, Tommy, Monday from the dock in front of the Crow's Nest. They came to see their favorites, the Grand Nationals.
Decatur's entries
1984: Decatur's entries, clockwise from top left: Darrell Weddle, Thom Welsh, Randy Weddle, Bill Moore.
Dockers
1991: Bevin Aufrecht, left, Mark Moore, Dave Eichel and friends took their party Saturday to new heights, landing on the roof of Aufrecht's boat hoist in the Mud Flats dock.
Don't look now
1992: The two-man crew of "Dipsey Doosy," foreground, check over their shoulders for competition closing on the inside in the Jersey Speed Skiff finals. Pilot Dennis Macy, of Garden City, Michigan, took his craft to second place Sunday afternoon. Jim Buturla, of North Lauderdale, Florida, pilos JS-7111.
Explosive force
1992: Thunder on the Lake lived up to its name Sunday as racing began in earnest on Lake Decatur. Here, a pilot guides his Grand National Hydroplane across the water with explosive force.
Final adjustments
1984: David Pellerin makes final adjustments.
First arrivals
1992: Hydroplane owner and driver Tom Heins and his crew chief Hank Wendt were among the first racers to arrive in Decatur Friday afternoon at the Holiday Inn. Heins' racing boat has a 7-litre Chevy engine and is capable of going 140 mph. The men drove 16 hours from Blackwood, N.J. Heins said he placed fourth last year and hopes to do better.
Grand National Hydro
1995: Grand National Hydro
Grand Prix hydroplanes
1981: Grand Prix hydroplanes are capable of 170 mph.
Hire Voltage
1984: Stover Hire pilots his Hire Voltage hydroplane en route to heat victories Sunday on Lake Decatur.
Hug
1991: Ann Fitsgerald gets a hug from a consoling friend after the boat she was driving sank and had to be towed ashore.
Jersey Speed Skiff
1993: Jersey Speed Skiff
K Racing Runabout
1991: K Racing Runabout
Late adjustments
1983: North Carolinian Jim Parker, left, and Steve Earle of Los Angeles make some late adjustments to Parker's 482cc pro comp racer Thursday in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn. Parker will participate in the American Power Boat Association's National Inboard Championships today through Sunday on Lake Decatur
Miss Prime Mover
1982: Terry Browning, left, drove Miss Prime Mover to $1,000 championship
No bother
1991: Jerry Bostek and Linda Jeppson, both of Decatur, came to Lake Decatur Saturday afternoon to watch power boat racing but arrived after practice runs were canceled because of high winds. They said they didn't see a single boat. They also said they didn't mind a bit.
Oxygen
1991: Racing veteran Mike Cashin, 46, of Southgate, Mich., adjusts breathing equipment. Cashin is one of a few power boaters using the oxygen mask.
Personal watercraft races
1993: The SummerStart festival will include racers on personal watercraft in four divisions.
Power boat racing
An estimated 20,000 people were expected in 1970 for boat races on Lake Decatur, including the Bill Heath Invitational Grand Prix.
Practice run
1991: Don Reiter of La Mirada, Calif., pushes his Super Stock craft around the 1.25 mile course on Lake Decatur.
Pretty Plume
1991: A plume of spray shoots more than 30 feet into the air behind a Formula Cobra during the second race Sunday.
Pulling in
1991: Power boat pilot Mark Weber of Detroit pulled into Decatur for a weekend of competitive racing. Thursday afternoon Weber was answering questions about his brother's Mike Weber's 5-litre hydroplane and its 305 Chevy engine for members of the media and curious visitors. The boat cost about $30,000 to build and is capable of speeds over 115 miles per hour. Time qualifications begin today on Lake Decatur.
Racing mishap
1992: Speed boat racer Charles Palm of Chicago is lifted into an ambulance after his Super Stock powerboat flipped in a testing run Saturday on Lake Decatur. Palm suffered minor cuts and bruises but was working to repair the boat by Saturday evening.
Randy Haas
1992: Last Year, Randy Haas won at Lake Decatur on his way to a national title.
Red fiberglass
1991: Dana Willard of Chicago pulled a piece of red fiberglass from Lake Decatur and found it to be a part of one of several boats that were damaged Sunday.
Rescue boat
1991: Even though its a sport, power boat racing has a serious side, too, as a rescue boat stays close to the action Saturday.
Runabout
1992: Bob Bode, of Barrington, Illinois, pushes his K Racing Runabout down the straightaway toward the finish line Sunday. Bode took second place in his heat.
SS-259
1984: Dave Georgic (inset) of West Palm Beach, Fla., pilots his SS-259 super stock boat to a divisional championship on Lake Decatur
Super Chief 5-litre
1993: Tom Thompson of East New Market, Md., drives his Super Chief 5-litre power speed boat to a second place finish in the final heat of his class Saturday witha time of 2:96.8. National champion Mark Weber places first in the race.
Super Stock Runabout
1992: Super Stock Runabout
Thom Welsh's boat
1984: Thom Welsh's boat is lifted into the lake.
Tragic accident
1984: Rescue workers render emergency aid to Douglas Boudon, 50, as they rushed him to an ambulance Monday. Boudan of Chalmette, La., was injured when his K-class racing runabout flipped during the International Motorboating World Championship Inboard Races. He was reported in critical condition in St. Johns Hospital in Springfield.
Turn four
1991: At top, George Kennedy of Bear, Del. kicks up a wall of spray rounding turn four in the 2.5 Litre Modified Class, finishing second in the finals.
Weber brothers
1991: Brothers (from left) Steve, Mark and Mike Weber are looking for a championship on Lake Decatur.
Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR
Donnette Beckett
"Together Decatur" Columnist and Food/Drink Reporter
