Do Something New This Year—Three Event-Gems For Your Consideration

New Year’s resolutions generally aren’t worth the breath required to utter them.

But here’s one that might be worth considering when it comes to go-fast boating events in 2025.

Do something new, at least to you, this year. Enjoy your traditional favorite events, but participate in something you never have before.

As it happens, I enjoyed several new-to-me events in 2024 thanks to my hosts Kelly O’Hara and Kiran Pinisetti on their immaculate DCB Performance Marine M37R catamaran. But here are the three that stood out—and three I would return to in a heartbeat.

Hartwell Lake Charity Fun Run—June 6-8

With sections in Georgia and South Carolina, Hartwell Lake is one long waterway. It is also—for my limited lunch-money—the prettiest lake in the South. The event benefits Meals-On-Wheels Anderson and routinely attracts some of the coolest cats (people and boats), from South Carolina’s own Chuck Stark to Mike and Angela Goldbaugh of Alabama, in the go-fast boating community. The people are as warm as the South Carolina sun in June, the water is wide open and the vibe is relaxed.

Rock The River Charity Fun Run—August 21-23

Applied to a boating event, the term “grassroots” can mean anything from “cool and local” to “gritty and gross.” Held on the Ohio River in the great Cincinnati area, the Rock The River Charity Fun Run falls into the “cool and local” category thanks to organizers Pat and Matt Feldhaus—a brothers duo—and their friend Michael Caliguri. The Friday lunch run delivers a great time with a welcoming crowd, as well as the go-fast boating event-world’s biggest cheeseburger, as does the Saturday affair. And the downtown Friday night street party is simply excellent.

Lake Powell Challenge—September 19-21

OK, this one is ambitious because Lake Powell isn’t “close” to pretty much anywhere. The run starts at Antelope Marina in a tiny corner of Arizona called Page, but for the most part participants are on Utah water. Getting there takes effort, even if you’re coming from as “close by” as Phoenix, but the spectacular scenery and centralized houseboat-setup at Antelope Point are worth the effort. Gone for a few years, the Lake Powell Challenge is on its third year of a comeback, and the event gets stronger every year. You may only do it once in your life—the effort required is that significant—but you’ll never forget it.

—Compiled by Matt Trulio of speedonthewater.com.

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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/do-something-new-this-year-three-event-gems-for-your-consideration/