Riding the river in a jet boat “feels like freedom” for local racer Randy Tinant

By Serena Lapointe
 
Born and raised in the community, Randy Tinant was a major fan of the action on the
Athabasca River, watching the jet boats roar by, skipping across the surface of the
water. At some point, his excitement on the sidelines grew into a passion for the sport
and a dream that one day, he too would feel the wind whip at him as he flew.
Tinant grew up watching Paddy Stratton and Karey Crawford, two local legends who
made names for themselves within the racing community. Crawford, who raced since
the early 80’s until the mid-2000s, has also organized races around the world, including
last year’s UIM World Jet Boat Championships, serving as the event’s race captain.
Crawford’s passion for the sport ignited following a spin on Stratton’s boat, the A-240
Hakuna Matata. Stratton, who passed in 2014, lived and breathed the sport. Not only
did he race for several decades, but he also worked hard to make Riverboat Park the
place it is and was a huge volunteer for events.
“Those were guys that I looked up to as a youngster and always wanted to have on my
team,” said Tinant. Eventually, it led to one of Crawford’s boats ending up in the hands
of Tinant, kickstarting his dream into reality, and he’s been steadily working on it for the
last fourteen years.
His current boat is named after one of his favourite numbers, and so far, he considers it
pretty lucky. “We’ve had several boats with names, and we didn’t have real good luck
with some of them. This one is a number that I’ve always liked, so we decided to call
this boat 222 Racing,” explained Tinant.
Call it luck or call it hard-earned, laser-focused fearlessness, along with the reflexes of a
cat, Tinant recently landed on top of the podium. “We’re currently the A Class World
Champions!” Tinant and his team, including navigator Regan Redlick, took the title in
May at the World Jet Boat Championships in Maine, Idaho, an event that took three
months of planning to get to. They also won overall in Peace River back in June.
“You work so hard, and you strive for it and practice, and to win is a feeling you can’t
describe. It’s all the people that supported you along the way, your family, because they
put up with a lot of things for us to be able to do this. So, the feeling is that all wrapped
up together,” said Tinant.
After two big weekends, the 222 Racing team faced some uphill battles with their
engine. “We had some engine problems in Taylor, BC and then because of those
problems we missed the race in Grande Prairie,” said Tinant. Heading into last
weekend’s races in Whitecourt, the 3Boys Tank/Vac Trucker River Rumble 200 Jet Boat

River Race presented by the Whitecourt Riverboat Association, the 222 Racing team
was happy to be home.
“The racers have extremely missed this race. It’s one of the best facilities in the world.
I’ve raced all over the world, in New Zealand, the USA, and this is one of the best
facilities that I’ve been to. To have it back here is great,” said Tinant. He added that
getting back on the circuit will enable Whitecourt to host a tour stop for the world
championships again. “The worlds happen every four years. The next one is in 2029,
and we want it here,” he said.
Getting back on the circuit and bringing racers and fans back to the edges of the
Athabasca is important, not only for the community but for racers, or dreamers, like
Tinant, who grew up watching it and got into it because it was accessible, with local
racers to look up to and learn from. “It’s tremendous to have it back. We’ve got some
excitement in the community again. The Town of Whitecourt, big thanks to them, and
the local businesses that have helped get this back, as well as our class sponsors and
overall sponsors. This event is not possible without them and their support. It takes a lot
of funds to organize and run an event like this.”
Tinant said a twindling volunteer base, followed by the shutdown of COVID, impacted
the Whitecourt Riverboat Association. He encourages people to join, even if they don’t
have a boat. “You don’t have to own a jet boat to be part of the club. You can come out
and volunteer if you like racing, speed and family events. We will welcome any member
who wants to be part of it, and you’ll get a ton of boat rides out of it,” he smiled.
The community that comes with the sport is just a bonus. “My family, my wife, and my
daughters support me. It means a lot to have them here. The race community is like a
family. You talk to any jet boat racer out there, and they’ll tell you that the race
community is like a family; our other family. So, when your blood family, your real family,
makes friends with your race family, and gets just as excited as you do to go to a race,
that totally warms your heart.”
As for what it’s like being in the pilot’s seat of a riverboat, with his navigator to the right,
river bends ahead, and a heck of a lot of horsepower in the engine, Tinant said it’s a
feeling that is almost impossible to put into words, except for one: freedom. “It’s being
free. You’re not thinking about your phone, your job, your health, anything. You’re just
going. It’s you, the boat and the river.”