Commentary—Garden State Bonds Mature

From the early-to-late 2000s, the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club was among the most vibrant organizations of its kind. The outfit was founded by the late Raymond Patnaude, who died in June 2024. Long before the senior Patnaude passed away, his son, Dave, took the reins of the club and continued building it.

A June reunion is afoot for former members of the once-high-flying New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club. Photos by Tim Sharkey copyright Sharkey Images.

That’s not to say there weren’t tensions, conflicts and struggles along the way. Not everyone gets along, not all friendships last. The closeness of any group can be a double-edged sword. But in its heyday the club provided a blueprint for growth through its multiple, good-time summer outings and charitable efforts.

Times and tastes change. People come in and out of the go-fast boating world. After struggling to reinvent the club as less performance-boat oriented and more all-boat-inclusive, Dave Patnaude shuttered the outfit in January 2019.

A month later, the 30-plus-year-old annual Shore Dreams For Kids event in Seaside Heights, N.J., announced it was ceasing operations.