Leigh’s Lake Powell Challenge Dockside Highlights

When it comes to the majesty of Lake Powell, the rock walls, canyons and sunsets give the Colorado River-fed lake that borders Arizona and Utah an allure like nothing else in the country. No doubt about it. That’s the main reason boaters flock to the lake in mid-September for the Lake Powell Challenge hosted by Antelope Point Marina in Page, Ariz.

The sunrise over Lake Powell—as well as Bob Teague’s new 31-foot DCB and a neighboring Nor-Tech catamaran—was quite beautiful on Friday morning. Photos by Tom Leigh/Tommy Gun Images

The camaraderie between the generous boaters who attend the event, which benefits the JDRF Mountain Valley Chapter, is a close second. Add in the overall service and venue at Antelope Point Marina, and it’s easy to see why the Lake Powell Challenge is such a draw. And take it from this first-timer at the 10th annual event, the hype is real.

Earlier today I got to explore the lake with my family thanks to Mike Stevenson, who owns a DCB Performance Boats M44 Widebody powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines, and Devin Wozencraft, the insurance man behind Wozencraft Insurance who owns a 30-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran powered by twin Mercury Racing OptiMax 300XS engines.

Check out the slideshow above for more of Leigh’s images from Friday morning at the Lake Powell Challenge.

I’ll say it again, the hype is real. Just ask Tom Leigh, the Lake Havasu City, Ariz.-based ace photographer behind Tommy Gun Images, who has covered this event for a few years now. Located above are some of his favorite pictures from sunrise this morning before he headed out in a helicopter to shoot some of today’s fun run.

Now the “real” fun takes place on Saturday as the participants take to the lake to hit four checkpoints and come back to The Point at Antelope Point Marina to turn in their poker hand cards and help raise a ton of money—last year the event topped $500,000 in donations—for JDRF.

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