Boat Boss

Great commentary Matt.

I can't help but think that a lot of this really started back when a certain boat builder from NC decided to build a "cat killer" and show up at the Jax poker run and make a bias video with Speed Racer. It was great marketing and I am in no way placing any blame on that builder.

It just seems like since that time poker runs have become races.

benjen

I am by no means an expert. I do run a few poker runs and group "fun runs". We don't have the same crowd/boat issues facing the lake runs as we boat in the open ocean. However, the format is the same. In almost ALL these runs as soon as the flag drops it's WOT. The next legs are more cruising followed by WOT when the "home port" is in sight. We could easily eliminate the last leg of WOT. The speeds, egos, whatever you chose to label that first leg have already been shown. If it's possible to block off a particular area at LOTO to do speed runs than why is not possible to block off a bit more for that first leg at WOT? The following legs you tell everyone they must maintain some sort of reasonable cruise speeds. I know it's easier said than done, but LOTO speed runs prove it can be done. In fact it should be an easier sale as it would be over in a few minutes rather than all day.

Go Big

VERY Well said. Thank You!!!

Cat & Mice

Matt,

With all due respect you are completely wrong on so many levels!!














Just kidding, everyone was being so positive and there was no negative, this is a forum we can't have that happening.. LOL Well said

Matt Trulio

You had me there for a moment. Thanks for helping lighten things up.

MonkeySea2

I couldn't agree more with you Matt. As a father of young kids, my first thought after seeing the YouTube video of the Cumberland accident was: what if one of these high speed boats lost control and hit an anchored boat or a family out tubing. Scares me to death. There is definitely a time and a place for high speed but, in a crowd, caution must be taken. Thanks for writing that commentary.

Dean Ferry

Matt,
Well said, hopefully it will help in the future........

WARPARTY36

Good article Matt. We just left Brads funeral and its definitely a sobering wake up call.

Too Stroked

Matt,

Spot on - as usual. There is simply no place for a 150+ MPH "pleasure" boat with no canopy or other safety equipment operated by somebody with little or no racing experience running on an uncontrolled course with a number of other folks just trying to show who's the Top Gun. Trying to tell some of these folks to slow down will (unfortunately) fall on deaf ears. For some reason - for some folks - when somebody else goes by you and you think you can beat them, the red juices start flowing to all of the wrong parts of the body. Then dumb things happen and more often than not, nobody gets hurt. Sometimes though, very bad things happen. As has been said before, if we don't do something about it, somebody else will, and we're not going to like their "solution."

Tom

trannyjoe

Matt your 100% we all need to open our eyes