HAVERHILL — It hasn't been seen on this stretch of the Merrimack River in half a century.
The last time speedboats raced on the river in Greater Haverhill, skipping across the surface at 70 mph or more, was 1960.
The races will make a comeback this summer, and the city hopes they generate excitement in residents and tourists — boosting Haverhill's effort to make the river the centerpiece of the local economy.
The city will allow Crescent Yacht Club to use a stretch of the river channel about a fifth of a mile long for the races.
The route is just outside downtown, starting at the club and going downriver. The races will be Aug. 22 and 23.
"Seeing the river used again is going to be great," said Dave Goodwin, a member of the yacht club who is helping to organize the races.
Growing up near the river, Goodwin remembers watching his father participate in speedboat races decades ago.
The boats will create a spectacle — they travel 70 to 80 mph, much faster than the recreational boats that have packed the river between Haverhill and Newburyport in recent years. As the river has become cleaner, it has become more popular. The city's boating officials said in a typical summer an average of 300 recreational boats are docked at Haverhill's three marinas: Abbott's, Kazmiera and the yacht club.
Goodwin first got the idea for the races last September after seeing his friend Steve Noury's race boats. Noury of East Kingston, N.H., has won 153 speedboat races. He first raced in 1963 at the age of 10 and won the 2007 Waldman Award for scoring the most points speedboat racing in the United States.
Goodwin pitched his idea to city officials and the yacht club last September. Andrew Herlihy, the chief of staff for Mayor James Fiorentini, said the mayor is excited about bringing boat racing back to Haverhill and puts his full support behind it.
"I remember watching the boat races as a kid and asking my father, 'Why can't we have a boat?''' said Fiorentini, 62, chuckling.
Bringing back the races proved to be difficult, however. Before promoting the event, organizers had to get a permit from the Coast Guard which proved to be a challenge.
A chief concern of the Coast Guard was the effect of racing on sturgeon, an endangered fish that can grow to 6 feet long and lives and spawns in the river. Because the boats will only skim the top of the water, the sturgeon will be left largely undisturbed, Goodwin said.
Since 1960, there were two attempts to have organized speedboat racing on the river — in 1978 and 1990 — but they failed due to organizational problems. Noury said he believes the races planned for August will be successful.
"Everyone's gung-ho about this: the town, us, the city councilors, the Haverhill Historical Society and all different kinds of clubs," said Bernie Carter, a member of the race organizing committee.
Yacht club members have all volunteered to cook food, work the concessions and help run the races.
Goodwin is expecting 75 entries - some from as far away as Michigan, Ohio and Canada. The boats will be launched from the yacht club docks. The start and finish lines will be in front of the Buttonwoods Museum. The Buttonwoods Trail, a walkway on the north side of the river, and the yacht club lawn will be prime viewing spots.
Two types of boats will participate — the runabout and the hydroplane. The runabouts skim the surface and have a tendency to bounce. They skid and slide, demanding a great deal of skill, strength and endurance from the racer. The hydroplane, a boat known for its speed, is designed to allow air pockets to cushion the bottom of the boat. Sometimes the propeller is the only part of the boat in the water. The fastest boats travel 81 mph on the three-quarter of a mile circular course, Noury said.
The yacht club is expecting a large turnout — perhaps approaching the 10,000 that gathered along the riverbanks for the race in 1960.
"We're hoping it's going to be a big success and bring it back next year," Herlihy said.
More information is available from Dave Goodwin at dgoodwin@rbkimball.com or at 978-374-6365.
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