CLOSE
Authors Posts by PBN Staff

PBN Staff

1968 POSTS 0 COMMENTS

Less than a week after canceling the Tickfaw 200 event originally scheduled for April 29 to May 2, organizers have mailed checks back to those who had prepaid to attend, as well as to the event’s sponsors.

Owned and operated by Joey Fontenot, the Tickfaw 200 poker run is Louisiana’s biggest poker run, so named for its scenic 200-mile length. It is headquartered at Fontenot’s Blood River Landing Marina, and has been running annually since 1996.

“We just had to mail everything back,” Fontenot told Powerboat Nation. “But this isn’t about money. We don’t make a dollar from this. Tickfaw is about seeing all our friends, people like Kenny Armstrong. It’s about raising money for charities and helping the local economy and businesses. We don’t mind missing the poker run. What we care about is that this is going to result in a million-dollar impact to our area. What we bring in for one weekend will help them carry some of the restaurants and bars for a month, maybe even two months.”

Canceling the event because of Coronavirus fears was inevitable, Fontenot says. “They pulled my liquor license and they pulled my gambling license,” he says. “The state of Louisiana says you have to have a gambling permit to put a poker run on.”

At this point in time, people are still free to go boating, Fontenot says, “but there are no restaurants open, no bars open. There’s nothing. But I’ll tell you what’s happening now—you’re seeing more families going fishing. This has always been a river with fun and partying and powerboats, and now we’re seeing a lot of bass boats and families with kids, because they’re all out of school.”

Fontenot and his crew have little recourse now except to plan for a bigger and even more exciting Tickfaw for 2021.

 

As an insidious pandemic continues to make its way around the world, an anxious nation counts the days until a sense of normalcy returns. Things are no different for those of us in the boating industry. There’s no aspect of our sport that the coronavirus has not affected in some appreciable way, and further sacrifices seem inevitable. Poker runs such as Desert Storm and other events have already been canceled or postponed. The offshore racing season has not yet begun, but dates are looming: OPA’s kickoff event is scheduled for May 14-17 in Cocoa Beach, FL (with Missouri’s Lake Race only 11 days later), and Race World Offshore launches its new season in Dunkirk, NY, in July.

How badly COVID-19 will affect offshore racing is not yet clear. But Powerboat Nation reached out to some of the players to get their take on this unfolding situation. One of the leaders in the current racing landscape is Ed “Smitty” Smith, who both leads OPA and races his own boat in the circuit.

PBN: Your season begins in less than two months. Have any of your dates been affected?
ES: Well, not at this point. With Cocoa Beach, the deciding factor will be the rule that you can’t have public gatherings of more than 50 people or whatever. I’m sure that would stop it. It really all depends on how fast this thing levels out. There’s a lot of smart people out there working on a solution, and I’m pretty confident somebody’s going to find something—if not a cure, then something that will slow it down.

PBN: Have you been in touch with the racers? Do you have an idea about whether participation will be strong?
ES: I think it’ll probably be stronger. They’re all home bored to tears. I’ve had calls from four or five of the teams just today; they’re working on their boats and will probably be ready to go earlier than they ever were. I do worry that if this goes on for a long time, people’s finances are going to get kind of tight.

PBN: It’s still early. Everybody’s taking a wait-and-see approach.
ES: Everybody in OPA is looking forward and being very positive. We just want everybody to stay safe and healthy, and that we can get back to boat racing.

We also contacted Azam Rangoonwala, CEO of Powerboat P1 Superstock racing in the USA. P1 and OPA are collaborating in the 2020 APBA Offshore Championship, which will comprise dates in Cocoa Beach, FL, Lake of the Ozarks, MO, Sarasota, FL, St. Clair, MI, Michigan City, IN, and Fort Myers Beach, FL.

PBN: What are your thoughts about the race dates for Cocoa Beach, which begin on May 14?
AR: For the time being, we’re moving forward with it. The port itself is closed until May 1, and then they’re supposed to re-open it. They’ll have another meeting on May 1 to decide if they’re going to keep it closed or not. Obviously, if they’re going to keep it open, then everything’s a go. If they decide to extend the closure, the race will be canceled. If we hear anything in between now and then, we’ll let everybody know. But for now, we’re confident, and we’re still going ahead with it. We know that we have to monitor what’s going on right now, but we believe that the way the government is handling it seems to be working. I’m hopeful that this all blows over and we have a really good season of racing. If it takes more time, then we’ll start where we left off. But again, so much is up in the air right now. It’s very difficult to tell. I think that in the next two or three weeks, we’ll have a lot more information.

