People still run fast at events.

With no actual start at most of them, if you are not with the lead group, you will never see them again no matter how fast you run

It is normally in a group we are all know and are comfortable with the guys on the wheel/sticks

On road or water?
I've never had any checkpoints, that sucks if so on water, they are birddogging like crazy down there though. It's their easy season. But mostly not the average performance boat operator. There is so much rift raft there who never even has a notion of a performance boat that dilutes that event.
If you're referring to "poker run participant deaths" and alcohol? Not at all. None of the deaths of participants as far as I know has been due to any impairment.
Non participants? Who knows? Haven't heard of any deaths at all, other than a guy grounded and flipped his Baja and killed his girlfriend. I can't even remember when that was.
It's peculiar, they pick the most randomness boats out, (due to them birddogging as they cruise through, I think) But all in all just refrain until back at the dock and your good to go.
I've always said this though, you could be drunk as a skunk, run aground and get hurt in one of the numerous offbeat coves down there and no one would know due to all the water patrol in Harmon that day.

I agree! Normal people are self-governing.
That's the crappy thing about it is any incident that happened during an event is going to be contributed to the event. Not any undue factors such as impairment.

Cheech,

Those quiet, off-beat coves look exactly the same on PokerRun weekend as they do any other weekend: No lake patrol. It’s not like the PokerRun is siphoning lake patrol from other regions of the lake. I’ve been boating on Cumberland literally my entire life, and I can count on one hand (proverbially) the number of times I’ve seen a lake patrol boat anywhere out of sight of a marina or major popular gathering spot. To the contrary, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen someone doing something really dumb and had the thought, “where’s the lake patrol when you need them?”

I kinda look at it like this…. If you see a dozen lake patrol in a cove and you can’t refrain from getting so drunk they have to extract you from your boat and have it towed in, you’re asking for problems. Full stop.

If you look at it honestly, they let a TON of crap go that would normally get them on your broadside any other weekend of the year. They reserve their resources for those that they have no choice but to arrest. If you’re sober and they pull you over, thank them for at least trying to keep you safe while you’re partying it up.

Thanks. Brad.

Dan,

No we don’t. I just don’t let the people with the authority to remove those who are working on ruining my fun ruin my fun. I have a blast at the PokerRun.

Anarchy is great. Until it actually happens. You and I have what we have because laws prevent those who would take it from us from doing so.

Thanks. Brad.

Cheech,

I agree with that, too. Lake patrol doesn’t bother the self-governing. It’s the non-self-governing that are the problem. And that’s where lake patrol steps in and does us all a favor.

Thanks. Brad.

"The poker run brings all the boys to the yard."

In reality, it doesn't matter if the accidents are PR participants or not. They are still associated by the types of boats we chose to run, and the Court of Public Opinion things we all look the same, (like race boats).

I've been profile and hassled based on the type of boat I choose to run, where and when I choose to run it; by both LEO and the General Public. I once got cussed out one time in a Food Lion parking lot, on the way to Smith Mountain Lake (37AT in tow), by a soccer mom in a minivan with her 3 kids in the back.

Just like if 2 crotch rockets go ripping by you at 130+ mph on a four lane highway, and when you get a stoplight ahead and there are 6 crotch rockets grouped together; they are all going to get the stink eye. Unfortunately, it's guilty by association, and that's just the way life is.

Geeze. I was just wondering what events are left with a higher proportion of big power boats left… other than Tickfaw , the at your own pace events don’t interest me. Wasn’t asking where we can get drunk lol

sitting around a dock full of outboards and cc also don’t interest me at all either.

so again, what runs are left , that might still have pockets of “real” powerboats. I literally couldn’t care less of what party or can I run “full throttle” lol neither are the point

At Smith Mountain Lake, VA; many years ago, we had a high profile "incident" where the guy who owned the Donzi/Baja/Sunsation dealership on the lake got drunk, and literally jumped his 38ZRC over the back of a cruiser, at night, killing both people aboard, and their dog.

It was bad.

As a result, the Smith Mountain Lake POWER Boat Association was formed, so we could advocate for ourselves. AND we all ended up being pretty good friends with local water LEOs. And the Chief of such said it best one year prior to our kick off:

Paraphrasing:

Pretty sure that was 2008, we were there. That was when the lake was down and the guy was running at night using his Chart plotter from what we heard. Issue was the land came out father because the water was so low. It happened not far from the state dock.

Went by the boat the next day, we had came home that same night very slow because it was a moonless night and very hard to see.