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Sea Shepherds Infiltrate Rochester Offshore

Old 04-21-2011, 06:07 AM
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The next boat we looked at belonged to one Roger Fisher and was described as a 32’ Sea Ray Pachanga. The name on the side (Black Velvet) sounded much like the color of our boats. After some conversation with Mr. Fisher though, it turns out that he didn’t name his boat after anything related to the Sea Shepards. Conversing with Mr. Fisher was actually entertaining for some reason. How could somebody obviously so bent on destroying the environment possibly be so nice? He even offered to share a drink (or three) with him after the run.

The last boat we toured before the Driver’s Meeting was a 22’ Progression belonging to Tom Warda. Tom explained that he was the last remaining charter member of the club and had only missed one running of this event in the last 20 years. His son Brandon then explained that the single Diamond Marine modified Mercury outboard was capable of pushing the boat to almost 80 MPH. Brandon then showed off the motor by starting it and showing me the unique foot pedals to control throttle and trim – which I actually was starting to understand by now. The engine made a sound like a killer bee and smelled simply awful. Brandon justified this by saying that “Outboards only smell bad when they’re in front of you – which of course they always are.” Tom then noted that Jim Myers and Alex Murchison were docked next door in a 30’ Specter Cat with three even more powerful Mercury Racing outboards. Lord help us.

It was now time for the Driver’s Meeting where all drivers and crews were briefed on operations, times, rules and conduct. I scurried to jot down several hard and fast rules. First, PFD’s are required at all times whilst on plane. Second, no alcohol for drivers or passengers until after the event. Third, no passing of the pace boats. Finally, participants were instructed to respect the local boaters and show them how professional this group really is. These simple rules have apparently worked wonders for the club’s reputation over the past 20 years and almost everybody on the lake welcomes the club back year after year. Maybe these people weren’t as barbaric as we thought? That still left the needless environmental destruction caused by their boats though.

It was decided that I would ride in the pace boat for the “fast” fleet. (I must have penetrated the organization even more deeply that I thought.) Drivers get to pick which “fleet” they’d like to run with based on how fast they would like to go from stop to stop over the almost 75 miles they would cover. The “slow” fleet runs at 50 MPH. The “medium” fleet runs at 65 MPH. I was told that 100 MPH is pretty much the price of admission for the fast group. The fleets run staggered starts that allow everybody to arrive at the card stops at approximately the same time. I was somewhat terrified at the prospect of going that fast in a boat, but once I met Captain Rob Schooping and his crew, I must say that I felt much more comfortable at what lay ahead. Captain Schooping had apparently just finished a complete re-fitting of his 36’ Eliminator cat and claimed it would run almost 150 MPH. Oh my!

All 28 boats then left their docks in a neat and orderly fashion and headed out into the lake to await orders to form up and start. This was in stark contrast to our normal launching of “small boats” to harass the whaling ships. This biggest contrast was that everybody seemed to know exactly what they were doing here - and no boats capsized. Not a single captain or crew member was observed barfing either. Strange.

Since the fast fleet actually leaves last, we got to witness the first two fleets leave at 10 minute intervals. As much as I hate to admit it, watching (and hearing) a group of over powered, open exhausted, sometimes supercharged powerboats get up on plane together was quite exciting to watch. Then it was our turn. Oh my, what an experience! The twin supercharged engines made noises that can only be described as “almost biblical.” Oh my, maybe this is why people like doing this kind of thing. The boat didn’t so much accelerate as it altered one’s view of the world. (Probably because I was pinned to my seat.) When I was finally able to focus, we were skimming along on the waves at well over 100 MPH. Dare I say that the sensation was pleasurable? (Maybe even extremely pleasurable?)

