Winding River Boating Association

Established in 1949

     Winding River Boating Association was established in 1949.  The WRBA was named after the Maurice River, which is a very winding river.  The WRBA ran service runabout races on the Maurice River at the Penny Hill Marina (in Dorchester) before they started running their races on Laurel Lake.  Whenever a local racer wanted to test and dial in their boat, they would go to the Penny Hill Marina to put it in and run around on the river there.

     Jack Fisher, one of the originators of WRBA, owned 10 lakefront lots at Laurel Lake.  He offered 5 of the 10 lots to the Club for its Clubhouse.  Club members kicked in $100 each (not a small amount in those days) to purchase the lots.    The  clubhouse building was constructed  with donated materials, member organized work parties, and special deals by local contractors.  

     At the advent of hydroplanes, Fred Rechsteiner of Millville, attached sponsons to his service runabout, making it a hydroplane.  When Fred was getting out of racing, my father, Don, bought his 145ci hydro (about 1961).  Fred had Dick Sooy build the hull, but Fred put on the decks and built the trailer.  I can remember seeing little anchors stamped on each of the deck nails on that boat.  Apparently, Fred used a punch with a anchor on it to set the nails and had them all straight and facing up.  Fred passed away this past year, and his obituary said he was a master metalsmith.   Someone recently told me that, after retiring, he was active working with metals at    Wheaton Village in Millville, creating lamps and whatnot.

     Information provided by Jim Bland. 

Boat Racing Association Shares 50 Years of Memories

Winding River Boating Association of Millville NJ is now conducting the Daniel J. Murphy Jr.  Memorial Regatta at Lake Lenape in Mays Landing, NJ.  Sanctioned by The American Power Boat Association. 

     George L. Conover Sr., President

     In 2006 Winding River Boating  Association lost their sponsor for the Mays Landing Lake Lenape Race.  After reading an article in Propeller Magazine written by Barbara brown, Mrs Mary Ann Murphy contacted George Conover, President of Winding River Boating Association.  Mrs. Murphy offered to sponsor the race. 

     As it turned out Mrs. Murphy is the widow of Daniel J. Murphy Jr. who was involved in powerboat racing his whole life.  He was an Unlimited Driver in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  Thanks to Mrs. Mary Ann Murphy our race will go on and her late husbands legacy will continue in the boat racing world every September on Lake Lenape during the Daniel J. Murphy Jr. Annual Inboard Memorial Regatta.