My Grandfather took Charles Lindbergh out on his champion speedboat

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There are others in my family who know more about this, but I always liked this story about Grandpa. My Grandfather took Charles Lindbergh out on his champion speedboat before & after the trip to Paris in 1927. Henry "Hap" Hazard is considered to be a pioneer and legend in Santa Barbara, CA, USA.

Grandpa was friends with Ryan of Ryan Aeronautical, which built the Spirit of St. Louis plane. He also knew people at the early Lockheed (when it was pronounced "log-head") when they were based in Santa Barbara in the mid-twenties, making seaplanes. Grandpa was a mechanical whiz who built and maintained his own racing boat, and competed from Santa Barbara to San Diego in the 20's. He also founded the Hazard's bicycle shop in Santa Barbara back then, which is still in business as Hazard's Sport Cycle on Chapala St., where you can still see photos of Hap. The roaring 20's was a rough and tumble time for small businesses, and disputes were sometimes settled in a nearby alley. Grandpa accomplished a lot, including at one time being a semi pro boxer. So, on the speedboat one of those times, Lindbergh asked where Grandpa got his black eye. Grandpa's reply was, "You should see the other guy! He's in the hospital with 2 black eyes!"

By Scott hazard

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