When it comes to speed on the water, there is a time and place for everything, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...west-poker-run.

as with every good thing in life a few idiots ruin it for everybody else, sounds like the beginning of the end, once you have to get the cops involved its game over.

What the Poker Run promoter is doing does not come across as unreasonable, it is an organized Poker Run on public waterways, not a race. 150 MPH and 110 MPH limits shouldn't ruin anyones good time.

I agree not unreasonable at all.

If you have ever caught Stu's show on TV, Powerboating in Paradise. He usually has Police and Fire cooperation on his runs. I don't think he is doing anything different than he has in the past, other than stressing the rulles will be enforced. WHich is a GREAT thing..

the problem is that those idiots are wanting to be stupid while someone else pays for the insurance and liability for the event. I think Stu is being more than reasonable that he ask people to behave within the confines of the insurance that he is paying for. if that is too much to ask, those that do not agree are free to behave any way they want on their own time. when you agree to participate in an event, you are responsible for following the guidelines of that event. otherwise build a race boat and compete in a sanctioned race event. the purpose of a poker run is to have fun, see new places and friends and go back home to your family and businesses, not put lives at risk just to show you are faster than someone else.

the real problem with this for any and all events held on a public lake or ocean is you can't enforce "poker run rules" that are not laws and that have not been properly made public and you can't prevent people from being at an event that is on an open body of water

if there is no active law about speeds on the body of water there can be no enforcement of those "rules"......I suppose "unsafe boating" or something similar and vague could be enforced, but going 170mph "fast" in a boat that is designed to go much faster is not necessarily unsafe

there is nothing stopping people from just showing up and putting their boat in the water and then being in the crowd since it is an open body of water and nothing stopping people that just happen to be out on the lake or ocean that day from going as fast as they wish and stating they had no knowledge of or participation in any event where they were ask to control their speeds

and yes I realize that LOTO has no wake zones in place for the shootout portion of the event, but that is something that is organized months if not well over a year in advance and publicly announced and the public is made aware of the times of the day that is enforced VS here where it appears only participants that have paid their entry fee and have gone to the drivers meeting will be made aware of any "rules" or "regulations" or "zones of enforcement"

this seems only to be a push towards people showing up to poker runs, but not "participating" other than being out on the lake running fast in a crowd of other fast boats and not getting any playing cards which seems bad for poker run organizers and as bad or worse for safety

just like with the myway wreck some people just insist that it was a cruisers fault for going 20 mph and throwing up a wake when they should have been aware there was a "race" going on.....except there was no race going on, there was no rule in place about wakes, there was no public announcement in papers of record or at boat ramps and marinas, there was no manned active law enforcement zone with signage and the cruiser was breaking no law and not boating in any way shape or form in an unsafe way

unless the cops are going to take out ads in the publications of record, post rules at marinas and ramps and set up manned enforcement zones with clearly delinted zones of enforcement there is really little they can do to stop people from going as fast as they wish........you can't just say "today off the coast of wherever we are going to hand out tickets for going fast" in non-designated and marked areas with no public announcements of those rules

We all pass pleasure boats on a Poker run slow down and be aware of wash boat throws??True it's not pleasure boats job to clear a waterway when not a race!!Good luck!

Very good points and very much validity to what your trying to get across. The rules and enforcement are for the Poker Run participants, not the general public is the way I read it. To participate you need to adhere to the rules, if not don't participate. Aren't there some offshore races with speed limits? Whats stopping someone outside of the safety zone near the course to go faster than the race promoters speed limit? Nothing is. As long as your following the law on the water, you can go about your business. There are many points and counter points that can be made. Bottom line is the promoter is always on the hook so if they say 50 mph for the entire Poker Run participants and police will enforce that, its their gig and their rules. Participate or don't.

It's good to see Stu and FPC giving more emphasis to matters of safety, regardless of the what the details may be. Hopefully, more organizers will follow this trend. Thumbs up.