We at Powerboat Nation also wanted to check in with some of the racers. Gary Ballough, a World Champion who races FJ Propeller, a Victory hull in Superboat Stock class, is always a reliable barometer in the sport, so we’ll share his thoughts as well.

PBN: What do you think, Gary? How are you reading the tea leaves?
GB: We’re just looking forward to going racing, and from what we understand, Cocoa Beach is supposed to still be on. But we’re very doubtful that would happen because they’ve closed all the beaches where we live and are closing all the boat ramps and closing everything. And it’s all about tourism and people on the beach and filling hotels. So our business of offshore racing is just like the rest of the country’s business. And we’re just going to have to take the sacrifice like everyone else is. If that’s what we have to do, let’s do it. It’s not about us—it’s about everyone. Of course it’s a disappointment, but we all have to do our part. If this is what offshore can do to contribute to helping, then that’s what it needs to be.

 

Big Thunder Marine is open for business and keeping busy during these challenging times—while carefully following CDC guidelines and state-mandated rules.

The dealer of Fountain, Donzi, and Baja powerboating lines reports that its doors are open, and mechanics are keeping busy. In an open letter to the public, Big Thunder Marine general manager Jeremy Anderson said, “Service is busy de-winterizing boats for the upcoming season, and the schedule is filling quicker than usual! You can text service directly at 573-964-3450.”

In addition, Big Thunder has enhanced its online presence, and sales of Fountain, Donzi and Baja clothing has been spiking through the Internet at the following links:

https://wakeeffects.com/product-category/brands/fountain-powerboats/

https://wakeeffects.com/product-category/brands/donzi-marine/

https://wakeeffects.com/product-category/brands/baja-marine/

“We have a great selection of boats in stock, and have been doing FaceTime videos, walk arounds, and been taking more specific photos for boat customers,” Anderson says. “All of our at-risk team members are working from home. We are practicing social distancing with both team members and clients—we aren’t allowing more than 10 people in the showrooms at any one time, and none in the shops. We have installed wall-mounted hand sanitizers at all building entrances, we’ve increased our building cleanings to twice a week, and we have some pretty potent wipes that are being used twice a day on all high-touch areas such as door handles, counters, and bathrooms.”

Big Thunder Marine is is fully committed to keeping all of its team members on staff and making sure they are paid during this time. During the past week, they’ve closed seven boat deals, delivered many previously closed boats, and sales in the pro shop are reportedly on the upswing.

“Phones ring daily with people wanting to de-winterize their boats to have them ready for the warm weather just around the corner,” Anderson continues. “Now, more than ever, boating continues to be a way to escape with friends and family as a get away from the stress of life. I truly believe that what’s happening in the world today will bring families closer together and when this is all behind us, we will end up having a huge year with many new people getting into boating, and many who have stopped because their lives became too ‘busy’ finding the time for what has given them some of their greatest memories. Our clients are looking to us to make sure they can escape from it all here at the lake.”

Photo by Tom Leigh

Chad Budge‘s passion for powerboating didn’t begin with DCBs, but it’s a pretty safe bet that it ends there. The M33R that DCB delivered to Budge last week is his fourth DCB, his second M33R, and his first to be powered by Mercury Racing 450R outboards. It may not be his last DCB, but it’s hard to imagine him transitioning to another builder—he’s as smitten with DCB as any customer we’ve ever met.

Introduced in 2018 close on the heels of DCB’s largest model to date (the M44), the M33R was first tested by Speedboat Magazine in its August 2018 issue. It remains one of DCB’s newest models, joining the M28, M29, M31, M35, M41 and M44 in the builder’s ever-growing stable, with an M37 to be added to the ranks later in 2020. (A new review of an M33R will be appearing in Speedboat’s forthcoming April 2020 issue.)

