Growing up in Windsor as a boy, he could hear them racing on the nearby Detroit River, and by the time he was 9 to 11 years of age, he had scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings chronicling the victories of his heroes behind the controls of those powerful boats.

Now a Georgetown resident, Kelly was a great fan of Bob Hayward, the one at the controls of Miss Supertest, a legendary Canadian speedboat. Hay-ward’s great accomplishment was to capture the prestigious Harmsworth Trophy in 1959, a trophy traditionally won by the American racing teams.

“In 1959, Canada won that trophy,” said Kelly, “And for three years, they defended it, winning it again and again.

“It was when Bob Hayward died in a race in 1961 that I became more interested,” said Kelly, “When you’re 10 or 11 years old, your heroes aren’t supposed to die in a racing accident.”

From then on, Kelly carried that dream of writing a book about his hero, as well as the speed boat he drove. After retiring as a history teacher in the Peel Dufferin area, he decided to make that dream a reality.

The result was Roostertail: The Miss Supertest Story, a book that chronicles ‘The story of the Supertest Petroleum Company’s unlimited hydroplane boat racing team that came to dominate world speedboat racing  50 years ago.’

There were three ‘Miss Supertests’ in all, and the last one was on display in the Ontario Science Centre from 1967 to 2005, said Kelly. That Miss Supertest boasted a huge Rolls Royce Griffin aircraft engine, putting out more than 1,000 horsepower, and had incredible speed and control on the water.

But for some unknown reason, the boat was removed from the display, and owner Jim Thompson took it back ‘home.’

“For six days, I interviewed Jim Thompson, the person who owns the last Miss Supertest,” said Kelly.

“He was quite helpful, and also gave me his blessing to write the story. In addition, I was also able to interview Doris Hayward, Bob’s sister-in-law. She was quite helpful as well, and gave me lots of information.”

Kelly began writing his book and finished it in 1998. He then went about finding a publisher who would take it on and put it on the bookstore shelf. He eventually had it published and it was released in February of this year.

“The story covers the history of the race team from 1951 to 1961,” said Kelly, “And also continues right up to present day. It’s a story about Canada’s big win, taking away the Harmsworth (Trophy) and defending it for another three years.”

Kelly’s book Roostertail: The Miss Supertest Story, is available at local bookstores, and Kelly will be holding a book signing session at Coles in Georgetown Market Place, tomorrow (Saturday, May 31), starting at 11 a.m. For anyone who has an interest in speedboat racing, it’s a must-read story of the Canadian team.