Background
A long, long time ago in this very galaxy, Mike and Michelle decided to buy a boat. Yes folks, its been just over ten years since we threw rational thought to the wind and decided to embark upon a journey that has resulted in thrilling highs, torturous lows, a ridiculous amount of fossil fuel consumed, and a great number of invaluable friendships.
To those unfamiliar with our particular brand of aquatic enjoyment, we like to go fast. Our first boat had twin 454 cubic inch V8s and went about 70 mph, our second boat ended up with 540 cubic inch motors and topped out at about 84 mph. "Go-fast" boats, "Cigarette" boats, "Muscle" boats...obnoxious, loud, and really, really fun is our modus operandi.
The Dream
Way back when the whole thing started, I had a dream. My dream was to drive my boat through Government Cut in Miami, Florida, the birthplace of the offshore boat. Some of you might remember the scene in the opening credits of the greatest television show ever produced, Miami Vice, when a bunch of boats were racing around a turn towards a city....yeah...that was it. I thought...how AWESOME would it be if I was to buy a boat in Florida and step into Sonny Crockett's sockless loafers for one incredible moment. It was definitely a long shot, living around Chicago as I do, but, I kept that dream alive in the back of my mind for many a year.
This summer, I found the key to making that dream a reality. After 7 years in our beloved 35 Fountain, we decided we wanted to go bigger. Years of experience with successes and failures in our boating lives had created its own criteria as to what we wanted in our ideal craft and, in the end, only one boat really fit the bill...the Active Thunder 37 Excess. A spacious, well-appointed cabin coupled with an efficient hull and turn-key, fuel-injected Mercury Racing 525 horsepower motors had us heading down to the AT factory in Pompano Beach in July, and finalizing the purchase of the Sommer Thunder in September. That in itself was something of a dream-come-true....but we decided to push the envelop even further, rationalizing our impetus with the mantra "You will only have one shot at this, might as well do it!" We would shoot for the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run...the big daddy of all Poker Runs, coupled with the offshore racing World Championships. We had to make it happen.
Ignition
I would like the preface this tale of adventure by first thanking two persons instrumental in making it possible...my father, Don Sommer, and Pat Haughey, the owner of Active Thunder Powerboats. Without my dad, well, I'm not sure where I'd be in life, and without Pat, I know exactly where I would have been...stuck on a shoal somewhere between Miami and Key West! Now...on with the tale....
Michelle's job as an educator only provides for three vacation days per school year. She had already used one to attend a wedding in Florida in September, so our trip was going to be somewhat abbreviated. This was ok, according to our trip coordinator/advisor/navigator Pat...our livers most likely could not handle a longer trip. We flew down to Ft. Lauderdale after work on Thursday, and spent the night in a hotel on the south side of Pompano Beach. Pat's buddy Mike and his girlfriend Megan picked us up the next morning in what could only be described as the quintessential Florida vehicle...a diesel Ford F250 jacked to the sky with HUGE mudders on it. It took a step stool to get in...actually, a ladder would have been more helpful. We arrived at Active Thunder headquarters at around 8:30, and found our boat and the remainder of our crew, Pat and Jim ready to roll. Now, I am usually a complete freak about time...I am ALWAYS on time, and hate being late more than just about anything in the world. For some reason, the relaxed manner of our Florida compatriots must have shorted out that sector of my brain, and I felt only a mild discomfort when we encountered a blocked highway and subsequent detour through the surface streets of Miami. It might have just been masked by the relief I felt knowing that I wasn't the one pulling a 37 foot boat through a city! The Poker Run was scheduled to leave at 10 am...I was nervous about missing the driver's meeting, but my anxiety was pretty much laughed off by Pat...something that would occur quite a lot in the ensuing days. Pat had been there and done that too many times to remember, and as a personal friend of Stu Jones, President of the Florida Powerboat Club, he assured me there would be no repercussions. We launched the boat at Haulover Inlet in Miami, and went out onto the Atlantic with Pat behind the wheel, the idea being let the actual experienced guy (he has owned the company since 1994) handle what we had heard were "less than optimal" conditions. I had NO problem with this...once again, no anxiety for me! After banging through some 3-4 foot waves on the ocean, we came into Government Cut (and yes, I did find myself kind of tearing up), and met the other Poker Run boats as they headed out. The Key West Poker Run is a multi-day undertaking, with groups leaving each day from Tuesday through Friday...this year totalling some 140 boats. Most everyone had gone down earlier, so our group only consisted of 12 or so.
