Between the Fort Myers Offshore Season Finale and the Florida Powerboat Club Tampa Bay Poker Run in Southwest Florida and Super Cat Fest West and the Desert Storm Poker Run in Arizona, April was anything but a slow month for events in the go-fast boating world. And in just four days, May will pick up right where April left off.
Here’s a quick look at what’s on tap:
Tickfaw 200 Poker Run, May 1-3
For the local cuisine alone and Louisiana bayou backwaters, the Tickfaw 200 Poker Run is something you need to enjoy just once. The multi-day operates out of Blood River Landing, the home of the unforgettable “Fun House” bar, which serves a lethal adult concoction called a Worm Bucket. Filled with gummy worms and various spirits, the Worm Bucket is an acquired taste, to be sure but if you’re game and not getting behind the wheel it’s worth a try. As for the run itself, it’s a three-day, move-at-your-own pace affair.
Orange Beach Powerboat Week, May 8-11
Based out of The Wharf venue in coastal Alabama, Orange Beach Powerboat Week typically attracts 40 to 50 entries. It’s also Florida Powerboat Club event on United States waters until September, as all the club’s summer events happen in the Bahamas. Lunch at Juana’s Pagodas is always part of the Orange Beach Powerboat Week agenda, and it’s one of those spots every self-respecting go-fast boating fan needs to visit at least once in his or her life.
Thunder On Cocoa Beach, May 15-18
Offshore racing’s silly season, the time between the season-ending Key West Worlds in November and the season-opening Thunder On Cocoa Beach event, mercifully ends in mid-May on mid-Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Known to deliver some of the roughest water of any event in the American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series, the Cocoa Beach venue has been tame for the past few years. It’s overdue for sporty conditions.
Kuttawa Cannonball Run, May 30-31
Turning nine years old this time around, the Kuttawa Cannonball Run happens on Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The first day includes a short lunch run followed by a raft-up. The second day boasts a long lunch run and a charity auction that evening. Thanks to organizers Jeff Hoefling, Terry Martin and paint-wizard poster-boy Stephen Miles, few if any events sboast a stronger sense of community and camaraderie. —Matt Trulio
