Did you know that back in the 1980s, Prince George hosted an international jet boat race?
If you were around back then, you may have remembered the high-octane speeds, the quick twists, and possibly getting sprayed by water as you watched them fly by in the blink of an eye.
Well, after B.C.’s peace river region hosted a successful stop on the 2019 World Jet Boat Championship circuit on the weekend, which included a podium finish for a Prince George team, local resident Penny Cartwright is hoping to bring the event back to the northern capital.
She’s part of the Ali-Craft Boats Ltd. squad that saw racers Steve Ford (captain) and Merv Pidherny earn the silver medal in their ‘A’ Class, placing eighth out of 60 boats overall.
The mother of two says its time for Prince George’s rivers to see the jet boats to make a long-awaited return.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get those races back and having our own circuit here,” Cartwright tells PrinceGeorgeMatters. “Taylor, B.C. is the closest one being about five hours away, so I’ve been doing a lot of research and trying to put things together. I spoke with a few people back during the election running for [Prince George] council. It sounds like I’ve got a bit of support there.”
However, bringing the world circuit does come at a cost.
Cartwright says she would need to raise at least $60,000 to bring the races here, receive city support for the bid, and then figure out how the course would flow, especially with the options of both the Nechako and Fraser Rivers.
Penny Cartwright (left) pictured with one of her sons while boating on a summer day (via Facebook/Penny Cartwright)She believes with the number of resources available and possible sponsors that could take an interest, submitting a bid and gaining attention wouldn’t be an issue.
“I really want to try and focus on allowing our city to work the river city tourism and utilize companies like Northern Lights Winery where they really enjoy being on the river and support that as well,” she said while also adding a viewing point at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park could also be a possibility, just like the annual Northern Hardware Canoe Race.
“They should come just to see how mindblowing it is,” she said with excitement. “There are boats with engines that are made for helicopters that go over 100 mph. There are boats that have corvette-racing engines in them and more. People put a lot of heart and soul into these boats and they are going at such high-speeds, it’s incredible to see with your own eyes.”
If everything fell into place, Prince George could potentially be on the 2023 World Jet Boat Championship circuit as they, like the Olympics, are hosted every four years.
Cartwright explains an event like this would mean everything to the city’s boating community, possibly bringing some former racers out of hibernation.
“There’s one boat that travels around for races, but I do know a few people have boats, but just don’t race them. I’m curious to see if the races came back, that maybe they would get back into it. I do know that there are hundreds of riverboats here in town [...] being a river community, if you sit down on the Nechako or Fraser Rivers on any given hot summer day, you’ll see one of them go up and down.”
She and her husband Toby have travelled across the province on a boat, trekking to places only accessible by river and passing down the love of the sport to their children.
A World Jet Boat Championship stop encompasses a three-day period and includes a show ‘n’ shine, time trials, the actual races, and an awards banquet.
Competitors came to northern B.C. for the race this past weekend from across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and as far as New Zealand.
