Mike: didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night but he is a lawyer.......and he is right on point. The problem is that anyone can litigate anything and organizing a virtual boat race is a recipe for disaster. I am not sure what the answer is to prevent any high performance boat owners from racing anywhere, at any time but the results are predictable. I watched a guy with passengers yesterday afternoon roaring around Lake Hopatcong in a single turbine center pod cat without anything similar out on the water way. I remembered when I needed Police permission on that body of water to do the same thing with my 100-120 mph full race tunnel boats. In order to get that permission ( which extended for 30 scheduled minutes per session in a specific quiet cove), I needed full safety gear, at least one chase/rescue boat, and the Marine Police were on site. Today this guy was racing willy nilly all over the Lake and exceeding 100 mph with passengers on board. If he had stuck a sponson or barrel rolled , there was no way to rescue him or his passengers in a timely fashion. I know I'm old school and the technology has improved over the years, but somehow we have to determine the line between, reckless and non-reckless behavior before it is drawn for us by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid or MADD.

Matt: to your question, there have been numerous Poker Runs that included some form of speed run/race ((primarily to the first card stop) including a very famous one here on the East Coast which you have attended and I have covered on video....

T2x

"Matt: to your question, there have been numerous Poker Runs that included some form of speed run/race ((primarily to the first card stop) including a very famous one here on the East Coast which you have attended and I have covered on video...."

I simply have not seen or heard this from any of the organizers I've interviewed over the years. (The run you mention may have knocked it off by the time I started covering it.) I have not seen it promoted on signage or participant handouts. Desert Storm and the Texas Outlaw Challenge do have speed events, but they are run as separate events from their poker runs.

But I have heard the opposite again and again from poker run organizers in the past 15 years. I don't know who coined the expression, "A poker run is not a race," but I do know it was minted some time ago. Then again, given that I'm a journalist, why would anyone say anything else to me?

My question had more to do with implied endorsement of racing during poker runs, because again I have not seen anything direct from poker run organizers. (That doesn't mean it never happened, it just means I haven't seen it.) Michael answered it really well.

The sad part about all this very engaging , enlightened and informative discussion is that we will conitue this thread next season after the next poker run tragedy .
RG.

I agree. It's really sad that people can't just regulate them selves.. The whole country has gone into "limp mode." It's time to get real.

This one?

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ml#post2165619

Marc,

First, I would not attend one of your events if you were conducting it on a narrow waterway. Second, I would not attend one of your events anyway knowing how you feel about me specifically and lawyers in general. Third, I would not attend any event that I knew was basically an unregulated free for all. Fourth, I represent groups who have excellent rules and great safety histories, in part because they've taken my advice, which I rendered for free. Fifth, I do not attend poker runs, and only watch the occasional race purely as a spectator. So, you'd never have the chance to ban me.

However, if I did show up uninvited and the promoter banned me, I would not sue him/her. I'd just leave, peacefully. If a PR did choose to ban a known dangerous driver, I would volunteer my services to defend him/her if the said dangerous driver sued them. The PR would win the case and recover attorneys' fees too if some dip**** lawyer filed such a patently frivolous case.

Let me also help you out on your facts. I do not have a "history of litigating these type of events." In fact, on one occasion I served as an expert consultant on a poker run case; it just happened to be yours. I understand why you are bitter given the outcome but I had no involvement in any part of the case concerning you. My expertise was used for a completely separate aspect of the case.

In addition, I have defended just as many boating accident cases as I have prosecuted for plaintiffs. I only take cases I believe in, period. And if my work helps families who have been wronged that is all I care about. If it also helps make the sport safer for others who care, then all the better.

1000 likes or 100,000 views; which will we hit first on this thread?
Seems to be the only progress that we are making here.

Is this OSO or US Congress?

Ummmmm............this video was a SCOPE event called the video run. One boat at a time and on the open ocean. The closest thing for a boat to hit was a helicopter or Nemo. The shot where there are three boats......the video run was over and these three boats were heading back to the harbor and all under 100MPH while the helicopter was heading back to the airport.

Ok
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...hlight=spectre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlqkaUzKJ50

Ummmmmm. What about this one?? I couldn't tell if it's OPA, SBI. or APBA race, A Poker run or Scope event: But if you Google it, it says. "Boat over on Friday to spend a great weekend with your family and friends"

Who is in the pace boat allowing a start like this. The participants can reach out and touch each other! Looks like boats ran pretty close (Buzzing?) anchored boats (spectators?).

everyone can point fingers, criticize, blame others.

As I said before, 90% (probably more but I'll put 90% since at least 10% will swear they never have) of people that have attended poker runs have raced others and run their boat opened up at some point. Many as seen in this video have gone by spectators or anchored boats very close at high speed or done something that when scrutinized by others could be deemed unsafe.

We ALL need to be more careful. The finger pointing needs to stop as NO ONE is perfect.