Battleship Run Celebrates 30th Anniversary

From Wright Performance, Skater Powerboats and MTI catamarans to Cigarette Racing Team, Formula Boats and Fountain Powerboats V-bottoms, an eclectic array of high-performance powerboat brands was represented at last Saturday’s 30th annual Battleship Run on New York’s beautiful Seneca Lake. Some 60 registered boats reportedly took to the water and attracted a large spectator fleet to the Finger Lakes region waterway.

The Battleship Run on New York’s Seneca Lake reached a significant milestone over the weekend. Photos by Rodney Olson copyright Full Speed Photography/speedonthewater.com.

The event was hosted and organized by the Rochester Offshore Powerboat Association and raised $5,000 for a local Mercy Flight air-ambulance emergency service.

“With everything going on in the world these days, folks were ready to let loose and have a good time,” said Rodney Olson, a speedonthewater.com contributing photographer who captured the event. “The organizers offered wine tasting on Saturday afternoon and a had DJ for the Saturday night party. The energy during the run was huge and it’s showing no signs of slowing down, at least on social media.

“The chief executive officer of Mercy Flight took a ride in one of the boats and he was thrilled with the whole thing,” he continued. “He said, ‘That was more like flying than boating.'”

Check out the slideshow above for more images from the 2020 Battleship Run.

The day even included a wedding proposal. (The bride-to-be said yes.)

“The Rochester Offshore Powerboat Association has a great team of board members and volunteers,” Olson said. “They all worked to ensure the event and its participants followed New York’s Phase 4 COVID-19 opening guidelines—and they nailed it.”

On a bittersweet note, Bill Krystan, the club’s president of 30 years, announced he is stepping down from his role. A replacement for Krystan, who was dedicated to the club and its members, has not been secured, but without question the Battleship Run will continue long into the future.

New York’s Jack Gladke and his girlfriend, Cara Wormuth, ran his recently updated Donzi Marine 38 ZRC in the Battleship Run, marking the boat’s first event under Gladke’s ownership.

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Portfolio: Rodney Olson