Budge, 67, lives in Jackson Hole, WY, and works in real estate development. He got into the boating scene with an 18′ Glastron Carlson, then moved to Eliminators and Howards before switching to the DCB brand four boats ago. His first was an M31 with 700 SCi stern drives, he recalls. “Then I made the mistake of driving a friend’s 31 that had 1100s,” he chuckles. “I loved it, so we ended up buying that boat when our friend stepped up to an M35 with 1350s.” Later, he moved up to an M33 with Mercury Racing 400R outboards, and now he has taken delivery of the 450R-powered M33.

Transitioning from I/O power to outboards was a major step, but not one that Budge regrets for a moment. “We hesitated for a long time on whether to do it,” he admits. “But we finally pulled the trigger, and never looked back.”

Budge and his wife, Dianne Budge, are both avid boaters who have taken Tres Martin‘s safety classes and are highly seasoned boaters. “She’s been around them for 30 years,” he says of Dianne. “She’s a very experienced driver, and it’s important to me to have a boat that she’s comfortable with. That’s why we love the M33R with the 450s. It really makes the boat come alive, and makes it more solid. When she’s cruising around at 100 mph and I’m sitting in the passenger seat, I want her to feel comfortable. And she’s totally comfortable in the boat.”

Budge says he loves everything about the boat’s handling and performance, from the quick planing time and utter lack of bowrise to its nimble attitude, maneuverability and ease of turning. “Oh my God, it’s so flat,” he raves. “You can turn it at 100 mph and do 360s in it.”

Another aspect of the M33R that the couple praises is its beautiful construction and appearance. “DCB has been going over-the-top with their interiors,” Budge says. “The interior of this boat is the nicest one we’ve had so far. The quality of the stitching and the Alcantara fabric is really unbelievable. We’ve only had the boat for a few days, and people who have seen it just go, ‘Damn!'”

Finally, Budge gives credit to the entire team at DCB for being so open-minded about ideas and customization, for keeping the lines of communication open, and being so “hands-on” with their clients. “Depending on what phase of construction you’re in, you might be talking to Tony Chiaramonte, or Paul Miller, or Jeff Johnston. It seems like they’ll are experts at handling everything.”

But he emphasizes that he doesn’t throw out enthusiastic comments lightly. “We’re actually pretty fussy people,” he says.

Budge says he’s already had the boat up to 130 mph on Lake Havasu; he expects to use M33R in his home state of Wyoming, then trailer it to Lake Powell or up to Canada, just like his previous DCBs.

Just don’t expect him to switch to a different boat brand. It’s unlikely that he’ll Budge.

Some specs on the Chad Budge’s M33R:

• Beam: 9’ 7” beam
• Power: Twin Mercury Racing 450Rs (white cowlings – $4,200/set upgrade)
• Interior: 100% Alcantara with matching under cuddy
• Custom matching carpet kit with shaved diamonds in the fabric
• Half cap with SS rubrail painted black
• Vacuum Infused Resin (VIR) process, balsa-cored, with aggressive carbon-fiber & carbon-kevlar
• Two SIMRAD 12” monitors
• One Garmin 8612 (12”) center plotter
• Isotta Carlotta steering wheel
• PCI 6-person intercom system with VHF boat-to-boat communication (aka “DCB Channel”)
• Two Garmin GMi20’s in back of headrests
• Interior Rigid LED lighting package (mood lighting, courtesy lighting, LED cupholders) and bullet LED lighting package in 450 cowlings
• Billet foot shower
• Mercury DTS controls
• Oversized billet swimstep with SeaDek and telescoping ladder.
• Adrenaline Custom Trailer, triple-axle with custom chrome 18” FUEL rims, SS fenders, triangular drive guard, undercarriage LED lighting package, etc.

Some images of the boat:

Organizers of Desert Storm—the huge Lake Havasu-based poker run and shootout event—have canceled their springtime dates in the wake of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic.

They now plan to combine Desert Storm with their fall poker run, Monster Storm, to create a one-time event called Storm 2020 later this year, between September and October.

After initially forging ahead to preserve their original April 22-26 dates, organizers Jimmy Nichols Jr. and Christina Crane Nichols explained today in a Facebook Live video that they received a phone call from the City of Lake Havasu last Friday saying that all permits would be pulled for the next 60 days. Faced with a black hole of uncertainty, they turned to their sponsors to help decide how to proceed.

The three choices came down to: Continue to monitor the situation, reschedule for sometime in the summer, or postpone the event to the fall. 

