Sponsored in part by Formula Boats, the fifth annual Rock The River Fun Run outside Cincinnati is set for August 15-18. The event, which is once again benefitting the Cecil Dye Foundation and raised $25,000 for the organization in 2023, opened May 16. The current fleet stands at 51 boats and will be capped at 100 boats.
Justin Beischel has already registered his well-known 36-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran for his hometown event. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
“We already have raised more money this year than we did the last two years with sponsorships,” said Pat Feldhaus, who organizes the event with his twin brother, Matt, and friend, Micheal Caligari. “We added a lunch stop at Lighthouse Marina on Saturday, and there are five card stops.
“We will wrap it up at Manhattan Harbour Yacht Club in Dayton, our host venue, with a dinner celebration.”
Some 13 catamarans are among the boats currently registered for the 97-mile run on the Ohio River, including Justin Beischel’s Skater 368 catamaran dubbed Short Circuit, an MTI 390X owned by Zach Martin and a 36-foot Doug Wright owned by Shawn Ramey.
Last year’s fleet topped out at 110 registered boats. Though registration is still open, Feldhaus is expecting the event to sell out soon.
Said Beischel, “I’m pumped. The organizers have been working their tails off, and it always pays off for them.
In 2023, the Ohio-based event attracted 110 entries.
