Wozencraft World Tour To Notch ‘Firsts’ In Wisconsin
Every year, Devin Wozencraft, the owner of a 34-foot Victory catamaran recently repowered with Mercury Racing 500R outboard engines by Julian Maldonado and the team at Manatee Marine Unlimited in Palmetto, Fla., embarks on the Wozencraft Insurance Agency “World Tour,” a tongue-in-cheek name for a slew of poker runs he enjoys around the country. But the point of his extended road-trip goes beyond having a good time on the water, renewing acquaintances and making new friends—it’s about drumming up new business and, of course, visiting with existing clients.
For Wozencraft, the inaugural Bago Big Bet on Lake Winnebago in June won’t just be his first time on Wisconsin water—it will be his first visit to the state. Photo from the 2024 Joey Gratton Memorial New Year’s Day Fun Run by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
But new events are rare for the high-performance marine insurance and finance man, which is why he’s eager to check out the Bago Big Bet in Oshkosh, Wis. Wozencraft registered for the Mercury Racing-presented happening set for June 20-23 yesterday.
“I’ve never boated in Wisconsin—I’ve never even been to Wisconsin let alone Oshkosh or Fond du Lac—so this is going to be a first,” he said. “My friends at Mercury Racing invited me to stop by for their first inaugural poker run this coming summer. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Wozencraft isn’t the only high-profile member of the national go-fast boating community who has signed up for the event. As previously reported, Good Boy Vodka principal Alex Pratt of Michigan, who is returning to Class 1 offshore racing circuit this season, is registered for the four-day event and is one of its sponsors.
The Bago Big Bet, which opened registration last month and will be capped at 100 boats, is something of a mid-point on Wozencraft’s 2024 tour. He already has the Joey Gratton Memorial New Year’s Day Fun Run and Fort Myers Offshore Hyatt House Fun Run—both in Southwest Florida—under his belt. Next up is the April 11-14 Florida Powerboat Club Tampa Bay Fun and, later that month, the Desert Storm Poker Run in Arizona, where he annually sponsors a card-stop. From there he heads to Kentucky for the Kuttawa Cannonball Run, set for May 31-June, ahead of the Wisconsin happening.
As it did in 2023 with the company’s Tanah Kinsey joining in the fun, the 2024 Wozencraft World Tour will conclude in Key West, Fla. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.
Following the Bago Big Bet, Wozencraft heads to Michigan for the Boyne Thunder Poker Run July 11-14, New York for the 1,000 Islands Charity Poker Run July 18-24, Ohio for the August 1-4 Lake Erie Offshore Powerboat Association Thunderfest Poker Run, Missouri for the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout August 20-25, Kentucky for the Lake Cumberland Poker Run September 5-8 and Georgia for the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run September 13-16. He finishes up the 2024 Wozencraft World Tour with a pair of Florida Powerboat Club events, the Emerald Coast Poker Run September 19-22 and the Key West Poker Run November 5-10.
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