CLAYTON — Marv Hart spent the early part of Thursday evening outlining rules and expectations for the participating drivers of the 2008 Antique Race Boat Regatta. At one point, he emphasized, "This is not a race. There are no winners or losers."
He'll be challenged the rest of the weekend to heed his own advice.
Hart, a Round Island resident of Clayton, has spent 10 years as the director of the event, which is held biennially at the Antique Boat Museum and runs through Sunday.
But he's a participant, too, and also a time traveler, of sorts.
Hart plans to drive the Canadiana Grand Prix in the regatta, and he'll have to resist the urge to drive the boat as it was originally meant — for speed.
"I had the word out that I was looking for a boat with some famous history," he said.
He got exactly that.
The Canadiana was originally driven by the late Art Asbury, who held, or still holds, several speedboating world records. Asbury set a record in 1964 when the Canadiana reached 155 mph. The craft was one of a team of five Canadian race boats, but when Hart found it nine years ago, it had to be completely restored. He welcomed the challenge.
"I've always been an antique boat buff to begin with," said Hart, who owns four other boats.
The project, which included new frames and a newly built engine, lasted four years.
Hart said documenting the process is nearly as fun as rebuilding or driving the boat. It's a common practice for collectors of these classic vessels to keep a detailed log of the restoration, giving spectators and visitors a glimpse of what the boat was, and how it was returned to pristine condition.
"You walk through the pits and some of the guys have built storyboards, and nice scrapbooks to bring out the history," Hart said. "Like who owned it, who drove it, or what records it may have set. It's nice to keep and share a notebook on how and when you rebuilt it."
Hart said that vintage boats are the fastest growing division of the American Power Boat Association (APBA), and that about 100 boats are expected to be in the water this weekend.
Even though each boat is way past its prime, the goal of the regatta is to give spectators an idea of how it ran so many years ago.
"It's all in how we demonstrate it," Hart said. "My challenge is how do you demonstrate a world record-holder from 35 years ago?"
Hart has participated in the event since its inception in 1992, and he also serves as a trustee for the boat museum.
This year's "Quest for Speed" theme goes along with the museum's newest exhibit — of the same name. The exhibit highlights the history of powerboat racing, as well as the sport's records, famous boats and personalities.