December 2005 Powerboat Magazine
       NEWS & NOTES
                  TIMEOUT WITH 12.05

Bill Taylor
                BILL TAYLOR

You don’t catch up with Bill Taylor-he moves too fast-you intercept him. You find out where he’s going to be next, and for the 62-year-old poker-run impresario and publisher of Poker Runs America magazine, that can be just about anywhere in North America. Taylor is among the busiest men in the high-performance marine industry. When he’s not participating in one of the 20 or so poker runs his organization put on a year, he’s either getting on or off a plane or coming in or out of a meeting. Taylor, who raced motorcycles in the 1960s and bought his first performance boat in the 1980s, never stops moving. A former advertising salesman, he started a trade magazine for the recreational vehicle industry, from snowmobiles to motor homes, and eventually built a publishing empire that includes Power Boating Canada and Poker Runs America magazines. He built a circuit of poker runs that, despite increasing competition, remains the strongest and best known. And through his American Poker Runs Association, he helps other entities organize their own events. We intercepted the Toronto native, who, naturally, was just heading into a meeting for a planned poker runs television series.
– MATT TRULIO

 PB: What’s the most challenging aspect of organizing a poker run?

BT: (laughs) Just getting everybody there, to tell the truth, because there are so many events. With about 80 events a year, there might be five or six happening on the same weekend. With all the events, we’ve actually made it easier for people to attend. There might be four happening in the same area. The second challenge is to maintain safety. This is a family sport, and the boats are going a lot faster today.

PB: Your runs have a reputation for strict adherence to the rules, especially those regarding no alcohol consumption during the run and mandatory PFD use on the water. Your “water on the water, beer on the pier” mantra is well known.

BT: Yes, we’re strict. We disqualify people if they’re not following the rules. It’s not done in public-it’s done on the ‘QT’ so we don’t embarrass anyone-but we disqualify people at every event. They know from then on. We watch it all very closely.

PB: Still, even with a great safety record and strictly enforced rules, it must be tough to insure a fleet of high performance boats, many of which can top 150 mph.

BT: Yes, it’s very difficult. And as you know, most of the people who run these boats have their own agendas. But we’re quite strict with the rules like keeping them behind the pace boats until we reach open water.

PB: Have you had a major accident during an event?

BT: Touch wood, no. But there are accidents every day of the week, and an accident could happen during one of our poker runs. I’ve never had one, but a propeller or an outdrive could break in a turn at 80 mph. Or a driver could make an error. That’s why they’re called accidents. Things do happen.

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PB: Accidents can happen when all the rules are in place. The tragedy at the Smoke on the Water poker run event this summer proved that.

BT: That’s right, and an accident is an accident and it’s not a reason to condemn the sport.

PB: Do you have a favorite poker run?

BT: Well, the big one, granddaddy event, is the 1000 Islands Poker Run-it’s the big Can-Am event. It brings the biggest and the best from the poker runners and the manufacturers. We close it at 140 boats.

PB: What’s the most enjoyable aspect of putting on a poker run?

BT: Seeing the smiles on the faces of the people when they come in at the end of the day. Everyone is smiling, and not just the poker runners. The manufacturers enjoy it too. It’s nice to know you’ve been a part of that.

“Most of the people who run these boats have their own agendas. But we’re quite strict with the rules like keeping them behind the pace boats”/

PB: What’s the toughest part of being a poker-run organizer?

BT: Handing last-minute details when you get to an event. Your paramedics might not have arrived. I had a person have a heart attack at breakfast once and our paramedics saved him. Everything has to be in place, and sometimes we have to scramble at the last minute.

PB: Have poker runs grown or benefited from the continual unrest and political instability in offshore racing?

BT: (long Pause) Here’s my philosophy: We have people who have a passion for speed and performance, but they don’t want to go racing. They want to enjoy the speed and performance aspects of their boats with their families. Then, some decided to take it to the next level and go racing, they get hooked. When they are through with racing, they come back to poker runs. But before they go racing, they go poker running. It’s a circle, and it’s still growing by leaps and bounds.