Next weekend’s Kuttawa Cannonball Run in Kentucky and Dam Boat Run On Lake Murray in South Carolina will round out the balance of May events in the go-fast boating world. Both are proven winners, and with those two happenings in the offing the month is certain to close with a flourish.
The Florida Powerboat Club Bahamas Adventure will celebrate its 35th anniversary in early June.
But come June, the slate of high-performance boating event gets extensive. From the Bahamas to the Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri, there’s something fun on tap every weekend. Here are some the highlights:
• June 3-10—When the going gets tough, or at least too hot for boating in the Sunshine State, the Florida Powerboat Club heads to the Bahamas. Presented by Deep Impact Custom Boats, the club’s Bahamas adventure with celebrate its 35th anniversary of taking go-fast boating fans to places—such as Harbour Island and the Abacos—they’ll never forget.
• June 5-6—Coming back for its fourth year, the Binks Memorial Fun Run returns to North Carolina’s Lake Norman. Organizer Kurt Binkley and his crew have plans in place for handling the lake’s low water levels. All that remains is for participants to have great times—not hard to do with Binkley at the helm—and donate generously to a worthy cause.
• June 6—From June through August, the Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most popular waterways in the performance-boating world. This year, the June event-roster kicks off with the inaugural Vivi Jo Barbie Poker Run. Born out of a family tragedy, the affair will raise money for The Cure Starts Now Foundation, a nonprofit pediatric cancer research organization.
• June 11-13—Benefitting the Meals On Wheels program serving Anderson, S.C., the Hartwell Lake Charity Run is a mellow event with a lot of great things going for it starting with a lovely Friday night welcome celebration. But the star of the show is the lake itself, which boasts mile after mile—more than 100 of them—in fact—of unspoiled scenery.
• June 11-14—Participants in the Florida Powerboat Club Bahamas adventure presented by Deep Impact Custom Boats, such as Deep Impact company owners Mark and Eileen Fischer and this reporter will face a quick turnaround to make the Rockin’ The Harbor Poker Run based at East Marina in Baltimore. But why not? Rockin The Harbor has a ferociously loyal following, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor area is a whole lot fun and the Chesapeake Bay is expansive
• June 12-13—Meanwhile back at the Lake of the Ozarks, the fun continues with the 19th annual Support Our Troops Poker Run produced by Big Thunder Marine. Last year’s Support Our Troops affair attracted a record-setting 71 boats that provided rides for active-duty and retired military service folks and raised money for the locally based H.E.R.O.E.S. Care veteran services program. But whatever the turnout this around, the Support Our Troops Poker Run will remain one of the lake’s most beloved and impactful events.
• June 18-20—That Performance Boat Center is once again Cigarette Racing Team’s dealer at Lake of the Ozarks dealership is great news for both business. It also means that the Performance Boat Center crew is once again producing—after a five-year hiatus—the annual Cigarette Owners Rendezvous it originally established on the Central Missouri waterway. And fans of both the Performance Boat Center and Cigarette Racing Team couldn’t be more delighted about the reunion.
• June 27-28—A historic Naval hotbed, Norfolk, Va., is the host venue for the third annual Tip Of The Spear Poker Run. Proceeds from the reportedly top-tier event will once again go to the SEAL Legacy Foundation. Registration is capped at 55 boats, which helps lead organizers Mark and Nancy Tuck and their daughters attend to every detail.