SBI Charlotte Harbor 2014, Info and Livestream Link

Welcome to the Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix

This is one of the most exciting international events to come to Charlotte County!

The festivities will begin Friday April 11th and run until race day April 13th 2014. This will be a NON-PARKING EVENT which means there will be no parking available on Manasota Key for race goers but instead there is designated satellite parking within 5-8 miles of the event. Race fans will be able to enjoy a comfortable, air-conditioned, & chauffeured ride to the event all three days without the hassles of fighting traffic or finding parking.

Our coaches will be running at regular intervals to insure quick and easy transportation to and from the event throughout the scheduled event day. We encourage race fans to check here and our social media pages for updates regularly on event details.
Thank you and we can’t wait to see you at the race!

Schedule

April 11th
Super Boat Parade DOWN TOWN PUNTA GORDA
Location: DOWN TOWN PUNTA GORDA Parade starts at 4:30 PM . Location and parade route map here.

APRIL 12th
Beach Party! Live Bands PLUS!!! Bikini & Beefcake Contest
Music by American Made - Southern Drawl Band

APRIL 13th
RACE DAY!

Englwood Beach will come to life with the thunder of thousands of horse power screaming by at incredible speeds!

http://youtu.be/4spA8cKZvXk

Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix is on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charl...44026412405836

Organizers respond to parade concerns

Published: Feb 21, 2014 5:30 PM EST
Updated: Feb 21, 2014 6:31 PM EST

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Merchants are voicing concerns about street closures during parades.

"To close our street it just kills us," says Debi Malinoski.

Debie open Hip Notique on West Marion Avenue three years ago. She says merchants here count on every customer this time of year.

"We bank our profits in season to get us through down season," she adds.

It's why she's not happy to hear the Charlotte Harbor Super Bat Grand Prix Parade will close oart of her street to traffic for at least four hours on April 11th.

"On a good day, if people can't park out here on the street, they come in the next day or the day after and they'll say, 'I came three times this week and I couldn't park my car.' Even though there's a parking deck behind us there's an empty lot over there if they can't park nine out of 10 times they're going to go," she adds.

"What we're hoping is that the traffic that they would be losing, the vehicle traffic, will be replaced tenfold by pedestrian traffic," says Diane Harper.

Harper is the parade committee chairperson. She says the event is expected to bring thousands of people to downtown and the weekend is projected to generate at least eight to ten million dollars for the county.

"I just hope everyone can look at the bright side of this and see it for the economic opportunity that it is," she adds.

The parade will run from about 4:30 to 8 on April 11th. Organizers say as the event gets closer they want to talk with merchants and hopefully relieve some of their concerns.

Entire Article with Video http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florid...arade-concerns

Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix Home Page

http://www.chsbgp.com/

Florida: Inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix powerboat race planned

Tranquil Manasota Key’s going to get loud when the inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix powerboat race lets loose next month. Teams are expected to begin arriving on April 11 to stage their boats and equipment at designated “dry pits” along Englewood Beach/Chadwick Park. Fans can come see their favorite teams throughout the weekend. Events are planned all weekend, including a parade in Punta Gorda, live music and VIP parties, all leading up to April 13, when the boats howl along the coast at speeds reaching 180 mph. Don’t blink.

Details: http://www.chsbgp.com/ www.charlotteharbortravel.com.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/0...#storylink=cpy

Inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix kicks off Friday

Posted: Friday, April 11, 2014 7:43 am
0 comments

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL- Inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix races into Charlotte County April 11 – 13, 2014.Super Boat racing is the highest class of powerboat racing in the world, with competitors’ speeds reaching up to 180 mph. The event features two races on Sunday taking place in the Gulf of Mexico between Stump Pass and Englewood Beach off Manasota Key.

Sanctioned by Super Boat International, the races take place along a course of approximately five miles with multiple turns, over which the boats can reach 180 miles per hour. The races are longer than most powerboat races, at approximately 45 minutes, but still shorter than many car races.

Teams begin arriving Thursday, April 10 and stage their boats and equipment at the designated “dry pits” along Englewood Beach/Chadwick Park. Fans can see their favorite teams throughout the weekend. At Friday’s parade in Punta Gorda, when teams test the waters on Saturday, and on Sunday during the two races at noon and 2:00 p.m., fans can watch all the on-the-water excitement from the from Englewood Beach and Stump Pass Beach.

WHEN/WHERE:

Note: There will be no parking at the race site Saturday/Sunday; there will be 11 satellite parking areas and shuttle buses will transport visitors to the viewing area.

Friday, April 11 - Parade and display in Punta Gorda, with parade step-off at 4:30 p.m. and a static boat display downtown 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 - Manasota Key: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. meet and greet with drivers at “dry pits,” VIP parties, beach party with live music, bikini & beefcake contest, vendors and boat testing all day.
Sunday, April 13 - Race Day on Manasota Key. Two races: noon and 2:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony at 5:00 p.m.

http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/inaug...a4bcf6878.html

http://www.chsbgp.com/

Boat races to draw big crowds in Englewood

By Shelby Webb
Published: Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 3:38 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 3:38 p.m.

ENGLEWOOD - This sleepy retirement community is bracing this weekend for the biggest sporting event it has ever hosted.

FRIDAY:
A parade featuring most of the boats that will be racing Sunday will roll through Downtown Punta Gorda starting at 4 p.m. Friday.

SATURDAY:
Englewood Beach Race Village will be open starting at 9 a.m., and live entertainment will perform from noon until 5 p.m. Bands will play from noon to 3:30 p.m., and the Bikini and Beef Cake Contest will happen from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m.

