Judd's Canandaigua Thread

[Judd1954shenkman4982]

In response to Mike Bull saying share whatever, I might have been known as " The Donald Campbell" of my lake
( in the day) have a few of my own news paper articles, I'll share sometime, being home in recovery for quite a long
time , had a lot of time to reminisce , I will try to stay with what the Bluebird Project and fast boats have to do in this
Forum, thanks( welcome any feedback)

[rob565uk]

Sounds like you have fascinating stories and experiences to share Judd. Anything to do with your boating and especially memories of Donald Campbell would be of great interest to all on the Forum.

[Judd1954shenkman4982]

Judd here, just found out from older sister Debra, that Campbell's daughter was staying at our cottage during his speed
Record attempts, also she was staying with the Howard Samuels family( our local millionaire back then, think he was in on
inventing the plastic bag??? Kordite corp???, anyway this came up in a casual conversation with Debra. I mentioned
The Bluebird Project and how I got into the forum etc. remembering that I was a little kid, she says " why Judd
don't you remember them being at the house while Donald , he was Flying past the front at 200 plus mph,?!? How I could I have not been aware, if you can hear my excitement, I will investigate further,as I had no clue they might have been
Staying on and off at our home when not with the Samuels family

[quicksilver-wsr]

Many thanks for sharing your stories on here, Judd. They add to the illustration of what a larger-than-life character Donald was.

I have an amazing original photo somewhere here of Donald running at Canandaigua. The densely-forested hills in the background form a spectacular natural amphitheatre. K7 is seen just as she's dropping off the plane, almost totally shrouded in spray, and a small group of onlookers standing on a low pier in the foreground are figuratively scratching their heads in sheer wonder at the otherworldly sight confronting them.

It is almost a picture from mythology. As far removed from powerboating as the Minotaur. Donald's world - unlike no other.

It might bring back some more memories.

Nigel

[quicksilver-wsr]

For those who aren't already aware of it, here's an article on Donald's exploits at Canandaigua ...

http://www.lesliefield.com/other_histor ... _speed.htm

Although it doesn't feature the photograph I've been referring to, which I'm going to try and dig out if I can find it, it's a nicely-written piece.

Basically, what marked these runs out was that they were conducted right past the end of people's gardens. So there was this huge disjoint going on between normal life on the one hand and the audacious oddness that was Donald's way at the other. Yet somehow they coexisted, cheek-by-jowl, for that short frame of time.

N.

[Judd1954shenkman4982]

Want to share a true story re: hi speed boating and high speed driving that resulted in more than the usual 15 minutes of
fame. The above subject content was the headline ot the city paper plus some radio coverage, think I dedicated the the
Boat portion to Donald Campbell( in my heart) the tale is " no brag just fact", I'm going to watch the forum for a few days
as being part of this wonderful Project while back in Canandaigua, I don't wanna get into " me me " situations. My gal Val,
Is fully aware that I've started saving my peso's to head your way. Will be a few months and have to get the Doctors to
Sign off on me for travel, original plan was Carribean cruise, that's changed since I've heard of the Project, I think Mike B
mentioned something about pushing a broom and or, coffee/ tea, I'm feeling up to the challenge. As Arnold said " I'll be back.

[Judd1954shenkman4982]

Want to share a true story re: hi speed boating and high speed driving that resulted in more than the usual 15 minutes of
fame. The above subject content was the headline ot the city paper plus some radio coverage, think I dedicated the the
Boat portion to Donald Campbell( in my heart) the tale is " no brag just fact", I'm going to watch the forum for a few days
as being part of this wonderful Project while back in Canandaigua, I don't wanna get into " me me " situations. My gal Val,
Is fully aware that I've started saving my peso's to head your way. Will be a few months and have to get the Doctors to
Sign off on me for travel, original plan was Carribean cruise, that's changed since I've heard of the Project, I think Mike B
mentioned something about pushing a broom and or, coffee/ tea, I'm feeling up to the challenge. As Arnold said " I'll be back.

[Judd1954shenkman4982]

Got some bad info, I was informed by at least 3 sources the Donald's last run in canandaigua was 9/7/57, I have to check
them out, as you article speaks for itself

[quicksilver-wsr]

Got some bad info, I was informed by at least 3 sources the Donald's last run in canandaigua was 9/7/57, I have to check
them out, as you article speaks for itself

Not according to the article I linked to above, it wasn't.

No idea where the date of 9th July came from.

The trouble with "three sources" saying the same thing in cases like this is very often that one person has got it wrong somewhere down the line and then two others blindly follow, with the assumption that that person cannot possibly be in error, and so the true facts get progressively distorted over time by a succession of "experts" who in most cases weren't even a glint in their father's eye when the events in question took place.

I would always tend to go by a good-quality contemporaneous account, such as the one I mention in Sport magazine.

That article, by Diana Bartley, was published in the November 1957 issue, therefore - given the magazine print lead-times back in those days - her words will have been written within just a few weeks (and possibly within only a matter of days) of Campbell and Co. leaving Canandaigua.

With such a short passage of time having elapsed between the events at Canandaigua taking place and her account being written, there's no earthly reason why her statements that (quote) "In mid-July, Campbell tried again" and "The first two days in August, Campbell ran trials", followed by "Campbell remained at Canandaigua until mid-August" should not be taken at face value and their veracity accepted.

BTW, for those not familiar with the name, Diana Bartley authored several motorsport articles in the mid- to late-1950s, these being published in a variety of U.S. publications.

My own notes on the Canandaigua saga, based on Villa's scribbles on postcards while he was out there, indicate a run as late as Friday, 19th July. But that doesn't mean Campbell didn't run again after that, before they finally gave it up as a bad job and decamped to Onondaga for what turned out to be further fruitless high-speed trials.

Nigel

[quicksilver-wsr]

Leaving specific dates to one side, it's worth noting that because our American friends tend to transpose the day and month when quoting dates, it introduces a further element for potential confusion. "9/7/57" means September the 7th 1957 over on that side of the Atlantic, while on this side of course it means the 9th of July 1957.

Either way, Donald's first run on Canandaigua - per Leo's private notes, written whilst he was over there with wife Joan - was on American Independence Day, the 4th of July '57. They explored the nearby city of Rochester during gaps in running the boat caused by unsuitable weather conditions and the congestion created by other boats on the lake, their visits including one to the Kodak factory there: the firm's world headquarters.

Judd, your anecdotes are the most important thing. Don't get too hung up on the dates, as they are already recorded. It's the personal side that brings the story to life.

Nigel