Holy Cow!!!

Holy Cow (!!!) was the name of one of the Poker Run boats we saw, but it also describes the whole "Thunder On the Bay" experience. Keewaydin State Park has one of the biggest launch ramps in the area and can handle the many boats that come for this Poker Run America event. That's why we planned on camping there for the first few nights of our trip. What fun it was to watch these boats come in, launch, and start up their boats!

At one point we were out on the road and saw this catamaran sideways on its trailer and made a quick U-turn to go back to the park, because we knew that was where it was headed. What a rig and boat this was!

It hydraulically righted itself to become flat and ready for being put in the water.

The owner did all the work himself and he was such a normal guy, talking freely to us about the boat and his addiction to boating. In fact many of these boat owners were just normal people (many with families on board) with a bit of money to spend on what they love to do.

Friday evening and Saturday morning we walked the docks in Alexandria Bay, looking at all the different boats. They certainly are diverse and there is a vast array of powerful engines.

There was even the biggest Boston Whaler we have ever seen...a 42 foot Outrage with 4-350 outboards on it!

We talked to the skipper of the pace boat about where the turbine engine Aqua-Mania was, because we hadn't seen it, but he said that they were having some issues. What a bummer because Alex Bay is this popular boat's home port.

The only twin turbine powered canopy boat on hand was My Way and the dock was literally packed with people waiting to hear it spool up to start. It needs that enclosed canopy area, because it has been clocked at going 242 mph!

I loved seeing the heat rising from the jet exhaust as the boat made its way out to the start of the run.

There were spectators galore too, and the boats all did a parade lap behind the pace boat past the park where we were (I'm glad we were on land and not kayaking). Then the green flag was up and they were off towards Ogdensburg, then back to Clayton and finishing back at Alex Bay.

You couldn't miss the helicopter in hot pursuit!

Here is a quick video to give you an idea of the experience as they pass by Boldt Castle. Listen closely and you can hear the turbine.

On Sunday when we were kayaking, we got to see all the boats head back to the launch ramp. What a great event to come up to the 1000 Islands for! I think that there was even more enthusiasm this year because the poker run had to be cancelled last year due to the high water and flooding. We'll be back!