Many years ago, the Miami to Bimini offshore race was one of the most grueling events on the schedule, and one of the most infamous took place in 1979. The waves were big on that Sunday afternoon, and the race brought out the best in driving, throttling and especially navigating skill to not only complete the course but also win the race. Against a fleet of the toughest competitors in the sport’s open class, the diminutive dynamo Betty Cook, throttleman John Connor, and navigator Bill Vogel and their 38-foot Scarab, Kaama, won the race that year, and the accompanying photo shows that the boats spent as much time in the air as they did in the water.
