Though the final numbers aren’t in, last Saturday’s eighth annual Arcuri For SUDS—an acronym for Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba—fundraiser in Brick, N.J., raised more than $110,000 for the nonprofit charity. With a ticket price of $150 per person, the event included lunch and dinner with an open bar, high-performance powerboat rides throughout the day thanks to the generosity and dedication of local go-fast boat owners and three live bands worth of entertainment.

Skater Powerboats 318 catamaran owner Stephen Lane spent much of the day giving rides to attendees at last weekend’s Arcuri For SUDS fundraiser (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Tim Sharkey/Sharkey Images.

“It went extremely well—we exceeded our expectations,” said Laura Santangelo, the niece of event founder and namesake Nick Arcuri, who serves as the happening’s volunteer coordinator. “I think we had about 450 people for the whole day.”

In addition to direct donations to the charity, the event raised money through ticket sales and various raffle items. Arcuri family friends Ray Malaspina and Dave Magliaro hosted the happening, which was catered by Chef Mike’s ABG, Jack Gregory Catering and Trinity Seafood, in the backyards of their homes on the shores of the Metedeconk River.

The festivities began at 1 p.m. with their traditional opening ceremony that included the singing of the National Anthem and bagpipers, and though the live entertainment shut down at its 10 p.m. curfew that didn’t stop people from sticking around later. In fact, this year the organizers brought in a food truck after the music stopped.

Check out the slideshow above for more images from the event.

“It’s a really fun party,” said Santangelo “I have been involved from the start. When we did the first one, I was, let’s see, 23 years old and we raised $18,000. It was really, really hard but the party was fun and it was a great success. So we kept going.”

Related stories
Performance Boat Owners Dive In For Veterans
Powerboats Wanted For SUDS Program Veterans Rides In New Jersey
Photo Essay: Garden State Go-Fast Boat Owners Help Raise $78,000 For SUDS