Stephen Shepperd was a wide-eyed 12-year-old when he first volunteered as a pit boy during the hydroplane races on Lake Coeur d'Alene in 1960.

Fifty three years later, after writing a book on the history of the Diamond Cup, the Kellogg man is still pumped up to hear the thunder and witness the speed on water.

"Hearing the sound of a 2,000-horsepower airplane engine and watching a boat go 150 to 170 mph ... that's hydromania," Shepperd said. "It possesses you. Once you're exposed to the spectacle that is hydroplane racing, it's hard to put that away. It affects every sense you have.

"It's just stayed with me."

Shepperd's book "Hydromania: A History of the Diamond Cup" will be out in early October. The Museum of North Idaho, which is publishing the book and will benefit from the sales, is taking pre-orders for a $35 special if purchased before Sept. 15.

Shepperd has been working on the book for the past five years since he retired as a longtime educator in the Silver Valley. He also continues to volunteer for local hydro organizers with marketing efforts.

"No one had told the whole story (of local hydro racing) to this point, so I wanted to get it down," he said. "So many key people have passed away already who I would have loved to interview. By waiting until I retired, I missed out on some opportunities for interviews."

Coeur d'Alene's love-hate relationship with boat racing is at the center of the book.

Shepperd said that, despite the popular belief that riots put an end to the local hydro races 44 years ago, it was really due to the lack of volunteerism and money.

Ironically, this year is the 100-year anniversary of the inauguration of the Coeur d'Alene's Fourth of July inboard regattas in 1913. Those were the first boat races here.

"The footing for the grandstand are still there (near Tubbs Hill)," Shepperd said.

The book notes multiple attempts to revive hydro racing after it came to a halt in 1968.

Bill Doner of Seattle International Raceways and Dave Heerensperger, owner of the Miss Pay n' Pak hydroplane, offered to underwrite the race in 1972. But the effort fizzled because of a city ordinance stating if more than 300 were at an event, then the sponsor had to pay for the city services. Doner withdrew his offer and declined to pay the extra fees.

The city council in 1985 allowed voters to decide on whether to bring the Diamond Cup back, but 74 percent of the voters rejected the proposal.

A 1996 effort died when organizers again encountered resistance using Tubbs Hill and City Beach for the races. An initiative banning hydros within city limits was passed.

There were no other efforts to revive the races until demonstrations in 2010 and 2011.

The location of this weekend's races - Silver Beach - is outside city limits, so the event is not affected by the city ordinance.

The 35-chapter book has more than 100 photographs from private collectors and the museum's photo collection.

"Shepperd recounts the 10 Coeur d'Alene races with such detail that you feel you're reliving the era - even if you were absent the first time around in the 1950s and 1960s," said Jon Osterberg of the vintage Miss Bardahl hydro team.

Shepperd interviewed several of the key players in the history of local hydro racing, including drivers Mira Slovak and Billy Schumacher; businessman Duane Hagadone, who helped lure the races here; and Ruthanna (Hawkins) Rauer, the first Diamond Cup queen.

Shepperd is thrilled about the return of racing to the Lake City.

"This was as close to major league sports as Coeur d'Alene could get," he said.

But, in his book, he also ponders the future of racing here and how and if the Diamond Cup fits into the worldwide mission of the sport.

"I'd like to see it continue, but it will be hard with the economics," Shepperd said.

He hopes the beginning of his next chapter of chronicling the Diamond Cup will start with the 2013 races, which he plans to document this weekend.

"Through this, I've been able to live a dream," Shepperd said. "It's been a special experience."

Hydromania book details

Sales of Stephen Shepperd's book "Hydromania: A History of the Diamond Cup" will benefit the Museum of North Idaho. The museum is offering a pre-publication price of $35 with free shipping for orders placed before Sept. 15. The book will be out in early October for $39.95, plus $5 shipping. Checks should be sent to: Museum of North Idaho, P.O. Box 812, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-0812. Books can also be ordered at www.museumni.org. For more information, call 664-3448 or e-mail dd@museumni.org.