Johnson and McNeal repeat in nasty sprint boat races

Despite frigid winds and driving rain, Webb’s Slough at St. John was packed for another Saturday of high-powered sprint boat racing Saturday.

“It was hard to see a thing with the rain just covering my face,” said racer Scott Ackerman of Colfax. “It was just miserable out there.”

Racers huddled under blankets in the pit between races while fans on the terraced seating area above the track wrapped themselves in blankets, jackets and anything else they could to stay warm. The line at the coffee stand was by far the longest in the slough.

The five hours of qualifying runs resulted in several boats...