• "To The Little Guys", Captain America: The First Avenger

    As a pre-Captain America was toasting his upcoming transformation into a much bigger and tougher super hero ready to save the world through the magic of science, he probably didn't know that some Little Guys can make it in the outside world without any magical transformation into some larger entity. If there is any question about little guys being tough, check out Bruce Lee at 5' 8" and 141 lbs. So maybe being tough, or in the thick of a contest has nothing to do with size, maybe it's just Karma.....

    Karma refers to the principle of causality where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Short version, the belief that the universe just lines up as if to say, "You deserve this" good or bad. It seems that Boyne Thunder, high on the bucket list of must attend poker runs, is the perfect example that Karma really does exist. This year the overall winner with the best hand just happened to be the smallest boat in the run, by far!!



    Waiting to show 'em what we can do!

    It's as if the Offshore Karma Spirits were all sitting around again this year, (probably sipping Captain and Coke's), and said, "Hey, you see that little guy over there? Not only did he work his butt off rebuilding that Avanti into a smooth running offshore performance boat, he went completely out of his way to blow his entire budget and come up here all by himself." I can picture a few grunts and comments around the bar. Probably something like "So, there have been several over time who have done kind of similar things and besides, we usually punish bad intent, not reward good actions".


    Looking like a lot of fun, no butterflies here.

    Then, another deity pipes up, "But not only did he come all the way up here by himself with an untested rebuilt boat, he also gave another first time participant (who's poker run ride had broken down) the opportunity to enjoy the run by giving him the shotgun seat. Not many would help out a complete stranger like that".


    Hmmmm, don't see anything out here to concern us, but who's that big guy following us?

    Another pipes up with something like, "I get your point, but I'm going to need some more convincing. I know he rebuilt the dash and replaced the seats and modified the console and rebuilt the interior and replaced just about everything possible there was, bolted on or part of the boat. But what else is there?"

    "Well, there were 100 boats in the run this year and this little guy is a 22' Avanti. The next smallest boats to enter the run were a 28' Skater and a 28' Velocity. After that, nothing less than 30' took the challenge". Some whispering and murmurs around the room and then another pipes up, "I did see the mess at the start of the run, seemed like the little guy was fearless".



    We'll just tuck in here behind this guy.


    This isn't so bad. Although for single file it kinda seems goofed up a bit.

    Another Karma Deity chimes in, "I did notice a couple times where he was in a heck of a lot of crappy slosh, but didn't pull off or back down from those big guys at all. Maybe you're right, the world could use more little guys 'cause everyone seems to gravitate towards the big guys.




    Well, maybe I spoke a bit too soon but we do love a challenge!

    So after a few minutes of pondering, and a few more sips on their Captain and Cokes, they discuss the run a bit. One jumps in with a laugh and a comment, "Did you guys notice the northern part of the run? It seemed like a few times that thing was more airplane than boat. I swear once they could of slammed a beer after takeoff before they re-entered the water". Another, "Yeah, I did see that, the first thing that popped into my head when they were flying was that line in Days of Thunder that was something like "This is gonna hurt". Did any of you get a chance to read the mind of the passenger? As yet another chimes in, "Well, at least neither of them had to change their underwear, although it may have been a bit close a couple times".


    Gettin' ready to go flying, Courtesy: Shoot 2 Thrill's Pete Boden

    As the chuckles roll around the room a few even have tears in their eyes from laughing, the leader says, "Well, I'm convinced. As I muse through the list of pros in my mind, there certainly doesn't seem to be a more deserving participant to have an awesome ending to their weekend with a good Karma reward for a job well done than the little guy. Does anyone here have any negative comments at all?" As they all look around the room, and not a single negative comment comes up, the leader takes the vote. It was unanimous, the little guy's deeds over the rebuild of the boat on a small budget, the trip all by himself, the assistance to a stranded first time poker runner, and the ability to fly through all of the big guys stuff had won them over.

    Bad Karma rewards would have to wait for some other year, good Karma was the winner this year. So, when the hands were being reviewed, and the little guy heard he had a full house, he still couldn't believe he had a winner. But, he had not just a winner, but the best hand overall winner and the Karma sprits had done their work for this event, this year. The little guy budget is looking much better again, and once again good deeds get rewarded by Karma too.



    Smiles all around, but tax paperwork to fill out too.

    One thing we will never know for sure, were they rewarding the little guy boat, the little guy budget, the little guy who worked his butt off, or all of the above. But, as the sun sets on another day, and the little guys dream of making their mark in a world where it seems the big guy gets all of the attention, remember Karma. Karma seems to have a way of evening out the world and making it as it should be. Just ask Captain America.......


    And to all a good night, sweet dreams and "Here's to Karma and the little guy ".......

    Threads about the boat and rebuild.
    http://seriousoffshore.com/forums/sh...629&highlight=
    http://seriousoffshore.com/forums/sh...250&highlight=
    Comments 8 Comments
    1. Bobcat's Avatar
      Bobcat -
      I noticed they made him park in the Ohio section...Segregation is alive and well in (checks thread) Michigan.....those normal playing cards look huge in his hands..
    1. phragle's Avatar
      phragle -
      Wow, I am humbled and pretty much speechless. All I can say is that I love boats, I live boats and it was one hell of a lot of fun!! I also need to thank my instructor at the GlassDave Academy. He has been a tremendous amount of help and inspiration!
    1. rschap1's Avatar
      rschap1 -


    1. Ratickle's Avatar
      Ratickle -
      You certainly deserve the accolades for what you've accomplished.
    1. phragle's Avatar
      phragle -
      Next year Im showing up with 200 more hp and a bunch more torque..... who ever is riding with me better bring the depends....
    1. Ratickle's Avatar
      Ratickle -
      And a kidney belt sounds like......
    1. RT930turbo's Avatar
      RT930turbo -
      Quote Originally Posted by phragle View Post
      Next year Im showing up with 200 more hp and a bunch more torque..... who ever is riding with me better bring the depends....
      I'm in!
    1. Ratickle's Avatar
      Ratickle -
      Wear a snorkel......