Boaters let it ride on Poker Runs

BOCA GRANDE -- Whizzing across the water at 60 mph, Harry Judge looked for a sign that would lead to a distant marina.

"Anybody know where we are going?" Judge asked his crew as he banked his Cigarette around the channel marker. "Don't tell me we are lost."

Judge, a boat dealer from Maryland, looked at his crew and laughed.

"No chart, no GPS, just the way we like it," he said. "What fun would boating be if you knew where you were going?"

Welcome to the wacky world of Poker Runs.

"The sport is growing at an unbelievable rate," said Larry Boyd, marketing director for Poker Runs of America, the organization that sponsored the recent round-trip run from Sarasota to Boca Grande. "We've had events, like the one we hold on the St. Lawrence River, that draw 50,000 spectators. The interest in this particular aspect of performance boating is just incredible.

"There will probably be 100 Poker Runs held across the country this year. Every year the number keeps growing and growing."

In a typical Poker Run, participants start off with a card and a map that shows the locations of stops where additional cards can be obtained. At the end of the day, the boat with the best hand wins.

The Poker Runs of America event in Sarasota last weekend drew 300 participants and 72 boats from across the country. The course took the high-performance fleet south to South Seas Plantation, then east to the Burnt Store Marina in Charlotte Harbor, then north to Venice and back to Sarasota, for a total distance of 119 nautical miles.

The rules are simple. No alcohol allowed: "Water on water, beer on the pier," they say, and life jackets must be worn at all times.

"We love doing these things," said Judge, who trailered his 38-foot Top Gun down for the event. "It gives us a chance to get out and see all the hot boats."

Judge's Top Gun is typical of Poker Run boats. The model made its debut in 1987 and has since been the Miami-based boat manufacturer's hottest seller.

Base price for a new Top Gun is $400,000, but believe it or not, it is one of the more affordable Poker Run boats on the market.

"People will spend as much as $1.5-million on a Poker Run boat," Boyd said. "There is a lot of money involved here."

People don't enter Poker Runs for the prize money, although the best hand from Saturday's event (a full house -- three aces and two nines) netted $10,000 in cash and prizes.

"These are just people who want somewhere to go with their boats," Boyd said. "This gives them a chance to get out and talk with people of similar interests."

Some manufacturers, including Cigarette, have put offshore racing programs on hold to focus more on Poker Runs.

"This is where it is at," said Skip Braver, president of Cigarette. "We think we will get more bang for our buck by supporting Poker Runs and sponsoring a race team."

Jay Pilini, who makes Spectre catamarans in Pinellas Park, said he also has turned his attention to Poker Runs. "People just love this," said Pilini, whose boats have captured several world and national championships. "We think this is the future."

Judge, who spent about an hour Saturday searching for the Burnt Store Marina, said there is one thing that will keep him coming back.

"Fun," he said. "It doesn't get more fun than this."

-- To learn more, go to www.pokerrunsamerica.com. For information on the Florida powerboating scene, go to flpowerboat.com or opbafl.org.

The 2003 Disabled/Open Midwinter Regatta

The nation's top disabled sailors will be racing in St. Petersburg today through Sunday in the 2003 Disabled/Open Midwinter Regatta. Top competitors include John Ross-Duggan of California and Paul Callahan of Connecticut. Featured boats include the Sonar, Martin 16 and 2.4 meter. The event, sponsored by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, will take place in the waters off the Pier. These world-class sailors will return in the fall when the SPYC hosts the Paralympic trials in November. For more information call (727) 822-3873.

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