What happened???

[Top Banana]

I came back to Florida for the weekend after enjoying a great time last weekend at the Ft Myers poker run. This weekend I had to be in the Sarasota area and thought I would run over and see the boats pull in for the lunch stop.

What happened?? I heard there were 73 boats registered and 50 boats left to take the start.......BUT only about 7 or 8 boats made it to Sarasota. When I started asking people about it, I got very reserved answers. No one wanted to diss anyone else, so the comments were low key.

Let me state that the winds were blowing very high today and the water was really whippped up. Someone said that they saw a big cat go straight up and then land right side up, by the Skyway bridge and then turn back.

These boats are designed to run in big water....safely... What is going on when the majority of the very best boats made on the market today, turn around when the water is kicked up big?

Do we have a lack of seamanship out there.?...if so, then some very smart people made the right decision and turned around. But if they are treating their boats like jewelry and don't want to get them wet, we are on the wrong track with our sport.

Don't mean to drag up the past, but I can remember when guys like Brownie would deliver new 16 foot Donzis to Nassau in the Bahamas on their own bottoms, with just a compass.

Some boats that had no problem at all today, was the Pier 57 Fountain, the new Corvette theme MTI, a couple of Nor-Tech Cats and deep V and a beautiful Skater.

But I was most impressed with the new 43 foot deep V Statement boat, that not only had no problem with the weather, they were taking out prospective buyers for rides to show them their boat could handle this kind of weather with no problem. Good for you guys.

 

[Perlmudder]

hmm

 

[Bgchuby01]

charllie now a days if the chartplotter does not work alot of people from this site and others are afraid to go out of sight of land. I agree that unless its a hurricane out there than these boats can take most of the water. Hell just ask some of the miami cubans that came over from cuba with a raft. I love to drive out of government cut and watch these same people take a small boston whaler outside the cut not worrying about the size of the water

 

[mosi]

Remember...there are pros and cons to who should be brave in a boat....
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...... http://www.seriousoffshore.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5416


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[stainless]

Takes a little more skill to run in the rough stuff!

 

[Slandrew]

When it kicks up boats under 30' have no choice but to turn back.

 

[Wobble]

I have ridden out 7-10' seas or bigger on a variety of boats, everyone involved would rather not do it again, there was always some kind of damage to the cabin or to one of the passengers. There is always the knowledge that any kind of mechanical failures could be extremely serious

Pleasure boating isn't pleasurable in those conditions. Maybe me and one other person for an hour in the rough stuff but that's my limit for fun.

 

[Pachanga]

Geeze louise! WTF is your problem! I would turn my boat around even if it was a 60 footer+! They were out there to have fun....not to impress you!

 

[phragle]

they used to run boats in big water back in the old days..when men were men, and manatees were lunch

 

[Team Tsunami]

Thats like when we first had the Mohegan Sun/Tri State poker run up here. People turned away cause there was leg in the ocean!! We run to Block Island and everyone was asking...."thats in the ocean right?" Yea it is!! Thats what these boats are made for...ocean running!!

 

[Bobcat]

whoa! everyone take a deep breath, lets let some of the people who were on the run chime in, it has been blowin 15-20 for the last month and a half in florida, (which is abnormal)

 

[phragle]

I have a friend in lauderdale who regularly runs to bimini in a 17' center cc... but then again we nicknamed him andy-bouy, because he fell off a boat in lake erie and swam for 6 hours before anyone found him...

 

[cigdaze]

It was blowing like a motherfvcker today...25-30 knots, 7 - 9 footers in the gulf, wash-machine sht in the bay. It takes a special breed to go out in a day like this. Respectfully, It was one of those days that most would have decided to stay at the dock. There were some boats that I saw heading out today that probably should not have. Take it for what it's worth.

It's about having fun. When it comes to putting your gear and/or one's self is at risk, sometimes the best call is to err on the side of conservatism, thus leaving yourself an opportunity to have fun another time.

 

[Ratickle]

some very smart people made the right decision and turned around. But if they are treating their boats like jewelry and don't want to get them wet, we are on the wrong track with our sport..

