On Monday morning, Michael “Doc” Janssen, a former world champion offshore racer and a world-class surgeon, sent me a text message regarding the triumphant victory that led to the Marker 17 Marine team claiming the Superboat Vee world championship at last week’s Super Boat International Key West Offshore World Championships in the sunny South Florida destination at the end of Highway 1.

Despite some stiff competition all week, the Marker 17 Marine team of Brian Forehand and Vinnie Diorio came out on top in the Superboat Vee class at the SBI Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

The Marker 17 Marine crew chief this year, Janssen, who built and raced the team’s single-engine 29-foot Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats V-bottom under the Snowy Mountain Brewery moniker for several years alongside Brian Forehand, owner of Marker 17 Marine in Wilmington, N.C., was clearly proud of the team, especially Forehand and rookie throttleman Vinnie Diorio of Wisconsin.

“Although we had a bit of a curse on us heading into Key West this year, we prevailed,” Janssen wrote, alluding to a prediction my partner and fellow columnist Matt Trulio made in his traditional “Handicapping the SBI Key West Worlds” OffshoreOnly.com a few weeks back. (More often than not, Trulio’s winning selections don’t come through. “I am very proud of the entire team. Behind the leadership of Brian and Vinnie, everyone demonstrated a professional never-quit attitude that ultimately worked in our favor.”

As I read the lengthy message, in my head I could hear Doc’s booming voice, especially the passion in which he describes boat racing, more importantly victorious boat racing.

Read more: Joint-Effort World Title

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