Big Cat Poker Run Set For Solid Fleet
If registration continues at its present pace, tomorrow’s Big Cat Poker Run on the Sacramento River Delta in Northern California should have more than 70 high-performance catamarans and V-bottoms in the fleet when it departs Discovery Bay Marina for a quick stop at the Pittsburg Yacht Club, and then winds its way to the lunch stop in Stockton. At present, 60 boats are registered and more are coming in today. Most are from California, but two— a 46-foot Skater catamaran called Lick This and a 35-foot Formula called No Reason—are coming from Arizona.
Dustin Whipple’s Outerlimits SV 43 will be part of tomorrow’s 70-plus-boat fleet at tomorrow’s Big Cat Poker Run. Photo courtesy/copyright Robert Brown/Robert Brown Photography.
“We’re looking at 70 to 75 boats, just like last year,” said Allen Bellinghausen, one of the organizers for the event, which benefits the Discovery Bay Lion’s Club. “When we start getting over 100, we just don’t have the dock space.”
Notable California-based boats registered for the event include Dustin Whipple’s Outerlimits SV 43 and Rick Bowling’s 37-foot Talon catamaran, Gone Again. As part of his summer event tour (read the story), performance-boat insurance man Devin Wozencraft is bringing his 29-foot E-Ticket deckboat with twin 710-hp engines from Ilmor Marine.
Thanks to title sponsor Teague Custom Marine, live music has become one of the hallmarks of the event, which has been running—with a one-year break—since 2000. Live bands will play at tonight’s welcome party, tomorrow’s lunch in Stockton and tomorrow’s night’s dinner and awards party on the lawn above the docks at the Discovery Bay Marina.
Editor’s Note: Look for on-scene reporting tomorrow and a follow-up story Monday on the Big Cat Poker Run by speedonthewater.com’s Jason Johnson.
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