THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024
Tim Ciasulli
Tim Ciasulli’s love for high-speed boating began early in his life. Growing up in New Jersey, he enjoyed riding the big wakes of fishing boats in his dad’s Boston Whaler on the Manasquan River. This river was also home to the legendary Hennessey Grand Prix, where Ciasulli watched high-powered boats race at 90 mph, disappearing into the foggy mist and returning hours later, often battered and bruised. He was instantly hooked.
Ciasulli’s first racing boat was a metal flake jet boat—a low-profile vessel with a big motor and a Berkley jet drive. Starting in small boats helped him hone his driving skills, particularly learning the crucial skill of turning. Mastering this at 80 mph in smaller boats proved invaluable in the offshore racing arena, allowing him to pass on the inside at 150 mph while others risked flipping.
Ciasulli’s skill and passion have led to an illustrious racing career spanning four decades, with over 300 races and more than 100 victories. Notably, he secured the runner-up spot in the 1999 World Championship, won the US National and World Championships in the Superboat class in 2000, and became the National Champion in 2001 with the fastest-ever run around Manhattan.
Retired from the circuit, Tim and his wife Rebeca still enjoy time on the water but just at a slightly slower pace.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2024
Benson Gray
Benson Gray grew up in Old Town, Maine and has always loved old canoes. His work with computers, and an interest in the history of canoe builders, has led to scanning Old Town Canoe Company catalogs. His largest project with the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association was to compile the Old Town, Carleton, and Kennebec build records, along with building an archive of the Wooden Canoe Journals. His great grandfather was one of the founders of the Old Town Canoe Company.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
Jim Pocock
Jim Pocock comes out of a legendary family of racing shell builders, including his grandfather Dick Pocock who built boats for Yale, including two Olympic gold medal winning crews. More well-known is his great uncle George, who is featured prominently in the book, and now feature film, Boys in the Boat, and who for five decades built the racing shells in which every college in America rowed, other than Yale. As a boy and young adult, Jim knew both George and Dick very well, and will tell us many other stories about them not covered in the book and film. Jim is not a boat builder, instead has had a career as a Protestant minister, having led churches in Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts. He and his wife Beth live in Gloucester, MA, where he is founder and President of Elevate New England, a non-profit working with at-risk urban public school students, helping them graduate high school and become thriving adults.