Truckin' on the Western Branch

The Western Branch was the “Charlotte” of hydroplane racing? For decades the Western Branch was the Charlotte of powerboat racing said Smokey Glover, Director of East Coast Operations at Willard Marine, Inc. Some of the most legendary names in the sport—Bob Rowland, Henry Lauterbach, the Hall brothers, Chris and Earle, and Chris Hall Jr.—all lived in the Churchland area at one time. Owning a small boat seemed as common for area youngsters as owning a bicycle. Glover grew up in Hatton Point and graduated from Churchland High in 1974. He remembers: I wasn’t one of the cool kids. I wasn’t much of a student—I slid into classes like Kramer from the Seinfeld show—and I didn’t do many extra-curriculars but I was active outside of school on the creeks, always in boats. I learned so many life lessons in Henry Lauterbach’s shop—It was like a baseball fan hanging out in the Yankees’ locker room. I learned that there is a pecking order and that a man could have a big wallet but that doesn’t mean he can buy class. I crewed for Larry Lauterbach’s boats [ Larry Lauterbach, Henry’s son, is also a renowned driver and boat builder ] and some for John Stauffer and the Edelweiss , built by Henry Lauterbach. I was like a sponge soaking up everything. Henry launched his boats from Shep’s in West Norfolk, and when we heard the engines we’d jump on our bikes and race to the Suburban Country Club to watch him speed by.

Our parents didn’t have to worry about us. Boats gave us a sense of responsibility. We learned independence and resilience. If we needed gas we had to mow a few yards to get the money to buy it. Our parents knew the police wouldn’t pick us up for hanging out behind a convenience store, smoking, but they might call if we were injured on the water.

“Churchland was a nest of hydroplane racing,” Chris Hall agrees. “I hung out at Henry Lauterbach’s too and bought my first Lauterbach boat in 1976.”

Earle, Chris’s younger brother, also fell under the spell of Lauterbach, whose sons were about his age. Lauterbach’s influence lured Earle Hall into hydroplane racing, leading to his 1982 induction into the American Power Boat Association’s Hall of Champions. Chris Hall won numerous championships as a yacht racer and convinced Larry Lauterbach to build a two-seater hydroplane, a rarity that Hall hoped would interest more people in the sport if they could experience the thrill firsthand.

Chris Hall’s son, Chris Jr., is a sailor and a boat driver who was also lured by the magic and raced hydroplanes for the Hall team.

An all-around athlete, Bob Rowland lived in Green Acres where the wa-wa song of the hydroplanes was heard frequently. Focusing on speedboat racing in the early 1950s, Rowland won championship after championship.

Top row: Chris and Katherine Hall, Larry Lauterbach, Henry Lauterbach. Bottom row: Smokey Glover, Earle Hall, Bob Rowland, and Chris Hall Jr. Top three: Images by Sheally

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