The HeatWave was a blast again. The Havasu Marina guy can do what he wants to since he owns it.....and he chooses to not let boats greater than 30 feet in/out of the marina.

Winsor can be a pain if it is windy, and Site 6 can be difficult, but I launched there and so did Kevin Schulte and had no problems. King Poodle launched there and ground his trailer "V" on the launch ramp, but then again, he has a little boat and a small truck (humvee). :D :D

The multiple launches of 25 was no big deal.....4-5 minutes apart from each other....much safer! Overall, the event was great!

One bummer was that there was a triathlon going on Saturday morning.....so if you weren't already at the Nautical, traffic to get there for the drivers meeting before the run was challenging!

I guess the run wasn't as bad as I was told. Anyway, I'm glad it was fun. The marina problem is an increasing problem that is becoming more and more diffucult.

MD,
I wish I could have been out there also. I had to much stuff to do here. Me and A friend of mine did alot of work on the Powerplay (change oils, filters, impellers, drive oils, etc...) I did get to run the Powerplay in Long Beach on Sunday and it ran great. I love that boat. I'll catch up with you soon at the on the events.

G

Can't comment on the launching aspect, as we launch at a private launch on the island at the Islander RV Resort. It was a big reason we stay there.

Be back in Havasu this weekend.:D

On the Hotboat Board the run is not painted in such a rosy light. They listed several groups and Law Enforcement Agencies that basically tried to shut down the run by writting letters to the City in advance.

The AHBA said there would be no more runs. The spectators I talked to said it was not that great, as compared to past events.

The dickhead at the Marina does not own the Marina, but simply manages it. The owner does not live in town, and being that his last name is McCullough (as in McCullogh chain saws and his father being the founder of Lake Havasu City) I don't think he needs the money or cares about what the manager does.

The manager, Jeff Beckendahl (sp) is a complete *******. He told me (actually yelled it at me) last year that people that own big boats are "*******s" and that is why he won't let them launch.

The Marina is sitting on leased land that the City owns, and part of the lease requires that he provide launching service to the boaters of LHC. Unfortunately the good ol boy network is in strong effect out there and the City does not give a ****.

I inquired about opening another launch facility last year and the City told me that the Marina has first right of refusal to let another facility open. They have a monoply on privately owned launch facitlies open to the public and being that they are the only protected ramp the public can launch from in really sucks.

I think we are going to buy a pontton boat and keep it at our house out there and just keep our Cig here in So.Cal.

Havasu used to be a place to get away from the bull****, now it seems there is more bull**** to deal with out there then there is here.

Nort,
Thanks for taking the lead and being one of our pace boats! Helped us out alot. Let all your SCOPE bretheren know that I'm planning on running with you big boys to Catalina for your poker run. I'm going try and get quite a few of us to go as a group.

I can understand the spectators disappointment with regards to the multiple starts. It's just not the same seeing only 25 boats at a time versus the huge pack of thundering horsepower in the past. But from the safety standpoint it made sense. Believe me, I've been out patrolling before our starts and sometimes cringed about the possibilities.

Thanks to all who attended and we hope you had a good time.

Art,
Thanks again for a great weekend and we (SCOPE guys) look forward to seeing you at our run!

MD

We had a killer time, even though my boat broke. I know the 40+ skaters launched at Windsor and I pulled out Jims Tiger and the Dragon from Windsor. Granted it isn't completely user friendly and you def need to pay attention to stay away from the shallow areas.

I believe the Rough Rider launched out of site 6 by backing down the exit portion of the ramp like Kevin and Nort did.

Basically though the main marina SERIOUSLY has to open back up to big boats.

Tank

We actually watched the first group go by at about the mid way point to the first card stop, and let me tell you, it was the best start that I had seen yet. The first 25 boats were in a pretty tight group and everyone one of them were on the gas. It was actually quite impressive to see that much horsepower all at once.

In past runs, Gary Smith "Predator" would have been checking out from the pack by the time the group reached our viewing point, but this year Predator was running second and the rest of the pack was on his ass. Not sure who was in front of him at that point. It was a smaller cat, possibly the 32' Skater "Beyond Reason", but not sure.

This year had one of the most impressive groups of hardware that I have seen as well. Several stunning Skaters, including some that I haven't seen before. Mr. Sweeper and Cats Ass to name a couple. There were also some Spectres, Outer Limits, (including "Full House" 47' GTX), Dragon, Talon, Cig, Fountain, etc.

We went and had the best time we've had in a long time. With the hope of just getting on the new Nordic on friday, we ended up in the run saturday and out again on sunday to cruise the channel and visit the London Bridge from the water. For our first poker run and 2nd visit to Havasu, we couldnt have had a more exciting experience. Thank you Brian, and Paul, from East Coast Nordic Boats for your hospitality and eagerness by inviting us with you guys for this event. Art and Jim and others involved in this event, we Thank You for an experience we will never forget. What a great time.

Glad you could make it. When we got the call from East Coast Nordic, I thought sure....the boat will be ready in time:rolleyes: But Nordic did pull through and it sure looked good. Thanks again.