Dozens of boat racers from around the country gathered for a three-day weekend of record-setting races at the annual Lake Lawrence regatta in Yelm from Sept. 13 through Sept. 15.

Testing took place on the first day of the event, which was sponsored by the Seattle Outboard Association, while racers tore up the waters for the final two days. Competitors flock to Lake Lawrence because the waters are considered by many to be among the fastest in the country, offering the perfect opportunity to shatter records.

But for one Bremerton family, the Lake Lawrence regatta is much more than collecting records to their name. For the Malhiots, it’s about building an unbreakable family bond and legacy.

Dwight, 69, his son Zach, 39, and his granddaughter Amelia, 10, made the trip south to represent three generations of boat racers with nearly 80 combined years of racing experience.

Dwight began racing a couple of years after high school, while Zach started when he was 9 years old, which is the minimum age for racers at the junior level. Amelia is just one year into her racing journey. Dwight’s daughter, Keely, also raced boats.

Dwight and Zach became the second father-son duo to be inducted into the Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame in February as Dwight has won two national titles, and Zach has won seven. Now, the two Hall of Famers are passing along their knowledge to Amelia, who got to experience the Lake Lawrence waters for the first time. Dwight is the race director for the Yelm event and has competed in the races for decades, as has Zach, who set a record on Sept. 14 in the C-mod runabout class.

“This is some of the fastest water in the country. People come from all over to race here, which is pretty cool,” Zach said. “We’re lucky it’s in our backyard.”

Amelia got her first taste of victory in July at the 2024 Moses Lake Junior Nationals, where she earned fifth in the junior runabout and sixth in hydro. She also earned the Thunder Valley Hydroplanes Prize Cup at the 2024 Seafair Junior Hydro Exhibition.

“It’s fun. I like the thrill. It’s a good way to practice being on time, and I love going fast,” Amelia said of boat racing. “I’ve learned so many things like how to make a start, how to steal the inside and how to throttle.”

Dwight said he enjoys traveling across the Pacific Northwest and sometimes across the country to race with his son and granddaughter, and, in some cases, he even races against his son. They never get too competitive against one another or place any wagers on their races because, as Dwight said, “I’d lose too much money.”

“On Father’s Day, I was racing against my son and he was beating me,” Dwight said. “It’s the best. There’s not a lot that I’ve seen where you’ve got three generations racing at the same time. That doesn’t happen too much. It’s really cool to be going really fast right next to your kid. It’s pretty exciting. And now, Zach is carrying Amelia in and out of the water like I carried her dad.”