The 2007 season opening Sarasota Spring Poker Run served up fun,
challenging conditions, but no one was complaining when the day was done.
By Eric Colby


(Pace boats lead the fleet through New Pass.)
(More pictures...)

If you needed proof that participants at Poker Runs America events are some the safest, smartest boat operators in the world, you didn¡¯t have to look any farther than the first event of the 2007 season, the Sarasota Spring Poker Run. One word could have very well summed up the conditions for the event, ¡°Rough.¡± Despite that fact, there were no incidents among the fleet of over 100 boats and aside from the usual mechanical breakdowns there were no catastrophic equipment failures. The reason for this is simple. Everyone ran within his or her safe limits. From the smallest boat to the fastest cats and v-bottoms in the fleet, all the participants understood their limits, knowing when to play it safe and when to pour on the gas. As a result, a great time was had by one and all. ¡°The way everyone handled their boats today proves that all of our hard work on promoting safe, family-oriented events has paid off,¡± said APRA president and Poker Runs America publisher Bill Taylor. After some long winter months, more than 100 of the best-built, amazingly finished machines in the go-fast world gathered at the Hyatt hotel in Sarasota, Fla., to kick off another year of high-stakes card play on the water. One by one the armada of power rumbled into the quay behind the Hyatt including a plethora of boats from Outerlimits, Nor-Tech, Cigarette, Velocity, Skater, Sonic, MTI, Fountain and more. One of the most impressive docking jobs was performed by Ken Hohwiesner, sales manager for Velocity. He was a late arrival to the slips and when he got there, most of the other boats were already in their slips. In typical New Yawk fashion (Hownheiser is originally from Long Island), he said, f¡¯gedaboutit and backed the Velocity 410, Lord Of The Wings, all the way into the aft western-most corner of the slips. He looked like he was playing that children¡¯s game Operation, but if touched the sides you knew he¡¯d get much more than a battery-charged zap. The boat¡¯s dragon-themed paint job remained unscathed, much to the relief of Velocity president Steve Stepp who drove the boat in the run. Familiar names at the event included Bob Russell and Frank and Jenine DAgostino in the Outerlimits camp, John Gregorio in his classically painted 42¡¯ Cigarette, Thunderboat Row and Hall-of-Famers Rejean and Jennifer Doucet in their 45¡¯ Sonic and Charlie and Lois Amorosi in the 39¡¯ Velocity, Tsunami. Gregorio sponsored the breakfast Saturday morning. While the Hyatt remains one of the premier facilities for hosting a poker run, the dock shortage continued. Just over 40 boats could tie up in the quay, which meant the overflow would have to be handled nearby at Marina Jack. This is an outstanding facility with plenty of transient slips, a restaurant, fuel dock that has 89 octane and helpful personnel at the ship¡¯s store. It was about a 10-minute brisk walk from the Hyatt or if you wanted to drive over, there was plenty of parking. Other poker runners took advantage of the accommodations and moorings at the Sarasota Cay Club which boasts high-class hospitality, spa, swimming pool and tropical Tiki bar. After all the boats were safely tied up for the night, the festivities kicked off with a cocktail party poolside at the Hyatt sponsored by Cigarette Racing Team and Douglas Marine, which builds Skater powerboats. It was like a big family reunion as many poker runners who hadn¡¯t seen each other since the Sarasota Fall event got re-acquainted and talked about new boats, engines or both. Many of the poker runners were also introduced to a new member of the Taylor family, four-month-old Nolan. He¡¯s the son of Bill and Marilyn¡¯s daughter Tamara, who works in the design department at Poker Runs America and takes many of the Speed Zone photos that appear in the magazine. While some partiers lasted long into the night searching out buckets of Captain Morgan and Coke (the culprit knows who he is and shall remain nameless), most of the reveling ended fairly early as poker runners turned in early in participation of the next day¡¯s run. Saturday dawned with a good breeze starting early, warning poker runners that their skills would be put to the test right away in 2007. No one seemed to mind, however, as most crews were itching to get underway. At the morning driver¡¯s meeting Dave Kirkland went over the new rules that APRA has in place for 2007 and gave the drivers and navigators in attendance