“The overwhelming response from sponsors was, ‘We support whatever you decide to do,’” Crane said. 

Ultimately, the pair said the uncertainty aspect was causing them to lose sleep, so a decision was made to put off the event until the fall, when presumably life would return to a semblance of normality.

“We honestly thought this would blow over pretty quickly, but it hasn’t,” Crane said, adding that she herself comes from a medical background and suffers from an autoimmune disease. “I’m very at high risk for this, and my intention is not to put anybody else at risk for it.”

They promised to keep fans updated through emails and social media.

 

Organizers of the Tickfaw 200 Poker Run have cancelled the event for 2020 in the wake of the global pandemic known as COVID-19.

“Honestly, at this point, we can’t even get permits to do it,” said event spokesman Casey Harrison. “They’ve pulled all permits and are not issuing any new ones for the foreseeable future.”

He said the idea of postponing the event until later in the year was discussed, but ultimately abandoned. “We just don’t know what the future has in store,” Harrison says. “We don’t know what’s going to take place. Anything’s possible, but at this point, we’re just shooting for 2021.”

Harrison said that while it’s still possible for boaters to hit the water, “there’s nothing open. All restaurants are closed, all bars are closed. Takeout only. There is absolutely nothing out there. You’d be hard-pressed even to get gas.”

Taking place in Springfield, LA, and headquartered at Blood River Landing Marina, the Tickfaw 200 is Louisiana’s biggest poker run, so named for its scenic 200-mile length. Owned and operated for many years by Charlie William Albert, known as “Crazy Charlie,” the event kicked off in 1996, and it has attracted innumerable muscleboats, all of which come to compete in the world-famous party. (Tragedy struck in 2009, when Albert was killed in a motorcycle accident at age 54. Tickfaw 200 is now owned by Joey Fontenot.)

Harrison says the most devastating part of cancelling the event is the loss of the money raised for charity. “That’s the most upsetting part about all of this,” he says. “We’re not going to be able to give to any of the charities right now, and the community counts on that. We support a lot of the local charities—helping kids going to prom who couldn’t afford dresses or tuxes, and the local 4H clubs, church organizations, kids’ funerals—lots of little stuff that nobody really ever knew that we did. That’s going to be the biggest hit.”

And the industry braces for announcements of further closures and cancellations.

Photo by Tom Leigh

As we reported last week, MTI took its customers on a Fun Run from Miami to Key West and points in between beginning last Thursday. Now that they’re back, we decided to check in and get a full report.

The event was spearheaded by company President Randy Scism and client relations manager Taylor Scism, who left Haulover Marine Center on Thursday morning. “We had some rain come in on Thursday between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.,” Taylor says. “Luckily, it started to blow over by 10. By the time we got to Gilbert’s Resort for lunch, it was beautiful—sunny skies, 75 to 80 degrees, and we had that for the rest of the time. We actually got super lucky with the weather.”

While at Gilberts, Tyler Stone—owner of an MTI 340X catamaran—had arranged to propose to his girlfriend Vanessa, an event that was captured on video and witnessed by roughly a third of the attendees. “He did it on the deck of his boat while it was tied up to about ten other 34s,” Taylor reports. “The pictures are really cool, because it’s them and then all of the other boats behind them. So it ended up being really nice.”

On Friday, the group headed north from Key West for some more lunch stops and a sandbar raft-up at Islamorada. Friday night, it was off to Hawk’s Cay Resort on Duck Key (near Marathon Key), where a special awards banquet was held Saturday night.

“We did a few different awards,” Taylor says. “One was the furthest traveled, which turned out to be a gentleman from Europe who owns a 43 cat with Teague motors.” Another award was given to Zane Mead of Texas, owner of the most MTIs from past and present. He’s owned a total of 10 MTIs—now, that’s a loyal customer.

“Overall, the event went really well,” Taylor says. “Honestly, we were getting a little nervous right before the run because of all the coronavirus stuff going on. But everything seemed to be OK while we were down there—it was almost like we were in a bubble. Nobody down there seemed very concerned. Restaurants were operating as normal, and everything seemed totally fine. Nobody in our group seemed concerned, or seemed sick. Everybody really enjoyed themselves. It was only when we came back that there was no food at the grocery stores.”

