Powerboating For A Cure Turns 10 In Style

In what longtime event chairman Bob Veith described as a “close to perfect” event, the 10th annual Powerboating For A Cure Poker Run based out of Norfolk, Va., didn’t just attract 71 powerboats and a combination of 240 participants last weekend. Organized by the Mid-Atlantic Powerboat Association, the happening raised $39,800 for the Susan G. Komen for Breast Cancer organization and $5,000 for the Associated General Contractors Scholarship fund, the event’s two benefitting charities.

The Powerboating For A Cure Poker Run celebrated its 10th anniversary last weekend. Photo courtesy/copyright Chuck Guthrie and John Ainslie.

The weekend began with registration opening and a silent auction on Thursday evening in advance of Friday morning’s 45-minute fun run to Bennett Creek Marina for lunch. The popular new addition to the event saw 40 boats with 130 participants head—with a photo helicopter overhead—to the venue. From there, the boats returned to the Sheraton Waterside Norfolk hotel host venue for a catered Italian dinner and live entertainment.

While the weather for the run has been oppressively hot and humid more than a few times during years, this time around it was flawless.

“Saturday morning was a weather repeat of Friday—90 degrees, with a slight breeze, fast water, and blue skies,” said Veith.

As for the run 148-mile run itself, it started in two waves with the photo helicopters overhead. The course included legs on the Elizabeth River, the James River, the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean with a lunch stop at the Surf Rider Restaurant in the Blue Water Yachting Center and Marina in Hampton, Va. When the day was complete, the participants returned to the host venue and the celebration began.

“The boat teams were greeted by waitresses from Mission BBQ who served them Ahi tuna, steamed shrimp and ‘lollipop’ lamb chops,” said Veith. “The same caterer prepared a barbecue and brisket feast—with all the trimmings—for dinner.”

For more images from the Powerboating For A Cure Poker Run, check out the slideshow above.

During the post-dinner awards banquet, the organizers and participants recognized the sponsors and paid a special tribute to Bill Rippel, a founding Powerboating For A Cure board member who died earlier this year.

This year’s “Longest Tow” honor went to Michael “Doc” Janssen, a Colorado-based Outerlimits V-bottom owner who’ll be inducted into the Lake of the Ozarks Hall of Fame in late August. Bobby Smith earned the “Bill Rippel Best-Looking Boat Award” with his Fuelish Pleasure Scarab. From first to fifth place, the poker run prize winners were: Rusty Maness ($1,500), Beth Cully ($750), Jon Bucenell ($500), Bryan Martin ($500) and Michael Janssen ($250).

“All of the winners donated 100 percent of their prize winnings back to the charities,” said Veith. “With our biggest and best party celebrating our 10 th anniversary behind us, we’re ready to begin planning the event for 2019.”

Powerboating For A Cure Turns 10 In Style

Address

Quick Links