‘Nothing compares.’ Hydroplane history and families highlight 60th Water Follies
A West Richland couple sat in the shade Sunday watching the boats and jets speed past on the Columbia River.
Glenn and Terri Grant have been coming to the Tri-City hydroplane races for more than 35 years, but their ties to unlimited racing go back even farther.
“I grew up in Seattle and my grandmother’s house is next to the pits, so we went every single year to Seafair,” Terri said. “Then we came here, and we’re like, it’s fun too.”
This year’s event marked the 60th time the unlimited hydroplanes have been on the Columbia River. History was on display across the Apollo Gold Cup racing event, as thousands enjoyed a bit of a milder summer weekend with temperatures reaching into the low 90s.
It was also relatively free of injuries and emergencies, Kennewick police and fire officials said. Anecdotally, attendance was lighter compared to last year, said officials.
Police Commander Isaac Merkl said the police responded to an argument and a lost wallet. They also helped firefighters with helping the pilot in the Team Fury racing hydroplane after it flipped Saturday morning.
Piece of hydro history
Near the front of Columbia Park a yellow and black piece of race history was on display. Families were invited to take a seat in the vintage boat, the Hombre.
Its owner, Steve Andrew of Yakima raced the boat after buying it in 1977. He ended up giving up racing in 1981 and selling the boat in 1988 to NBA player Tommy Burleson, who took it to the East Coast.
The boat ended up in Miami for more than 30 years until Andrew spotted it on eBay.
“The East Coast people knew it as Tommy Burleson’s boat. They didn’t know any of the history about it,” he said. “Up here ... in the Northwest region, it’s a pretty famous boat and design.”
When he got the boat back to Washington, he said his partner Jim Olson fixed it up.
“The boat was a mess,” Andrew said. “It took him over two years to rebuild it. “
Now, the vintage boat is able to participate in mock races where it goes 115 mph. He is also able to bring the boat to Water Follies to show it off and let people get a close look. He wanted others to get the chance to see what the inside was like.
The ties between racing fans and boat builders continued in other areas.
Pasco resident Jason Colean sat in a tent with other people who raced in the R/C Unlimiteds races on Friday and Saturday. While he didn’t race this year, his participation in the radio-controlled event rose out of a life-long love for Unlimited racing.
“(Hydroplane racing) is something unique that you don’t really get to see anywhere else in the county,” he said. “When all six boats come to the line in the final heat there’s not a better sight in motorsports. I’ve been to NASCAR races. I’ve been to the Indy 500 and nothing compares to the start of a final heat.”
As an expression of his fandom, Colean started working on carbon fiber molds. He began posting his work on Facebook and met the owner of the Miss Apollo, Charley Wiggins.
“He had an accident in Seattle that destroyed his boat and he was in the process of rebuilding that boat basically from scratch,” Colean said. “Well, he posted in one of those groups that I was in, (and asked,) ‘Anybody want to come to Alabama and work on this boat.’ So I moved to Alabama for two years.”
He said it was an incredible experience.
Honoring a friend
On the Pasco side of the river, Angie Coleman watched the air show from under a blue tent.
She recalled the first time she met her friend Bob Duran. She was 16 at a house party in Pasco and described his bellowing voice and humor.
“He was someone I wanted to know,” she said. “We called him Big Brown Beautiful Bob.”
Duran died September 2024 and was a Water Follies fan for 45 years. He was always counting down the days until the next race weekend.
To honor Bob’s love for hydroplane racing, Larry Duran, Bob’s brother, his family and friends set up a spot along the river and spent Sunday celebrating him. There was a banner with a favorite picture of Bob flying between the tents and friends took photos with a cardboard cutout of his face.
Introducing a friend to Water Follies
Sitting under the beer tent, Julie H. said she traveled from Seattle to spend two weeks in the Tri-Cities. She’d visited for Water Follies before and was back after a four-year hiatus.
This time, she brought her best friend who hadn’t seen a hydroplane race before. They also visited Art in the Park this weekend.
They camped at Fishhook Park Campground in Walla Walla County.
The two friends enjoyed the races with a group of about eight people, mostly family. They agreed the weather was pleasant this weekend.
Julie’s husband restores vintage hydroplane engines at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Kent, Wash., so he has a special appreciation for and knowledge about the racing.
This story was originally published July 27, 2025 at 7:08 PM with the headline "‘Nothing compares.’ Hydroplane history and families highlight 60th Water Follies."