Taylor gave props to her roughly 10 employees and team members, who worked tirelessly to help pull off a successful fun run. “Everybody, from the cleaning crew to Milton Calafell, who runs everything, did an amazing job,” she says. “They were only getting a few hours of sleep a night because they were cleaning so many boats. They were busting it to get everything done. We really appreciate them because they do work really hard.”

Another positive aspect of the run was seeing customers from all over the country forge friendships and enjoy the extreme camaraderie. “It’s so cool to see customers from different areas who are friends now,” Taylor says. “They meet each other through boating and these MTI events, and to watch them making lifelong relationships and networking connections through these events is really inspiring.”

 

 

 

 

The first race of the six-race APBA Offshore National Championship series, Thunder On Cocoa Beach, remains on schedule to take place May 14-17, it was announced.

“As of today, we are closely monitoring the situation from our side and remain optimistic that our race will continue as scheduled,” said Race Chairman Kerry Bartlett.

With over 60 race teams from around the world expected to compete in Cocoa Beach, both Powerboat P1 and the Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) are closely monitoring the CDC guidelines surrounding the recent Coronavirus outbreak as they pertain to large gatherings and outdoor events. “Our number one concern is the safety of not only our racers but also our race fans. We take that into serious consideration as we plan for each race site throughout the entire season,” said Powerboat P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala and OPA President Roland Smith today in a joint statement.

This year would mark the 11th anniversary for Thunder on Cocoa Beach, which last year generated an economic impact of $17.8 million and 10,500 room nights for the area. This year’s race will once again be televised on CBS Sports and “Freedom Fighter” continues to be their official charity partner. For updates surrounding this year’s race schedule, please visit Thunderoncocoabeach.com.

2020 APBA Offshore Championship Race Calendar

May 14-17: Cocoa Beach, FL
May 28-30: Lake of the Ozarks, MO
June 26-28: Sarasota, FL
July 24-26: St. Clair, MI
July 31–Aug. 2: Michigan City, IN
Oct. 8-10: Fort Myers Beach, FL

Marine Technology Inc. (MTI) is headed for Key West today.

The builder of luxury center consoles and high-speed catamarans gathered its customers for a driver’s meeting Wednesday night and will be en route to the country’s “Southernmost city” for a Fun Run beginning early Thursday.

Spearheading the event are company President Randy Scism and his daughter, Taylor Scism, who told Powerboat Nation that they’ve registered 50 boats and nearly 300 people, and are at capacity. “It’s a big turnout,” Taylor says. “We’re really excited about it.” About half the boats are center consoles, and half are cats, she said.

After the gang departs from Haulover Marine Center in Miami, they’ll be making a lunch stop at Gilbert’s Resort before proceeding all the way to Key West. “We’ll be staying on Stock Island, and because we have so many people, we’ve had to divide the accommodations between the Perry Hotel and Ocean’s Edge hotels,” Taylor says.

On Friday, the MTI fleet will head north to Islamorada for some more lunch stops and a sandbar raft-up at Islamorada. Friday night, it’s off to Hawk’s Cay Resort on Duck Key (near Marathon Key); Saturday will bring more boating and lunch stops, along with a special awards banquet that night at Hawk’s Cay. The group will return to Miami on Sunday.

One of the first-time MTI Fun Runners are the Spraggins family, who recently took delivery of their new 390X cat. Taylor added that Randy would be giving demo rides on a 390X during the Fun Run.

Check out these photos from last year’s Fun Run!

“We always try and change things up a bit,” says Texas Outlaw Challenge organizer Paul Robinson of the upcoming installment of the extravaganza, set for June 24-28 in Kemah, TX. The event, which features parties, bikini contests, bike rallies, awards and on-water fun (see schedule below), has had a proven record of expanding and improving on the more “show-stopping” elements of the Shootout—and the 2020 Challenge is shaping up to follow that trajectory.

The theme for this year’s event is Return of the Champions, according to Robinson, and that will entail highlighting many of the past Shootout winners in a few significant ways. Past winners have included Vern Gilbert, Bruce Bullock, Kenny Armstrong, Gary Smith, Kenny Mungle, Michael Lee Lockwood and Brad Schoenwald.

