Sprint boats charge to start season at Slough

St. John’s Skylar Smith and Casey Donahoe took a spectacular detour early Saturday when their boat went up on the bank at the west end of the course during time qualifications. The boat remained upright and slid backwards into the starting area of Webb’s Slough.

Sprint boat racers booked some fast times and survived some calamities Saturday before a big crowd at Webb's Slough in St. John.

The slough this year was the first race for the circuit, and crews were reported to be scrambling for the launch at the St. John course.

Some crews ran into first-day woes, but most of the veterans on the cir...