Arthur J Kennedy

At age eight, Art Kennedy was flying down the Mississippi River at 35 miles per hour. He had saved up $80 selling newspapers to be able to buy his first boat, which he named ‘Judy Pie’ after his girlfriend. By the time he graduated from Sumner High School, he had already been racing for a decade and owned a $1,300, 75hp boat. There were few places for Art to hone his racing skills in St Louis but on weekends, he could be found on the Mississippi River or Creve Coeur Lake, putting his skills to the test.

Butch, as he was known, had a need for speed and was one of the first African Americans to become a professional powerboat racer. By the end of his career, he had set 14 records and was ranked one of the top ten drivers in the world, running against the big names like Bill Seebold and Earl Bentz during his illustrious racing career. Butch’s father, Arthur (Art) Kennedy Sr., was also a professional racer, and Butch grew up surrounded by racing culture. They were two of the first black professional speedboat racers in the world. In 1955, they were still the only two African American members of the National Outboard Association. Butch raced in high-profile competitions across the United States and Europe, sometimes reaching speeds of 150 miles per hour. In 1982, he won the Parker nine-hour Enduro and the Havasu World Championship back-to-back, a feat rarely achieved in powerboat racing.

Although he set those 14 world records over his 37-year boat racing career, he described racing as a hobby. He served in the army between 1968 and 1974. His fulltime work was in commercial heating and air conditioning with Kennedy & Sons, the family business his father founded in the early 1950s.

Sadly Arthur J. Kennedy died young from a heart attack in 1992, aged just 48. A short life, but one lived at full throttle.

Arthur Kennedy Snr

From the Columbia Guide to African American History

Ebony magazine article – 1950s

With thanks to Hydro Racer Live and the Quincy Looper website for the info and photos.

2022 has been the first year since Covid-19 and the lockdown that Fast On Water has begun to get back on track. Like all charities, and many people, the last few years have been quite a struggle, not improved by the state of the British economy. We are now thinking about 2023 and making tentative plans to promote both Fast On Water and the sport in general. July 22nd and 23rd, 2023 will see the Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club holding the OSY400 World Championships and we are aiming to have a display of classic circuit boats on the water on both the Saturday and Sunday. We are also contemplating setting up a Classic Circuit Club. If you are an owner/driver of a classic boat and would like to take part, please contact Roy or Jason at fastonwater@live.co.uk. Due to a variety of issues, Bristol as a venue for our museum is no longer an option. Maybe we were being a little too over-zealous in thinking Bristol would be a good location. We are now returning to our original plan of wishing to base the museum in the Lowestoft/Oulton Broad area. Part of this decision is based on the fact that the LOBMBC is close by and is the powerboat club that offers the best venue for the general public to see circuit powerboat racing in the UK. We will be looking at our options and talking to other museums, local authorities, and relevant groups over the next few months. The Bristol 50 event was a great success and probably the last event that will see so many of the drivers who started racing in the mid20th century attending. We would very much like to continue holding similar events in the future, for both past and present circuit racers, and so keeping that historic link alive, which connects all those involved in the sport.

The above photo shows Bert Savidge winning the Daily Mirror Challenge in 1949. Bert’s Jakoby hydroplane ‘Antelope’ is part of the Fast On Water collection, and one we hope to see on the water next July. We are looking for further people who would like to become a trustee of the Fast On Water Charity. Specifically, anyone with a skill or interest that would help us in our future plans. If you feel you would like to get more involved, please contact Jason Mantripp or Roy Cooper at fastonwater@live.co.uk