LAKE LANIER – An armada of boats lined the aquatic race course Saturday, watching the first of several scheduled races in the 8th annual Pirates of Lanier Charity Poke Run.
It was not yet noon; the sun hid behind a thinly overcast sky making conditions ideal Rain in past years had kept a lot of spectators at home, but not today.
The noise was already deafening. My vantage point, according to my boat’s onboard GPS, was where the old Chestatee River bed emptied into the Chattahoochee River.
I was a 100 yards from the nearest shoreline but could see in up and down the river well over a hundred spectator boats lining either side, bobbing in the non-stop boat wakes as one high-performance boat after another thundered past.
I have never been to a NASCAR event but have been told this morning’s roar of supercharged marine engines is very similar.
A large cabin cruiser flying the Jolly Roger on its bow passed me, headed south, loaded with people dressed as pirates. They waved cutlasses and in the air, shouting for boats to stay back, the race leaders were on the return leg of the event and would need plenty of room.
I always listen to pirates waving cutlasses.
Within moments a black tunnel-hulled boat with the word “Windship” painted on its side flew passed me like nothing this old salt has ever seen before on Lake Lanier.
According to the website, MarineTechnologyInc, “Windship” is a 48-foot MTI Catamaran built in 2011 for owner John Woodruff and sports twin (2) Mercury Racing 1350 engines. A YouTube video shows it running nearly 160 miles per hour.
Today “Windship” was probably not far from that speed as it skimmed across the surface, causing a chase helicopter to surrender to the catamaran’s speed and pull away to follow another boat running a bit slower.
The event is organized by Lake Lanier Partners and donates funds generated by the weekend-long extravaganza to various charities dedicated to helping children.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/7/423539/pirates-invade-lake-lanier