JS-88  BLUE GOOSE

1973 - LAUREL LAKE - MILLVILLE, NJ                          PHOTO BY TOM KELLY

 

OWNERS: JACK & JUDY LAWRENCE - LINCROFT, NJ
DRIVERS: DAVID "SKED" PARASKEVAS - LINCROFT, NJ
                JACK LAWRENCE - LINCROFT, NJ
RIDERS: DENIS NALEPA - LINCROFT, NJ
              JUDY LAWRENCE - LINCROFT, NJ
ENGINE BY: JACK LAWRENCE - LINCROFT, NJ
BUILDER: BILL MOORE - SEA BRIGHT, NJ
 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1973 EASTERN DIVISIONAL CHAMPION
1973 NATIONAL CHAMPION
1973 REGION 3 HIGH POINT WINNER
1973 NATIONAL HIGH POINT WINNER
1973 UNOFFICIAL Kilo Straightaway Record
        73.240 MPH - Oct. 7, 1973 - Daytona Beach, FL
1974 EASTERN DIVISIONAL CHAMPION
          (DRIVER: JACK LAWRENCE)

BOAT HISTORY

Built by Bill Moore in 1971, this was the very first Jersey Speed Skiff to have a molded fiberglass deck. Bill owned and raced the boat in 1971 and 1972 registered as JS-86 CARPET BAGGER. For the last three races of the 1972 season, the boat was sold for one dollar to David "Sked" Paraskevas to allow the eighteen year old the opportunity to drive his first race. Sked raced it at two events registered as JS-57 RUPTURED DUCK , placing third in both. At the end of the season the boat was sold back to Bill Moore, again for one dollar. Jack Lawrence purchased the boat from Moore and registered it for the 1973/74 seasons as JS-88 BLUE GOOSE. Jack collaborated with good friends Sked, who handled the majority of the driving and Denis Nalepa who was the main rider in the boat. All three contributed their talents to make the Blue Goose the best it could possibly be and their hard work and dedication paid off in a highly successful first racing season. The Blue Goose under the ownership of Jack Lawrence created two significant rule changes within the APBA and the Jersey Speed Skiff class. The first is the current rudder length rule for the JSS class which mandates the rudder be at least one and one half inches below the propeller. The second is the minimum age requirement for an Inboard owner which came about due to the controversy surrounding a new JSS Kilo straightaway record set in Daytona Beach, FL that was disallowed by the Inboard Racing Commission, a strictly political maneuver. This rule caused Jack to have his older sister Judy list herself as the owner of the boat for the 1974 season. Jack took over as the sole driver of the Goose for the 1974 racing season with Tina Baird as his rider and the boat was sold immediately following their win at the 1974 Eastern Divisionals. Dan Pobloskie from Baltimore, MD purchased the boat and raced it as JS-10 BLUE GOOSE through 1976. It was sold to Jan Dreher of Miami, FL who completely refurbished it and registered it as JS-100 BLUE GOOSE and then later registered the boat as JS-727 BLUE GOOSE. Jan used the boat until 1983 then sold it to Bob Stanton of Winterhaven, FL. The boat went missing after this point in time.
Subsequently the boat ended up in the hands of Chuck Warner from Annapolis, Maryland. The boat was now lettered JS-7 "Hot Tub" and sported a new color scheme disguising it's past Blue Goose history. In 2009, Ken Paton of Hobe Sound, Florida purchased the boat as the JS-7 "Hot Tub", thought to be a 1978 Bender. In need of rebuilding the boat was sent to Billy Darby's Boat Farm in Palm City, Florida. After stripping off many coats of paint and bondo, the original gel coat colors and the deck configuration caught Billy Darby's attention. Peaking his curiosity, Billy launched an investigation. It was soon discovered, then verified, that this boat was indeed the first JS-88 "Blue Goose" that had been missing for so many years. A stroke of luck, Ken proudly found himself the owner of a documented former racing thoroughbred. Work is currently underway to restore the boat to it's original look and racing configuration.