Former unlimited hydroplane driver Chip Hanauer, generally considered the best driver of all time, was racing boats of a different kind Saturday on Lake Ballinger, between Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace

Hanauer and his teammate Don Mock were racing Pelican class sailboats, which are about 11 feet long and attain speeds of perhaps 6 miles an hour.

Five boats raced Saturday, each with a two-person crew. Racers ran a course marked with two buoys and then went around the island located in the middle of the lake.

Hanauer and Mock are two-time defending Pelican series champions. The racing series runs in the fall and in the winter.

Unlike his days in limited hydroplanes, where Hanauer drove at speeds of up to 200 miles an hour, this class allows for competition but less danger. However, Hanauer and Mock have also experienced blow overs in their Pelican. They were leading the race last year and 100 feet from the finish, the wind took their boat over and they both were drenched.

— Story and photos by Harry Gatjens