An offshore powerboat racer has died after being critically injured in an accident at the Key West World Championship, the third racer killed during the boating competition.
Joey Gratton, 59, of Sarasota, Fla., died Saturday morning at the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami from injuries sustained Friday, said Super Boat International spokesman Roderick Cox. Gratton’s racing partner Stephen Page, of Fort Myers, was released from the hospital Saturday.
About 200 people gathered at a memorial for Gratton Saturday afternoon, including Page, who still had green bandages wrapped around one arm and hospital bracelets on his wrist. Mourners wore Page Motorsports T-shirts and took turns hugging him after the memorial.
Although the competition has claimed three lives, race officials said they will continue with Sunday’s scheduled races.
“We’re racing tomorrow,” said John Carbonell, president of Super Boat International, the race’s sanctioning body. “That’s what they’re here for. They know when they come to a race the potential of accidents.”
On Wednesday, powerboat racers Robert M. Morgan, 74, of Sunrise Beach, Mo., and Jeffrey Tillman, 47, of Kaiser, Mo., died when their 46-foot catamaran Big Thunder Marine crashed during a race inside Key West Harbor. Wednesday was the first day of racing, and a memorial gathering was held the following day.
Gratton and Page were on the final lap of Friday’s seven-lap race when their 38-foot Superboat 850-class Skater catamaran rolled over twice at checkpoint 1 of the 6.5-mile course.
Page, 57, was able to get himself out and was taken to Lower Keys Medical Center. Gratton had to be pulled out of the water by rescue divers and was airlifted to the hospital.
At Saturday’s memorial, the Rev. Jim Black of Racing Performance Ministries said Gratton’s wife had sent word to thank everyone and given him a message to share.
“She says, `On race day, if you’re racing, race safe,”’ Black said. “She doesn’t want to lose any more family members.”
Black, who described Gratton as a friend, spoke of his infectious smile and talkative demeanor.
“I’m sure that Joey hasn’t stopped talking yet,” Black said. “I’m sure he’s in heaven and he’s seeing some people he knows.”
Tony Marcantonio, the owner and driver of the boat Page was chasing during the race, said participants will race Sunday with a different mindset.
“We’ll probably take turns a little slower, we’ll probably take speeds a little slower, and personally, I’ll race with those guys on my mind, like I did yesterday,” Marcantonio said.
Marcantonio said the speeds at which they were racing Friday were not extreme, and that they had gone up to 10 or 15 miles an hour faster in Key West.
“It’s a very passionate sport with a lot of owners that put their own lives on the line,” he said.
Carbonell said Friday that preliminary information suggested Gratton’s boat may have gone into a turn too fast. He said turns are where accidents are most likely to occur, and that race officials have medics stationed near the course’s trickiest points to ensure a fast response.
