I have several original photos of the boat, some from Cheri Petti and some from John Fitzgerald. Cheri set two records with the boat in the J-class Kilo straightaway and was National High Points Champion with it in 1970. Cheri had another boat built called Another Pet. Cheri later sold Petti's Pet to John Fitzgerald. John promptly painted her white, loaded her down with shamrocks and renamed her the Leprauchan J-90. He ran the boat until around 1980. I think his best win with it was the Congressional Grand Prix in 1973.  He told me an interesting story about losing the high points due to a battery that was damaged in the last race of the season. Cheri, and John are really excited about the restoration of this boat. It really makes one feel good to see them get as excited about the project as I am. I have stats on many of the races and will add them to this webpage as time permits. 
I live in Woodbury TN, and have been in the wooden boat restoration business as a full time occupation since 1982. I'm no stranger to boats or wooden boats, however, this is my first hydroplane. John Bartell really got me interested when I went to his shop to survey an old Garwood for a customer. I just couldn't quit looking at his Miss Washington DC. What a beautiful boat, I had to have one.

© 2003 Travis Hickman

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