While a handful of high-performance powerboat owners and their guests were taking a beating on Lake Michigan during Saturday’s Boyne Thunder Poker Run, a group of go-fast powerboat enthusiasts did likewise north of the border. The Performance Boat Club of Canada’s Blast Around the Bay Poker Run attracted 20 boats that ran in four- to six-foot seas on Georgian Bay.

Kevin Primer and company braved rough conditions in his 42-foot Statement on Georgian Bay for a good cause last Saturday. Photos courtesy/copyright Performance Boat Club of Canada.

It was the second event of the season for the nonprofit organization, which raises money for local charities through all of its events.

“They say that Georgian Bay—and the Great Lakes in general—can be some of the most challenging boating in the world, and participants in this run found that out firsthand,” said Meghan Brousseau, the president of the club. “We were subjected to bouts of sun and rain, a cold front, extreme heat and some very rough water. Welcome to ‘boating in Canada.’”

The event raised $4,000 for the Georgian Bay Hospital Foundation’s Boaters For A Cause program.

Check out the slideshow above for more action on and off the water from the Georgian Bay Blast.

“Despite having to alter the course, everyone had a great time at the auction and dinner,” said Brousseau. “The third-place hand went to Mark Krytiuk and his 50-foot Airborne, second place went to Don Porter in his 36-foot Nor-Tech Purple Haze catamaran and first place went to Kevin Primmer in his Statement. The hard luck award also went to Mark Krytiuk.”

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