a stern warning about breaking those rules. APRA has adopted a Zero Tolerance policy, especially when it comes to reckless operation and alcohol. No alcohol was to be consumed by anyone on board during the run or even at the lunch stop at Harpoon Harry¡¯s. And not one grumble was heard from the crowd. Bravo poker runners. The other new procedure for 2007 is the distribution of playing cards for the poker hands. Teams received a card at the driver¡¯s meeting and then one at the end of the run, but during the day, their assigned numbers were recorded by PRA officials and then they moved on to pick up their remaining cards at the end of the event. (Page Top) Showing the significance that poker runs have to manufacturers, there were many factory representatives on hand. Rapid Reggie himself, Reggie Fountain and David Knight, made the trip from North Carolina and Neil Hernandez, Vice President of Cigarette Racing, participated in the run. Mike and Paul Fiore from Outerlimits had a full crew on hand to take care of their customers including their beautiful support trailer as did Trond Schou and Terry Sobo of Nor-Tech. Stepp and Hownheiser from Velocity also had a hospitality area for customers. Also in attendance was Lenny Noble from Sonic who has become a regular at PRA events. Most of the sponsors took advantage of the ¡°Poker Run Village¡±, set up in the parking lot of the Hyatt Hotel. This has become a regular attraction at all of our Sarasota events and this year broke all records as Mercury Racing arrived with their Race-Support truck to join Outerlimits, Nor-Tech, Hideaway Marina, Velocity Boats and Chopper Nation. Josh Stickles and Gene Weeks from Donzi Marine helped out with support and pace boats. A full complement of executives from Mercury Marine including Rick Mackie, Marketing Director for Mercury Racing, and Scott Reichow from Mercury Propellers, got a firsthand feel for what a poker run is all about. Paramedic boats were provided by David Gronke in his 40¡¯ Baja and Fountain Powerboats CEO David Knight in one of his company¡¯s center consoles. Back to the drivers, Kirkland outlined the course that was designed by PRA¡¯s Richard Crowder. With the conditions kicking up, it was a good time to doublecheck the waypoints on their GPS before they took off because the conditions were going to spread out the boats more than some might have experienced in the past. Among the new procedures for 2007 was the use of two starts. Boats that could or wanted to run 80 mph or faster would start first. Pace boats were Taylor¡¯s 47¡¯ Fountain, Poker Runs of America and Mark Jameson¡¯s 42¡¯ OuterLimits, Shoot To Thrill and Joe Spina¡¯s 36¡¯ Nor-Tech, Loose Cannon for the first start. The second start was paced by Gene Weeks in a Donzi 38 ZRC and Bob Barnhart in his 52¡¯ Nor-Tech, Predator and Rejean and Jennifer Doucet and their 45¡¯ Sonic, Distraction. After the drivers¡¯ meeting ended, and vocalist Kimberly Cooper sang a poignant rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the teams fired up a combined 100,000 thundering hp, removed docklines, buckled pfds and paraded out from the Hyatt and from Marina Jack. The two fleets assembled in Sarasota Bay and the unofficial favorite boat of many of the all-male teams was the Simrad-sponsored Donzi center console with a bevy of bathing beauties on board. A handful of center-console boats from Donzi and Fountain were on-hand and worked well in the conditions, proving that these boats truly have a place in poker runs. Don¡¯t be surprised to see more in the future. Perhaps the best ride of the day was enjoyed by the crew of the 48¡¯ Fountain Express Cruiser, Fountain 1 entered by our new sponsor Sports USA. With its triple Yanmars and Arneson surface drives, the wide-body cruiser provided the ideal mix of comfort and performance for the conditions. Most of the poker runners wisely heeded Kirkland¡¯s warnings about staying in the channel as the boats headed out through New Pass. This area is notorious for shifting shoals and sandbars and has been known to claim even experienced offshore racers during the annual July 4th Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix. More than one competitor¡¯s weekend has ended on this spot before the green flag ever flew. After leaving New Pass, the pace boats brought the boats on plane and a winter¡¯s worth of anticipation was unleashed as the boats headed south on about a 65-70-mile run heading straight into the waves with the wind coming out of the east. Most drivers had drives trimmed all the way in or at level with the a lot of starboard tab applied and almost no port tab