Amelia Island - Sailing Club of the month

8:38 PM Sun 16 Aug 2009 GMT

'Sunday Mornin’ Jazz and The Jade - photo by Charlie Steinkamp' .

Sail-World's Yacht Club of the month is the Amelia Island Sailing Club, for getting their priorities right and in conducting the most innovative yacht event in its annual Poker Run.

Poker Run?

To explain, the Poker Run is firstly where power boat are allowed to participate along with the yachts. Heck, if somebody wanted to, he could probably row the course.

Joe Bowen, the event's committee chairman, had chosen an 8-mile course with plenty of markers. As boats passed one of the designated buoys, rules required the captains to radio the committee boat of their progress, and playing cards were dealt to envelopes with the participating boats' names on them. The cards were for the 'poker' part of the event to be played later.

After all the boats completed the course, the crews met at the Amelia Island Yacht Basin, where Clean Harbour Day was also celebrated with a cookout.

After feasting on hamburgers, hot dogs and all the trimmings, Bowen called the crews together. He handed sealed envelopes containing seven playing cards to each boat captain. The captains then opened the envelopes, chose the best five cards and played their 'poker hand.'

Bob Canon, captain of the sailboat Jade, won the grand prize with two pair, aces high. He won a three-night, four-day stay at Amelia Island Plantation.

The Jade was one of only two boats that actually sailed part of the course, the other being The Mary Wanderer with Commodore Charles Steinkamp. The rest chose to simply enjoy the wonderful weather and motor the eight miles.

The decision to motor might have been made because, during the Poker Run, there was also a fishing contest going on using artificial lures trolled behind the boats.

As usual, it became clear why they call it fishing and not catching. The fish just did not cooperate.

The Mast Confusion crew, however, made the only catch of the day, a 3-foot shark. Canon and his crew did manage to hook the outer range marker - they didn't land it, of course, so there was no prize for that.

... and where's the Amelia Island Yacht Club? If you don't know, we're not telling, as all that matters is that they came up with the most innovative yachting event of the month. Congratulations to all the members!

by Sail-World Cruising

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Amelia Island - Sailing Club of the month

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