29th Annual Battleship Run
Date and Time
Friday Jul 19, 2019 Sunday Jul 21, 2019
Friday, July 19th to Sunday, July 21st
Location
The Show Boat Motel in Hammondsport NY
Description
Want to know what our run is all about? Tom Warda explains it better than I ever could:
In general, a Poker Run is a great excuse to meet lots of other folks who share your love (affliction?) for high-performance boating whilst possibly winning neat stuff and donating to a worthy charity. The Rochester Offshore Battleship Run starts out with almost everybody arriving Friday night and getting settled in to their hotel rooms, getting their boats launched and into a slip, then enjoying some entertainment while meeting the rest of the participants. At some point during the evening, a lie or two may be shared.
Saturday morning starts out with all of the OCD types (like me) wiping their boats down and making final preparations for a full day on the water. Then there’s breakfast followed by the Driver‘s Meeting where everybody gets to hear how the day will go and what the important rules are. (Having safe fun, being respectful of other boaters, no passing the Pace Boats, PFD’s while on plane and no alcohol until the run is finished are the biggies.)
Next, you pick a “fleet” that you’re comfortable running with based on pace speed. (45-50 MPH, 65-70 MPH and 100+ MPH are the usual choices.) Then it’s out to the boats where everybody mills until the Pace Boat picks up your fleet and leaves for the first stop. On this run, that means about an 18 mile trip north to Barrett Marine where you will pick up your first “cards” by pulling up next to a dock and reaching into a fishing net extended to you. Then it’s off to stop #2 back at the hotels, then another 19 miles to stop #3 in Watkins Glen where you also get to eat lunch, relax and tell lies to all of your new friends. Finally, there’s an “un-paced” (on your own) run back to the hotels in time for dinner (and more lies). After dinner, it’s time for prizes, awards, the big donation to Mercy Flight Emergency Helicopter Service, funny stories, more lies, then a live band for entertainment. Oh, and you can now drink too.
On Sunday morning, some folks pack up and leave, but a surprising number stick around for more boating and telling of lies. It’s all up to you.
Sound like fun? You bet! Hope to see you there!
