Party Cove ‘Made Great Again’ With Massive Raft-Up

Though the “Party Cove” location at the Lake of Ozarks has changed few times during the years, its basic concept—gather a bunch of your friends in their boats for a raft-up in a protected cover and just chill for the day—hasn’t changed since day-one.

Save for running fast to create your own cooling breeze, there’s no better way to beat the summer heat in Central Missouri.

For Nikki Sorenson (front row center) and her crew, going with a Barbie movie theme was a game-time decision—and a good one. Photos courtesy copyright Swift and Co. Realty and Horsepower Hottie.

Currently located at Mile Marker 4 on Grand Glaize Arm in the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Party Cove got a big workout last Saturday thanks to organizers Nikki Sorenson, who owns the Horsepower Hottie apparel line and Swift and Co. Realty principal Mike Swift. An estimated 500 to 600 boats passed through multiple raft-ups during event, which Sorenson—an agent at Swift’s residential real estate firm—has dubbed “Make Party Cove Great Again.”

Many of the participants met at Dog Days Bar and Grill in Osage Beach at noon before heading to the cove. The last boats departed the location at 5 p.m.

“It was the best one yet—so fun,” said Sorenson. “We were fortunate enough to have a friend let us use his 46-foot Sea-Ray as our home-base in the cove. We’ve been spoiled in the past by Jimmy Lee, who has let us use his Carver yacht but it’s currently down for repairs.

“I threw out an S.O.S. call to all of our cruiser buddies who did Party Cove back in the day, and they all showed up as promised in the no-wake zone so we could stick together,” she continued. “That way, we were able to form a solid line and anchor together safely. Us OGs at the lake know what to do and how to have a good time.”

Added Swift, whose real estate firm also publishes the annual Get-Down Guide focused on the best of Lake of the Ozarks nightlife, with a chuckle, “As a company, we like to lean into the fun side of the lake.”

The view from above.

In the past, Sorenson and her Horsepower Hottie friends/representatives have tooled around the fleet in a dinghy to distribute goodies to the crowd. This time around, they stayed put and tossed T-shirts, sunglasses hats and more—courtesy of Missouri Eagle Distributing—to the crowd because “there were so many people and rafts having fun in the water.”

Sorenson and her Horsepower Hottie reps also embraced a “Barbie” movie bikini and accessory theme.

“We may do the same next year,” she said. “But regardless, we’ll keep shooting to make it bigger and better.”

Said Mike Smith, “We like to lean into the fun side of the lake.”

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Source: https://www.speedonthewater.com/party-cove-made-great-again-with-massive-raft-up/

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