Inside SOTW Mag: Desert Storm 2019—The Story In Pictures

Everyone has his or her favorite piece of the annual Desert Storm Poker Run week in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., beyond the poker run itself. For local performance-boating legend Vern Gilbert, this year’s high point had to be Saturday’s top-speed shootout, which saw him hit 185 mph in his 40-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran to earn the King of the Desert title. Likewise, Miranda Jones had to be thrilled with the shootout as she laid down a 128-mph run to claim the Queen of the Desert crown.

Inside the West Coast’s hottest high-performance powerboating event of the year. Photo courtesy Jeff Helmkamp/Helmkamp Photos.

For the entire Teague Custom Marine family, Krusin’ For A Kause certainly had to be a highpoint of Desert Storm. The Teagues have been involved with the charitable event, which provides powerboat rides for mentally and physically challenged adults, since its inception.

For us, it’s all about the Thursday night street party. The mile-long display of high-performance boats, exotic automobiles, powerful engines and more on McCulloch Boulevard is as good as it gets. DCB Performance Boats always goes huge with its latest and greatest for its display. Mercury Racing brings its mobile marketing vehicle. MTI had a formidable presence, as does Eliminator Boats, Nordic Boats and other builders.

To enjoy the complete feature, click the download link for the PDF of the March/April 2019 Speed On The Water magazine, and please share any feedback with us below, via email or on social media.