• Boyne Thunder 2018, Almost Perfect

    What else can be said. Almost perfect weather. Almost perfect water. Almost perfect events. And almost perfect food. Boyne Thunder once again improved the package which had already become known as the "World's Best Poker Run".




    This year's Boyne Thunder Poker Run was maybe the best yet. We had some rain Friday during the street party and Stereo War, but other than that there was not much to complain about. A bit of near shore fog on Saturday on Lake Michigan, but that burned off fairly quickly.

    The event started with the lunch run to Bay Harbor on Thursday, leaving Round Lake around 10:30 AM. Well, there was rain and thunderstorms in the forecast, so many of the people drove up by car instead of their planned boat trip, (including us). But, other than a few drizzles, everything stayed pretty dry. Lunch was a really nice buffet set up in the tent, right next to a couple of great restaurants if you wanted a menu item. Those who boated up were the winners as no thunderstorms popped up. Dang weathermen once again.




    On Friday, some went out to play and see the area.



    But the key event of the day, giving boat rides to those less fortunate from Camp Quality. This is the main reason Boyne Thunder was started 15 years earlier, and is still the main reason Boyne Thunder exists yet today.




    On Saturday, time for the main event. First the driver's meeting.



    The weather cooperated, the water cooperated, and almost all of the boats cooperated.
    Some of Group Four heading out across Lake Charlevoix to the No Wake zone in Round Lake and the Channel to Lake Michigan.




    Pete Boden of Shoot 2 Thrill Pix, Photographer and Tom MacKnight of Tmack Productions, Videographer in the helicopter.




    Then it was through the channel to Lake Michigan for the morning half of the run. This year that portion of the run was reversed. First to North Port, then to Elk Rapids, and finally back to Charlevoix for lunch.





    Off to the first half on Lake Michigan by a couple of the boats entered. Beautiful water and conditions.




    Then back to Charlevoix for the big raft up and lunch. Lunch received great reviews from everyone I spoke with. Instead of the half a grilled chicken it's been in the past, there were selections of grilled chicken breast, chicken salad wraps, grilled brats, etc. Everybody said it was really good to have multiple choices, not just one main entrée. The not quite perfect part, nothing for vegetarians.



    After lunch it was off for the second half of the run. During the second half was when the accident happened where participants hit an object, since found to be a marker buoy or anchor, which tore a drive off the boat causing it to spin out and throw 4 of the six people in the boat into the water. One occupant broke her pelvis, a couple others had some serious bruising. But, luckily every one had their required life vests on and the driver was wearing his tether. Link: http://seriousoffshore.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=27069

    Everybody is expected to make full recoveries with time.





    Then back to the docks for dinner, the auction to raise money for the charities, and best hands. The dinner was outstanding. Maybe some of the best tenderloin I've had in my life. It was so good, many of the competitors stayed right by the tenderloin server, after everybody was pretty much done eating, and munched on slices until it was gone.

    The winners!!




    The only thing I heard from participants which was a negative;, because they reversed the morning run, and the first card stop was only 20 miles from the channel mouth instead of the mid-thirty miles to the previous first card stop, too many boats arrived at the same time.

    As said, almost perfect!!
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