If my wife and friends are with me, we would make different choices than if you and I were out there. It's a Poker Run for fun and a good time. For some reason, my idea of a good time is a little different than my friends wives.

guys like Brownie would deliver new 16 foot Donzis to Nassau in the Bahamas on their own bottoms, with just a compass..

Even I don't have ones the size of his......:sifone:

Some boats that had no problem at all today, was the Pier 57 Fountain, the new Corvette theme MTI, a couple of Nor-Tech Cats and deep V and a beautiful Skater.

But I was most impressed with the new 43 foot deep V Statement boat, that not only had no problem with the weather, they were taking out prospective buyers for rides to show them their boat could handle this kind of weather with no problem. Good for you guys.

Nice....


All that being said, if I am not familiar with the water in that area, and have no one experienced with what the conditions can do to follow, I err on the side of caution. It is a Poker Run for fun and getting together.

Now, if I had the $, I'd sponser you, Brownie, and T2X to attend every Poker Run and put cameras all over the boat just in case those kind of conditions came up...:sifone:

Oh and I'd want to ride along.....

 

[Jassman]

It was blowing like a motherfvcker today...25-30 knots, 7 - 9 footers in the gulf, wash-machine sht in the bay. It takes a special breed to go out in a day like this. Respectfully, It was one of those days that most would have decided to stay at the dock. There were some boats that I saw heading out today that probably should not have. Take it for what it's worth.

It's about having fun. When it comes putting your gear and/or one's self is at risk, sometimes the best call is to err on the conservative side, thus leaving yourself an opportunity to have fun another time.

Well put..safety first..the weather everywhere on the gulf coast has been off..Even at the Biloxi races it sucks..I feel bad for the guys as well as the spectators..

 

[Chris]

But if they are treating their boats like jewelry and don't want to get them wet, we are on the wrong track with our sport.

They are jewelry.

In all fairness, these aren't offshore competitors- they're pleasure boaters. The large percentage of poker runners want to go for a blast, tie up in a resort, spend a few days enjoying themselves, their friends or their wives, have some good meals and head home. And most don't want to separate a stringer or break a drive in the process. Nothing wrong with people doing what they want to do. Personally it makes me crazy seeing all that hardware tied to docks. If it's even near the water, I want to be in it and running it.

The real question is "why DON'T they want to be out racing?" And we've been over that one a dozen times.

Another on that's got me- why are they handing out trophies at poker runs?

 

[Ratickle]

Another on that's got me- why are they handing out trophies at poker runs?

To encourage participation by having a chance to win something besides the poker pot.?.

 

[mosi]

To encourage participation by having a chance to win something besides the poker pot.?.

....and when something goes wrong in a Poker Run.......Good Luck trying to convince a Court and an Insurance Company that a Poker Run is only a friendly get together and not a RACE!!!

Remember, most Insurance Policies exclude racing.

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[OldSchool]

They are jewelry.

In all fairness, these aren't offshore competitors- they're pleasure boaters. The large percentage of poker runners want to go for a blast, tie up in a resort, spend a few days enjoying themselves, their friends or their wives, have some good meals and head home. And most don't want to separate a stringer or break a drive in the process. Nothing wrong with people doing what they want to do. Personally it makes me crazy seeing all that hardware tied to docks. If it's even near the water, I want to be in it and running it.

The real question is "why DON'T they want to be out racing?" And we've been over that one a dozen times.

Another on that's got me- why are they handing out trophies at poker runs?

Well put Chris. I've got 26 years of experience as a boat owner and am plenty capable. I've got nothing to prove to anyone. Getting the chit beat out of myself, my passengers and my boat isn't high up on my "things that I have to do before I die" list. There's always another day!!

Craig

 

[ProMod]

I know for us running the Chesapeake we don,t consider our rigs jewelry but we do consider ourselves and passengers priceless.
Our pack generaly cruises in the 95 to 105mph range and in rough water that needs to move towards the 110 + or higher range to stay on top so not to launch bow high as much between swells.
My boat will handle way more than my passengers will and other than me on throttles and my driver anticipating launch's and landings ,its way tougher on the passengers as they are beat up real quick.,.Their are windy days that even with just the few boys that never blink over 150 mph we will call it a day quickly after the first few body slams.
For some of us it's about having fun in the sun, not being stressed out while running on the edge.
That may be the reason for the lower turn out, to rough for most!