Skaterfest No. 6 In The Books With 20 Boats

ByMatt Trulio August 7, 2016May 20, 2020

Skaterfest 2016—”the best one yet,” according to organizer Ron Szolack. Photos courtesy/copyright Jay Nichols/Naples Image.

Skaterfest is a lot like an episode of “Seinfeld,” a great show where, in the words of its creator and namesake, “Nothing happens.” That’s because by design and nature Skaterfest is a mellow event in which the actual boating—and maybe even the boats themselves—are almost incidental to the camaraderie and fellowship of those who share love for the Skater brand.

Of course, there are stories that come out of every Skaterfest—and this weekend’s event in the St. Clair/Detroit area—will be no exception. But they’re generally the type of tales that get whispered from one attendee to another. A few slip out over time but, generally speaking, what goes at Skaterfest stays at Skaterfest.

But here’s what we do know about the sixth annual happening. First, the event attracted 20 Skater catamarans, none of which broke down during Friday’s raft-up near Metro Beach or Saturday’s lunch run on the Detroit River to Pepper Joe’s. Second, Skater’s own Peter Hledin—the man behind the brand—and his wife Maria mingled with the Skaterfest guests, who came from as far away as California and Florida.

For more images from Skatefest 2016, check out the slideshow above.

Fourth—and most important—organizer Ron Szolack was delighted with the turnout for his annual celebration of the world’s best-known and most-coveted high-performance catamaran brand.

“I like to keep it at 20 boats—that’s the perfect number for the raft-up and lunch run,” said Szolack, shortly before he headed out to today’s casual lunch run and photo shoot. “Everything went great. This was the best one yet.”

For a look at photographer Jay Nichols’ still-growing collection of 2016 Skaterfest images, visit his Flickr gallery.

Skaterfest No. 6 In The Books With 20 Boats

Address

Quick Links