The whole idea – contrary to what we thought – of these “Poker Runs” is to get together with a group of people with similar interests (in this case high performance boating) and have some fun while raising money for a worthy cause. The worthy cause in ROPA’s case is Mercy Flight Central which is an emergency medical helicopter service in upstate New York. Participants collect cards at each “stop” along Seneca Lake and then use those cards at the awards ceremony at the end to win cash and prizes. There were four card stops and at each one, captains had to maneuver their boats close enough to a dock to have a crew member reach into a net and grab the required number of cards. I was even allowed to retrieve the cards at Ervay’s Marina and I didn’t even have to don my survival suit because Rob and the other captains were so good at maneuvering their boats. The Sea Shepherds could definitely learn some boat handling skills here!
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Old 04-21-2011, 06:07 AM
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The last official leg of the run was actually the least “official” in that there were no pace boats on purpose. That’s right; everybody finally got a chance to see how fast their boat would go – as long as they were safe. Rob actually let me rest my hand on his throttle hand as he (we) “pasted the sticks” as far forward as they would go and saw almost 150 MPH on an open stretch of the lake. My copy of the “Friends of the Earth Guide to Eco Terrorism” came loose and flew right out the back of the cockpit – and I wasn’t even worried. The wind, the waves, the sounds of supercharged big blocks and the giggling of all of my new friends made me totally forget why I originally came here. This high performance boating thing isn’t that bad at all! In fact, it’s downright addicting.

When we finally docked (again expertly) at the Showboat hotel for the last time, I was totally exhausted – but somehow totally pumped up. After thanking Rob and his crew, I managed to snag some rides in other boats as they came in. Everybody was so friendly and taught me even more about this wonderful community of enthusiasts and why they’re so proud of their boats and what they do with them. My opinion of high performance boaters was forever changed.

After a great barbecue dinner and a few Black Velvets with Roger, President Bill opened the actual awards ceremony. It was explained to me that although this club doesn’t have the biggest prizes of any Poker Run, their primary goal is giving back to the community while having some fun. Well, I certainly had fun, but what about the giving? Bill answered that question when he handed the folks from Mercy Flight a check from the club for $1,000.00. Then, in a very classy move symbolic of the kind of people that make up ROPA , Duane Billave wrote a check from his business to Mercy Flight for another $300.00 One reason it was so classy was that Duane could not attend the run itself in his beautiful P-29 Scarab, but just came down for the dinner, band and party! Bill then proceeded to hand out dozens of other prizes including cash, merchandise, gift certificates, etc. For some reason, a large number of winners were from the nearby community of Buffalo. Maybe this is how ROPA makes sure folks keep coming back year after year?

The moment everybody was waiting for was the announcement of who won the first prize of $1,000. After handing out everything else, Bill held up the magic envelope. He then drew the name of the winner and it was none other than my new friend Roger Fisher. Roger walked up on stage, accepted the envelope, said something to Bill, handed the envelope back and then walked away. As all of us were trying to figure out what happened, Bill gathered himself up and then announced that Roger had donated the money back to the club “to make sure ROPA is around for many years to come.” Wow, what a classy move! The Sea Shepherds would have never given the money back.

After the awards ceremony, ROPA provided some top notch entertainment in the form of country recording artist Josie Waverly and her band. I can’t tell you how many new dance steps I learned from my new friends and I even got to sing with Josie at one point. Now this was fun! Did I mention that I even started to take a liking to beer?

Well, it’s a month after the event and I’m still getting settled in at my new job selling Fountain high performance boats for Sutter’s Canandaigua Marina. My new Ford F-350 Dually with a Powerstroke diesel is sitting out front in the parking lot and my bicycle is in the dumpster. (We’re using my kayak as a planter.) I still haven’t called the Sea Shepherds back and as each day passes, it seems less and less likely that I will. For those of you that think all high performance boaters are evil, maybe you need to take a ride in one like I did. I can’t wait until next year’s run so I can show these people some of my own high performance skills!
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Old 04-23-2011, 12:09 PM
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The dates for this years Runs are:
21st annual Seneca Lake Battleship Run July15-17
2nd annula Eagle Creek Run on Lake Ontario Aug. 27
Info and apps at www.rochesteroffshore.com
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