With photographers Jay Nichols of Naples Image and Jeff Gerardi Freeze Frame Video on scene at this weekend’s Pirates of Lanier Poker Run presented by Reliable Heating and Air, there are no shortage of professional images coming out of the Georgia-based event. But for a “participant’s-eye-view” today, we turned to Scott Sjogren of Shogren Performance Marine. The Gurnee, Ill., global Mystic dealership is one of the event’s sponsors. Sjogren is on scene to support the poker run as well as his customers and friends including Chad Collier who owns Habitual, a 50-foot Mystic cat powered by Mercury Racing 1350 engines. (Collier is the chief organizer for the upcoming Old Hickory Fun Run in Tennessee, where Shogren Performance Marine also will be a sponsor.)

“I support this event because they do it for all the right reasons—charity, poker runners and kids,” said Sjogren.

For a participant’s perspective of the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run, just check out the slideshow above. Photos courtesy/copyright Shogren Performance Marine/Speedonthewater.com

A see-and-be-seen, good-time event that raises serious money for local charities in the area, the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run attracts some of the best-known go-fast powerboats in the country. This year is no exception with the likes of Pure Platinum, Bill Pyburn, Jr.’s, latest Skater 388 catamaran and Chris Cox’s 50-foot Envy Mystic cat, in the fleet. Spearheading the local contingent, of course, is Windship, a 48-foot Marine Technology, Inc., catamaran owned by John Woodruff, formerly one of the main men behind the event.

Said stalwart Pirates of Lanier Poker Run supporter/participant Gary Goodell, a partner in the Miss GEICO Offshore Racing team, another sponsor of the event. “We had 288 boat entries this year and we are raising a lot of money the event’s charities.”

Editor’s Note: Look for a feature on this weekend’s Pirates of Lanier Poker Run in the next issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine, which will go live next week on Tuesday, July 21.

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