Many of the Nautical guests retired to their rooms to freshen up and catch a quick nap before the evening activities began. A full-spread catered dinner was served out on the pool deck and consumed inside the air-conditioned conference hall. Of course, the bar was open with adult and kid refreshments.
Emcee Chewy Childress kept the crowd energized all night, with laughter and raffle prize giveaways donated by many of the well-known boating manufacturers. Gary and Diane donated all kinds of kid prizes. Mixed in the middle, Chewy announced the individual winners of the kids' slot car races, the regatta's Mr. and Ms. Little Shockwave King and Queen, Longest Tow, Bad Luck, Newest Boat, Oldest Boat, scavenger hunt, and the list goes on. Then, the names of the poker run winners were announced. The overall First Place was given to George Clarke, Second Place went to Doug Reeves, and Third Place went to Richard Mercardo.
After the awards were given out, many of the participants stayed around to visit with friends, listen to DJ sounds, and participate in the popular limbo contest.
We must thank Todd Taylor for chauffeuring us around during the Shockwave Regatta wet-'n'-wild water activities. It was definitely a good time had by all.
'03 Shockwave WinnersDonated Kids Toys - Gary and DianeFarthest Tow - Cathey Kone 650 miles Best Stereo - Cathey KoneNewest Boat - Richard VielaHot Wheels - Jeff WilkesonBad Luck - Mike MuirScavenger Hunt - Cathy Rodriguez Oldest Boat - Amy Wilson ('66)Poker Run Cash Winner - George Clarke
Lake Havasu City, ArizonaLake Havasu City, Arizona, was established in 1963 by Robert P. McCulloch Sr., the inventor and owner of McCulloch chainsaw and small engines. McCulloch purchased more than 13,000 acres of land at a county auction. He was looking for a new test location for his small-engine division, but after contemplating his investment, he envisioned a new town emerging out of the raw desert sand. A testing facility was built to test his outboard motors at the tip of the peninsula known as Pittsburgh Land. McCulloch hired C.V. Wood, the designer of Disneyland and Six Flags Over Texas, to design the town. Together McCulloch and Wood developed a marketing plan to sell plots of land to people all over the United States. By 1967, the town was busting out, but it developed a problem on the south tip of the Peninsula known as Thompson Bay; its water was becoming polluted due to an obstruction that blocked the river water. To elevate the problem, a channel would have to be dug, making an island of the peninsula, which created the need for a bridge to gain access to the island.
At the time, Wood had heard the famous London Bridge in England, which crossed the Thames River, was for sale. The bridge was awarded to Havasu City in 1968 for $2.46 million. Brick by brick, the bridge was disassembled in London, shipped by boat to Los Angeles, then trucked to Havasu City. There were more than 10,000 stones in the shipment. To ship and reconstruct the bridge cost more than $5 million. After the bridge was reconstructed, sand was dredged out from underneath the bridge before the water was allowed to flow.
The bridge was dedicated on October 10, 1971. The ribbon cutting ceremony attracted more than 100,000 people. Today, the London Bridge is Arizona's number-two tourist attraction, second to the Grand Canyon.