SUNDAY:
The first race will begin at noon, but visitors are encouraged to arrive an hour or more before then to claim a spot. The second race will begin at 2 p.m., and the awards ceremony will commence at 5 p.m.

Where to park Saturday and Sunday:

Regular parking:
To the North, the Elks Lodge parking lot off of S.R. 776 near the intersection with Harvard Street will be available, as well as the Englewood Sports Complex.

To get to the Sports Complex, head East at the S.R. 776 intersection with Dearborn Road, then turn north onto Pine Street.

In Southern Englewood, a parking lot will be available just east of the intersection of S.R. 776 and Oriole Boulevard. There will be six other lots clearly marked near the intersection of S.R. 776 and Gulfstream Boulevard.
While many residents are cheering the inaugural Super Boat Grand Prix, others are worried Englewood does not have the parking, roads and other infrastructure to accomodate the event.

Organizers estimate 40,000 and 80,000 visitors will be shuttled from parking lots throughout the Lemon Bay area to Englewood Beach to watch the inaugural Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix this weekend. The competing racing teams are part of an international series that are the power boat equivelants of auto racing's NASCAR or Formula One series.

Festivities kick off Friday during the Boat Parade in Punta Gorda, followed by beachfront entertainment all day Saturday and the races on Sunday.

Jerry York, president of the race, said it has taken three years of planning, countless community meetings and dozens of local partnerships to make the Grand Prix a reality.

“This will be the largest event that Charlotte County has ever had,” York said. “We're very confident.”

But the scale of the event could bring some challenges to unincorporated Englewood, which has a population around 15,000.

Almost all of the roads in the town, except for State Road 776, are two lanes. Those roads become somewhat clogged for Englewood's Pioneer Days, an annual weeklong event that happens before fall each year.

Some worry that the boat races could bring unprecedented jams, especially as tourist season is still in full force.

Ben Kelly, who moved to Englewood from Atlanta in 2002, said he plans to stay off the roads this weekend.

“Traffic is going to be a nightmare,” Kelly said. “Anywhere you can get a car will become a parking spot.”

York insists that boat traffic and vehicle will flow as usual, but there will be more boats in the water and cars on the road than usual.

He encouraged visitors to only park in the designated parking lots and to keep their cars away from the bridges to the key.

Still, York said, his message has been quashed by rumors running rampant throughout Englewood. Whispers of road closings and bridge closings have plagued him for months.

“It only takes a few people, whether in a bar or barber shop, and they'll say: You know I heard you can't take your personal boats out,” York said. “And that's just not true.”

A TV news station also incorrectly reported that the Manasota Bridge would be closed for the entire weekend — generating more anxiety among those who live on and near the key.

“That caused a hornets' nest for us,” York said. “The Sheriff's Office PIO put out a statement saying it was wrong, but a lot of people still think that's going to be the case. It's not.”

Aside from the traffic worries, many Englewood residents are excited for a new event to bring visitors to the area.

Kelly said he cannot remember any event nearby that generated this much buzz.

“Maybe Hurricane Charley,” Kelly said, joking. “But this is a big deal. It's something that doesn't happen every day

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

See link for video
http://www.abc-7.com/story/25147074/...lipId=10011830

Tom Adams Bridge to remain open during Manasota Key Super Boat Race

The Super Boat International Grand Prix race planned for Charlotte County is expected to draw as many as 80,000 people to the shores of Manasota Key -- but now, a recent decision to make the race a non-driving event to ease traffic flow is causing a lot of controversy among residents and business owners.

Year after year, Manasota Key becomes less and less of a hidden gem.

"It's like having your home invaded," said Beth Ann Berkhart of Englewood.

Englewood Beach may look crowded this time of year, but 80,000 people seems almost unimaginable for Berkhart.

"I look for some chaos, I look for some disruption, I look for some tempers to fly," she said.

Last year, Charlotte County agreed to gamble $250,000 of taxpayer money and give it to first-time boat race organizers with hopes it'll pay off.

"I've extended my stay just for the boat race," said Jennifer Henn, a seasonal waitress on Manasota Key. "That's how excited I am for the boat races."

Although others, like owner of Gulf View Grill Keyes Elmore, aren't seeing the sunny side of things.

"We found out they were taking the parking lot away," said Elmore. "Well, this idea isn't what it's cracked up to be and it almost seems to be a logistical impossibility."

Englewood Beach will be closed to parking.

Business owners said that's the busiest time of the year on Manasota Key.

Others are also worried about how food vendors could possibly put a damper on a time when restaurant seats are usually packed with people.

"I worry not only about what's going to happen to myself and my contemporaries here that are in business, but the people that live there," said Elmore.

There will be no road closures during the race.

Regarding the Tom Adams Bridge to get onto Manasota Key – the bridge will not be closed to any road traffic either.

On Saturday April 12 and Sunday 13, Tom Adams Bridge (drawbridge) will be raised for boats to pass "on-demand" as usual; except for the times of 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. for which the bridge will be raised every 30 minutes.

http://www.abc-7.com/story/25147074/...uper-boat-race

Livestream

http://new.livestream.com/sbi/charlotteharbor2014

Livestream will begin their live broadcast at 11:45 AM this morning and the first race is scheduled for 12:00 Noon.

Attachment 78247

SBI did a really good job on the first race, especially with Dan on color and paying attention to the race monitors. Coverage was also okay for the second race, but the announcers didn't follow the action nearly as well so it was almost impossible to figure out who was where and what the attrition was for the different classes.

Overall another improvement over last year so nice to know they are still learning.