Offshoreonly.com - Formula's pro-active approach

Quote:

Originally posted by PhantomChaos
...What can I do? I'm not a boat manufacturer, and our club practices safe boating techniques. The NJPPC is not the only club that preaches safety (nor is SCOPE), and they didn't invent it either.

Nort - Sorry for leaving SCOPE out - if they're serious about it, consider them added to the list. On the other hand, we all know that there are more than one or two large organizers out there who don't mind drunks standing up on sunpads and holding onto the radar arch at speed during their Poker Runs, too.

I think that there is LOTS each of us can do, foremost of which is to behave any time we're onboard. That includes everything from sitting at the dock to picking our way out of a crowded harbor.

Look: A lot of people on this board contributed to the "Poker Run 10 Commandments" theme 3 years ago. Maybe it's time we revisted those ideas and update them if we feel necessary. Ideally, it would be nice to make them identical to Poker Runs Americas Rules. (I think PRA has 12 basic rules...) I've spoken to Bill Taylor about this, and he agrees in principle. There is also a fair amount of behind-the-scenes communication going on between various other organizations, (Florida Powerboat Club, Chesapeake Bay Power Boat Association, etc.), but there is no central organization to coordinate everyone's efforts.

It would be nice if the APBA could step up and do it. Years ago, the LLC guys showed some interest, but in the end, they just didn't have the time. The bottom line is that the APBA should be the ones to take charge like the American Motorcyclists Association does for land-based Poker Runs. If all the various manufacturers and organizations all contributed just a little bit each, there would be enough funding to appoint and pay a coordinator and get the ball rolling.

Strange as it may sound, BoatUS mught be a good place to start. Sure, they are largely "mainstream", but that's probably a good thing. One thing that BoatUS is very good at is organizing and lobbying. All of us have benefitted from their efforts, and I would venture to say that a lot of us are members. The NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) would also have a vested interest in keeping the performance segment of the market going. Mercury Racing in particular should be paying attention. Without "us", they'd be completely out of business - the racing customers alone are only a small fraction of their business.

Anybody got any contacts with these organizations?