Somehow, still images don’t quite convey the atmosphere of a poker run. My last post, just after Desert Storm, (and Rick Mackie’s just before) described the breadth of the activities. We posted some photos of the new boats, both on display and in the water. Nevertheless, there’s nothing quite like going on board and feeling the vibe — especially with friends.
Phantom on her way to Card Stop #1.
I managed to hitch a ride with my new friend, Ken Armstrong, on board his 1350 powered 48 MTI “Phantom” for the poker run on Friday and found myself cruising at 159 mph! Hearing “Come on. Let’s go!” I wasn’t about to go back to the rental car for either my GoPro or Drift HD170 camera. So, I videoed with my Flip camera – hand held, no less. My audio sucks, but that’s a function of Ken’s stereo (complete with hydraulically actuated speaker hatches) blowing away the puny mic of my humble little camera – not Ken’s on-board sound system, which could entertain Las Vegas without leaving Lake Havasu!
Boys from Wisconsin mix well with Canadians!
Same time, Brad Macaulay loaded up some of my Wisconsin friends for a tour in his 1100 powered, Mercury Racing Blue, DCB M31 Widebody. More of my friends joined Robert Brown aboard his Mercury Verado powered photo boat for up close viewing of the Poker Run. (My buddies had come to see “Fred’s world” on display in Lake Havasu City. With the help of some marine industry friends, we gave ‘em a show!)
2700 hp and 2700 lb-ft of torque from Mercury Racing push Gary Williams' DCB M31 to 184 mph!
Shortly after the Poker Run event, Tony Chiaramonte and Dave Hemmingson of DCB offered up a casual cruise in Gary Williams’ Green Machine, an M31. Powered with twin 1350s and in the right hands, this craft is capable of 184 mph! With Tony at the controls, we enjoyed some “smack-back” accelerations form the mid-90’s to about 125 mph. WOW! Experiencing 2,700 lb-ft of torque applied to a 31 foot DCB was exciting — with Rex, Dave, Jim and me as passengers, too. Excellent time. More, please.
I did a lot of editing to condense this special day into less than four minutes of video, but I think you’ll get the feel of Desert Storm on the waters of Lake Havasu. Enjoy!