Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

FormulaOutlaw · 04-04-2005, 09:22 AM

[QUOTE=Acres per Second]It's a little unclear what is being asked here. How about these definitions?

"GFBL" stands for Go Fast Be Loud ('Tip-o-the-hat to BoaterEd)
"Speed Bump" is what the oversized GFBL boaters call any smaller boat.
"Lake Lice" -- is what the oversized GFBL boaters call...well, you'll just have to guess.

"Poker Run" is a loosely organized race of scores of GFBLs, generating large numbers of complaints from "Speed Bumps" and a token contribution to a needy local governmental agency.

All of my boats (Winnipesaukee-traditional: sail/paddle/power) are smaller than the GFBLs.

Moreover, none have more than 25HP, and are NH exam-exempt.

Thank you for defining those terms for me. As a member of "the other site", with over 5,000 posts, I had never heard of the first three terms you refer to.

As someone who has organized five Poker Runs, and participated in many many more, I can assure you your definition of Poker Run is out the window. Are there fast boats involved? Sure. There are also slow boats involved. There are cabin cruisers involved. The ones I've personally produced had different categories for different styles of boats, thus making it attractive to all types of boaters.

As far as the purpose of a Poker Run: First, it's about boaters having fun. Then there is the boost to the local economy. And most important, the vast majority of them benefit charities. There is the "SCOPE" Poker Run in southern California that generates up to half a million dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, in one run.

No matter how hard you try to "paint" us GFLB owners as evil, we simply do too much "good" for you to ever paint over.

If your boat only has 25 horsepower, good for you. It doesn't concern me what you own, how fast you go, or what you do AS LONG as you do it responsibly. And thusly, a responsible GFBL boat owner (which the VAST VAST majority are) should be no concern of yours.

It has been nine years since I last boated on "the Lake". So I may be out of touch with the conditions up there now. I can tell you this, down here that has so many more boats than your area has, the "Offshore Crowd" is without question the most courteous group on the water, bar none.

Want to take a guess who the most discourteous group is????? Without a doubt, the sailboat crowd. Now there are exceptions to every rule. I even get the occasional wave (I always wave first) from a sailboat, but more often than that I get "flipped off". I just laugh at them, blow them a kiss, and I'm on my way.

One thing you also might want to consider. There is a lot of money in the GFLB groups. And that group is very passionate about their interest. And what you and your kind are doing is so simple to understand, a tree stump can see it. You want to get the GFBL's off of "your" lake. Well here's a reality check. It's not your lake. It's everyone's lake. And the lake is certainly big enough to accomodate everyone. If you put one tenth of your energy and focus into boater education, rather than trying to rid the lake of us evildooers, you might actually accomplish something positive.

Oh, one more thing. I apologized to Bear Lover for what was considered a bad joke, which by the way was not posted by me in THIS forum. Nothing more. I have never posted a single statement that by any definition could ever be considered as intimidating or threatening. It's just that you feel threatened when someone calls it straight. That's your problem, not mine.

04-04-2005, 09:22 AM	#38
FormulaOutlaw Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 39 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	[QUOTE=Acres per Second]It's a little unclear what is being asked here. How about these definitions? "GFBL" stands for Go Fast Be Loud ('Tip-o-the-hat to BoaterEd) "Speed Bump" is what the oversized GFBL boaters call any smaller boat. "Lake Lice" -- is what the oversized GFBL boaters call...well, you'll just have to guess. "Poker Run" is a loosely organized race of scores of GFBLs, generating large numbers of complaints from "Speed Bumps" and a token contribution to a needy local governmental agency. All of my boats (Winnipesaukee-traditional: sail/paddle/power) are smaller than the GFBLs. Moreover, none have more than 25HP, and are NH exam-exempt. Thank you for defining those terms for me. As a member of "the other site", with over 5,000 posts, I had never heard of the first three terms you refer to. As someone who has organized five Poker Runs, and participated in many many more, I can assure you your definition of Poker Run is out the window. Are there fast boats involved? Sure. There are also slow boats involved. There are cabin cruisers involved. The ones I've personally produced had different categories for different styles of boats, thus making it attractive to all types of boaters. As far as the purpose of a Poker Run: First, it's about boaters having fun. Then there is the boost to the local economy. And most important, the vast majority of them benefit charities. There is the "SCOPE" Poker Run in southern California that generates up to half a million dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, in one run. No matter how hard you try to "paint" us GFLB owners as evil, we simply do too much "good" for you to ever paint over. If your boat only has 25 horsepower, good for you. It doesn't concern me what you own, how fast you go, or what you do AS LONG as you do it responsibly. And thusly, a responsible GFBL boat owner (which the VAST VAST majority are) should be no concern of yours. It has been nine years since I last boated on "the Lake". So I may be out of touch with the conditions up there now. I can tell you this, down here that has so many more boats than your area has, the "Offshore Crowd" is without question the most courteous group on the water, bar none. Want to take a guess who the most discourteous group is????? Without a doubt, the sailboat crowd. Now there are exceptions to every rule. I even get the occasional wave (I always wave first) from a sailboat, but more often than that I get "flipped off". I just laugh at them, blow them a kiss, and I'm on my way. One thing you also might want to consider. There is a lot of money in the GFLB groups. And that group is very passionate about their interest. And what you and your kind are doing is so simple to understand, a tree stump can see it. You want to get the GFBL's off of "your" lake. Well here's a reality check. It's not your lake. It's everyone's lake. And the lake is certainly big enough to accomodate everyone. If you put one tenth of your energy and focus into boater education, rather than trying to rid the lake of us evildooers, you might actually accomplish something positive. Oh, one more thing. I apologized to Bear Lover for what was considered a bad joke, which by the way was not posted by me in THIS forum. Nothing more. I have never posted a single statement that by any definition could ever be considered as intimidating or threatening. It's just that you feel threatened when someone calls it straight. That's your problem, not mine.