I slid behind the wheel as we idled out, and got comfortable in the driver's bolster. I had only driven the boat one time prior to this on the day I closed the deal, and then it was only for about 15 minutes. I scanned the boats around us, and immediately recognised an old friend from Chicago, Trent Hammerlinck, on board a 38 Donzi ZR. He was shooting pictures and video with his phone like crazy...I was trying to keep my heart from beating out of my chest...and finding it difficult to look cool and relaxed whilst engaged in this activity. I had known from the start that despite the fact that we now owned this big and beautiful boat capable of speeds in the mid 80s, that we would be one of the smallest and slowest boats on this run. That became immediately apparent, when I scanned the fleet and found a 50 foot NorTech Super V, a 36 NorTech catamaran, a 42 Fountain, 39 Cigarette Top Gun, 37 Hustler Talon, and a couple of 36 Deep Impact center consoles. We hit the gas out into Biscayne Bay, where the water was flat as a pancake, and were soon running in the low 70s, trying to keep up with a couple of boats throwing rooster tails indicative of big horsepower and surface-piercing drives. Pat let me keep that up for a couple minutes to humor me, then suggested I slow down to run with the group behind me at a more reasonable (and fuel-friendly!) 55-60 mph. The idea, he said, is to make it to Key West and back WITHOUT BREAKING. I thought...this is a great idea...and we had something like 320 miles to go to make that happen! I slowed down.
We stopped for lunch about an hour into the run at Gilbert's Resort in Key Largo. There we stretched our legs, had a couple of cocktails, and met some of our fellow Poker Runners. People were walking down the docks taking pictures of the machinery, and I was proud to see that they were actually checking out my new ride. I answered some questions about the run from an Australian couple that had never seen anything like it...they were pretty impressed and amazed at the display of color and horsepower on hand. I made no bones about the speed of my boat compared to the 43 Motion cat and the 43 NorTech cat that were on hand...I proudly pointed out that those boats would likely run TWICE the speed of mine. They just smiled and shook their heads. I have never taken for granted the speed and power and MONEY it takes to keep these things going, and that has fostered a great appreciation and fascination for these machines that is probably pretty apparent to anyone unfortunate enough to be around me when I start reeling off boat statistics.
We got running again, dodging crab traps and passing through mangroves whilst running from one navigational marker to the next...things we DEFINITELY don't have to deal with boating on Lake Michigan. The first 120 miles of the run were the "inside" or Gulf side of the Keys, but in order to make the navigating easier (inside, the water was only 6-7 feet deep in the channel...MUCH shallower elsewhere), we would be going out into the Atlantic for the remaining 40 miles from Marathon Key to Key West. The north wind had been kicking all day....blowing over 20 mph...so there was a lot of chop on the ocean. Pat got behind the wheel again, and we ran very conservatively at around 45 mph through 4 foot following seas. That 40 miles seemed to take forever, but, finally, Key West was in sight, and in no time, we were cruising past Mallory Square and into our home for the next couple days, Garrison Bight. I wasted no time doing what I do best on the boat...CLEAN...she was covered with salt spray, and I do not rest until my boat is shiny...especially considering the company we were now keeping....a 44 MTI as our neighbor, and a 46 Outerlimits next to him...both boats worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Oh...and the rum came out for the first time this trip. We needed a celebratory cocktail or seven! Once we got all set up and Pat and the crew went off in search of their hotel room, I paused and thought...I cannot even believe I am here right now.
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