Barnegat Bay Garvey racers honor their best Saturday in Lacey

Garveys, the flat-bottomed vessels which evolved from clamming boats to a thrilling speed spectacle every summer on Barnegat Bay, draw mariners and fans to Forked River on January 16.

The Jersey Outlaws extend an invitation to anyone who's fascinated by the crafts, and by the people who propel them across the bay in annual competitions, to their awards banquet, Saturday at the Captain's Inn. All proceeds raised from the event benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

Among the honorees will be Barnegat's Denny Dyer, 68, who with "Garvey boat racing in his blood," oversaw the restoration of two revered crafts, the Killer Bee and the Casper.

It is his way, friends say, to honor his comrades including Bobby Giberson, Jimmy Lewis and Joe Windberge.

Like many Ocean County denizens, Garveys came from elsewhere - Europe, to be precise, in the 1700s.

James Crimmins, a longtime member of the group, relates that the modern Garvey is a far cry from its plodding, wooden ancestor - sleek fiberglass and metal, with engines that mean business.

The races, which start in mid-June and continue through September, are also a far cry from the nascent 1960s, when guys would unwind after a day of clamming by seeing who could outrun who. They race in categories.

"You have 350 stock and the 358," Crimmins said, so pilots and copilots stay on a level playing field. "You're going anywhere from a Chevy 283 to a Chevy 358, all race motors."

How fast? "Anywhere between 62 and 85," Crimmins noted, "and you have no seat belt. You have a safety vest and a helmet, but you're not strapped in. They're made for you to get thrown out, if something goes wrong. If you flip in the corner, you want to be far from the boat."

Plus, he said, once they're humming at 70 or better, they can't decelerate into the turns. "You let off, your boat will hook and flip."

For all that potential mayhem, the races are organized in detail, with buoys marking the course and the Coast Guard in contact. Plus, Crimmins added, they're extremely conscious of safety because it's a pastime, not their livelihood, and "everybody has to go to work on Monday."

According to Crimmins, the Jersey Outlaws currently field 12 race boats, and they usually count about 500 followers who turn out on the shoreline to watch each week during the season.

The Barnegat dock, Crimmins advised, is the typical center point and a great place to watch them. "We race right past the dock. And it's free."

"And afterward, we give them rides in the boats, and show them how to drive them. We try to give back," Crimmins said.

Learn more about this fascinating hybrid of hobby and sport, unique to Barnegat Bay, at the Jersey Outlaws web page.