“The Fastest Water in the World” Power Boat Time Trials Coming to Lincoln City

By Brian Bahouth

Devil’s Lake is a shallow freshwater lake that forms the eastern boundary of Lincoln City, Oregon. The lake is nestled in a shallow valley and is roughly one-third of a mile wide and 3 miles long.

Day-to-day, the lake is home to the leisure-seeking traffic associated with two state recreation areas with camping and boat launches. The quarter-mile-long D River connects the lake to the Pacific Ocean. 

Almost every October since the 1930s, boat races have been held on the lake, and on October 11 and 12 of this year, competitors will take to the waters of Devil’s Lake for the Rockey Stone Memorial Kilos & Buzz Thorsen Quarter Mile Time Trials. 

Unlike the powerboat race season’s typical format with several boats competing at the same time around a circular course, the Devil’s Lake event focuses on time trials for top speed over a measured distance. 

The Columbia Outboard Racing Association coordinates the Lincoln City event. The American Powerboat Association (APBA) sanctions the regatta, and detailed rules define competitor categories. Mike Johnson, the association’s regional time trials representative, says the range of competitors is wide and eclectic.

“That’s the thing that I just love about the event,” Johnson said by phone. “You never know what’s going to show up. We’ve had everything from an Indian war canoe with an outboard motor on it (his time was about 37 miles an hour) to a grand prix hydroplane that competed. His average speed was almost 162 miles an hour.”

The age range of competitors runs from a 9-year-old in a hydroplane skiff to people in their 70s looking to set APBA and personal speed records.

During the event, two courses run at the same time. One is a quarter-mile long. The other is a kilometer long, or a “kilo” in boat racing parlance. A single boat enters each course at speed and is timed from the moment it crosses the starting line. Each competitor has six runs, three in each direction. Officials calculate speed based on an average of a competitor’s fastest two runs.

Some enter on a lark or may typically compete in river racing or other APBA sanctioned boating competitions and want to go for speed in Lincoln City. 

More serious and regular competitors seek to win the annual APBA Hall of Champions Award. Throughout the year, the association awards points to competitors based on performance. The point leader at year end wins the Hall of Champions Award, which includes a coveted jacket and recognition at the national meeting. 

But for everyone who competes, the objective is top speed, no matter the category of vessel, and that’s what draws them to Devil’s Lake.

The regatta is known for having the fastest water in the world. At first blush, the claim might be brushed off as a marketing slogan, but according to Mike Johnson, Devil’s Lake is arguably one of the fastest stretches of water in the country, if not the world. The lake’s unique conditions make it ideal for setting speed records.

“The big thing is the atmospheric conditions,” Johnson explained. “Because we start out at sea level, right? But based on the temperature —and of course, in late September, early October things are starting to cool down on the coast — even on a beautiful day, you’re still probably not going to get too far out of the 60s. 

“And as you get into the fall on the coast, the humidity starts going down, so the air starts drying out. So when you factor those in, you get something called an ambient air density that is not [typical of] sea level. 

“In fact, we have had an ambient air density at Devil’s Lake as low as 600 feet below sea level. So that allows you to get more air into a carbureted engine, and the more air you can get in, the more fuel you can pull in, the more horsepower.”

The Devil’s Lake regatta enjoys an august stature among competitions. Its longevity and speedy water draw competitors from around the nation and even the world. Visitors can watch the time trials from Regatta Park on the west side of the lake at 5126 NE Regatta Park Drive. The event can also be viewed from Sandpoint Park or Holmes Road Park. Competition starts at 8:00 a.m. on October 11 and 12 and ends at sunset on both days.

The East Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area boat ramp and the Regatta Grounds boat ramp will be closed to the public for this event, and Devil’s Lake will be closed from Sand Point to south of the East Devil’s Lake State Park launch ramp.