Desert Storm Update: Rockin' on Havasu

Offshore Powerboaters from all over the country took their shot at being named King of the Desert in the 2009 Desert Storm Poker Run Shootout on Saturday on Lake Havasu. When it was all over, Greg Olson's 33-foot Daytona Eliminator “Fatal Attraction,” took top honors with a speed of 174 mph, a new shootout record. Like every Desert Storm event, thousands of offshore fans took to the streets of Lake Havasu City to check out the boats on display during the Thursday night Street party.

PHOTO CREDITS: All story photos by SeriousOffshore.com member - Tank

One highlight of the event was seeing the amazing 44-foot-long, 14-foot-wide double-decker pontoon boat sponsored by The Naked Pirate Beach Bar at the Pirate Cove Resort. Built in less than a month, the boat's decks, uprights and finishing touches were completed in just six days, said Pirate Cove Sales Director Rob Smith. It's a Tiki-themed masterpiece, and led the parade of performance boats through the channel for the Desert Storm Event.


After its Desert Storm debut, the boat will be used strictly for promotional purposes by the new Pirate Cove Resort, which is located about two miles north of Topock Gorge off Park Moabi Road on the California side of the Colorado River. The boat will make regular weekend runs through Bridgewater Channel to advertise the resort.


Over 170 boats registered for the weekend event, coming from 18 different states and Canada, and 37 were pre-registered to take part in the shootout. ”I’m really pleased with that number," said promoter Jim Nichols with Lake Racer LLC. "I didn’t expect 150, but these are boat owners that work hard and when it comes time to play, they like to play hard.”

Thousands of spectators either lined the shores to watch or boarded their own boats filling Thompson Bay in order to get a closer look. We'd like to thank Seriousoffshore.com member Tank for posting some great photos of the happenings on the lake; these are just a few - to see more, head over to www.seriousoffshore.com and sign up!