Robinson said the 2020 Street Party will be bigger and better, as will Armstrong’s world-famous pool party. “He has some new big additions, but he’s not sharing them just yet,” Robinson chuckles. “He’s making them a surprise.” Those familiar with Armstrong’s blowout know that he’s down to do anything during his off-the-hook bash. “He always comes up with something Texas-big for his party,” Robinson says. “Last year it was a money drop—he dropped $1 million worth of Outlaw Dollars that people collected to use a casino the next evening. Nothing would surprise me—he could have a ferris wheel and circus there, for all we know.”

Friday evening, the event will debut a new venue, Barge 295, which will host an outdoor concert for the public. “It will be a new water festival kind of thing,” Robinson says. “We’ll also be having our usual Miss Outlaw bikini contest there.”

Following up on last year’s Challenge, dealership Marine Max will host its Saturday-night “Outlaws to the Max” finale gala and awards ceremony at its expansive facility in Seabrook, TX, which includes a huge showroom, patio and private marina. “They have welcomed us back,” Robinson says. “They spoke very positively about what a great crowd we had and encouraged us to go bigger this year on their property—they’re doubling the casino tables and doubling our bar capacity. We’re expecting more than a thousand people there.”

Robinson added that he would be welcoming back all of the key sponsors back to the 2020 Challenge, much of which takes place on Clear Lake, and that registration for the 2020 event is going briskly and ahead of schedule.

Below: the 2020 itinerary. For more information, please visit texasoutlawchallenge.com.

 

 

 

Top: Artist's rendering of the M37R. Below left: The deck mold arrives at the factory. Bottom right: The bottom mold arrives at the first of the year.

DCB Performance Boats of El Cajon, CA, continues to get closer to debuting its much-anticipated new model: the M37R. Yesterday, the deck mold and some other smaller miscellaneous mold parts arrived at the factory. This comes on the heels of the bottom mold arriving the first week of the near year.

The boat’s deck design was spearheaded by Franco Gianni (of SFG Yacht Design, Miami Beach, FL) and the team at DCB. According to DCB President Jeff Johnston, it was derived off of the company’s flagship M44, specifically for a few key features, incuding:

• Three-step steps at transom (bustle), resulting in ease of boarding.

• Dedicated walkway around the side of the windshield, resulting in ease of walking to front deck area.

The boat’s bottom design was a collaboration of an engineering team with decades of knowledge and experience. The plug and mold work was contracted through a third party based in Florida.

Several M37Rs have already been pre-sold, and DCB continues to take deposits on future hulls. slot #6. The first boat out of the mold is slated for a late-April to early-May debut.

Below: Some photos of the deck mold that just arrived at the factory.

Eliminator Boats is throwing a party—and you’re invited.

The legendary muscleboat manufacturer is opening the doors of its Mira Loma shop in Southern California on Saturday, Feb. 29, for its annual Winter Open House. It’s an event with barbecue, music and numerous boats in the showroom from the builder’s impressive lineup on display.

In addition, Eliminator will be liquidating a massive amount of “new old stock” parts—helms, vents, washers, bezels, cupholders, horns, cleats, rubrails, hinges, switch panels, steering wheels and hardware galore for older models like the Daytona and Eagle series. You’ll also find gauges of all sizes by the likes of Livorsi, Autometer, Gaffrig, etc.

“People are going to find some pretty big bargains, so they should come down and pick some stuff up,” says Eliminator’s Mark Baker.

A live band and a barbecue truck will be on hand for plenty of fun music and delicious food, and the kids will get to jump around in a bouncy house.

Baker says Eliminator will have its 36 Speedster (with twin 1350s) on display, along with the 25 Speedster (with twin Mercury Racing 450R outboards), and a 28 Speedster (also with twin 450Rs), which will be floating in Eliminator’s famous swimming pool.

“We’ve remodeled our entire showroom and our front office, so people can tour that as well,” Baker says. “We put in all-new flooring and new ceilings, and we’ve got a 100-foot banner placed against the back wall.”

Eliminator is expecting to feed as many as 400 people on Saturday.

For more information, visit eliminatorboat.com.

Prev1...234...164Next Page 3 of 164
Powerboat Nation is the world's leading resource for Powerboating Videos, Photos, News and more!
There's no better place on the web to live the powerboating life!
Contact us: support@powerboatnation.com

PBN's FINEST

POPULAR CATEGORIES

© Copyright 2015 - Powerboat Nation