down to set the best attitude. Unofficial rough ride of the day went to Mario Mareno¡¯s 28¡¯ Baja, Pure Adrenaline, which was powered by a pair of 600-hp engines. Because of dredging at Boca Grande Pass, the runners had to head out into the gulf about a mile to Bell Buoy #2 before making a hard turn to port and heading toward the lunch stop at Harpoon Harry¡¯s in Punta Gorda, Fla. Trim settings changed in a hurry because suddenly drivers and throttlemen were running in a quartering sea off the starboard stern of the boat and drives and tabs were picked up to keep the bows from digging in. Once the boats passed the Coast Guard cutter (your tax dollars at work) to indicate the turn-in point to Harpoon Harry¡¯s undoubtedly some drivers couldn¡¯t resist the temptation to ignore Kirkland¡¯s warnings of a 50-mph speed in the harbor to stretch their boat¡¯s and engines¡¯ legs as evidenced by their high-speed blasts to lunch. Upon arrival at Harpoon Harry¡¯s (see sidebar for details on the restaurant), the crews where greeted by Roger and Marilyn LaPierre, long time poker runners, who live close to Harpoon Harry¡¯s, and spent many hours helping us with all the docking, fueling and lunch arrangements for this event. We would like to thank Roger, Marilyn and also Chris Evans (GM of Harpoon Harry¡¯s) for all their hard work and help. As with the Hyatt, slip space was limited, so when crews were nourished, they were encouraged to head to the next card stop. After lunch, the boats were free to finish the run at their own pace. They headed out across Charlotte Harbor South on the Intercoastal Waterway to the channel to South Seas Island Resort. When the boats passed in front of the main T-dock, they were recorded by APRA officials and headed on their way, passing through Redfish Pass and back into the gulf. Then it was about 70 miles in the Gulf of Mexico back to New Pass. With the waves at their back, the boats flew with ease. Once they hit New Pass, they idled to Marina Jack for the final number recording of the day. Then it was back to the Hyatt to get cleaned up and party Poker Runs America Style. A first-class event was enjoyed by all as the teams watched Stu McDonald¡¯s video footage. Joy Gray made a presentation about the upcoming Fort Myers, Fla., event and gave information about a very worthwhile charity, www.voicesforkids.org As the suspense built, early on, James Lee¡¯s Skater 46, Freedom US1 drew a flush, (2,3,5,8,Q hearts) and looked like the boat to beat. Try as they might, others couldn¡¯t beat it and the hand took the overall first place prize of more than $15,000 including the trophy, a check, a $5,000 Snap-On tool box, $3,500 Gevril time piece, a Mercury Racing propeller certificate, a U-Flex steering wheel, a Pentax camera, a trailer tongue jack, a robe and dock certificate from South Seas Plantation, a bouquet of roses from Rio Roses, a sword from Aqua Toy Store, an impressive gift basket from Mindy Dollar, owner of Dollar Offshore and other accessories. Afterwards, Lee, who is a former racer in the Superboat classes, said, ¡°No, we never won this much. Poker runs are definitely better and more fun for everyone. We blew a headgasket so this will pay for the motor.¡± He added, ¡°This is fantastic. It¡¯s great to win and it¡¯s fun to always be with your friends at a poker run. Second went to Jim Wiley¡¯s XXX team, which runs a 47¡¯ OuterLimits. They had three Aces and a prize package worth $3,800 with many of the same prizes found in the first-place assortment, plus a JL Audio system supplied by South West Florida Navigation. Taking third was Edward Howell in his 38¡¯ Donzi. He had three sevens, which earned a prize package worth $2,000. But the real winners were all the poker runners who had a great time and showed their skills in the challenging gulf conditions. Other prizewinners included: Best Graphics: Michael Craig, 44¡¯ MTI, Hammertime. Best Dressed Crew: The Donzi Girls. Most Exotic Engine Room: Dr. Bill Schmid¡¯s Skater 36, Catisfaction. (Page Top) (More pictures...)

Bill Taylor should not have any engine problems, not with four Mercury Racing staff aboard.


Michael Schnell and crew aboard the 38¡¯ Formula ¡°Inferno.¡±


The 43¡¯ Donzi entered by Grove Harbor Marine.


George Boyd in his new Nor-Tech.


The D¡¯Agostinos with Capt. Jenine at the wheel.


Joseph Trapuzzano is wondering if the
chopper is going to land on his deck.


Frank and Jenine D¡¯Agostino and crew waiting for the start.


Enjoying the Friday evening cocktail party.


Performance boats and center consoles go head to head.

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