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.
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.
The Shore Dreams happening shared some of the same movers and shakers with the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club, including Patnaude. That made the loss of the club and a joyful event devoted to a day of fun for physically and mentally challenged adults and children in the space of two months particularly hard for everyone formerly involved.
Launched in 2018, the Spartan Powerboat Club has breathed new life into the New Jersey go-fast boating scene. Founder Del Flores has done a fine job creating something a bit more contemporary and attracting the next generation of Garden State performance-boating fans. The Spartan group’s events have even attracted “old-school” types who once ran with the outfit Raymond Patnaude launched 26 years ago.
But the memories created by the NJPPC still linger. The bonds created still exist and in some cases have even matured. Old animosities have faded. Most are barely remembered, if remembered at all.
So when Patnaude casually announced via social media that he is planning reunion this season for former club-members at the Atlantic City Golden Nugget Resort and Casino, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Patnaude has already booked a room-block at the property in June for the event.
And that’s was a great call, because if things keep going the way they are he may have to expand it.—Matt Trulio
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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/garden-state-bonds-mature/
