Over the weekend of October 15-17, the waters of Lake Havasu were alive with enthusiastic Schiada boat owners eager to get a hold of some smooth water and push their boats to the limit one last time before winter set in. The 2004 Schiada Boats Regatta marked the first organized gathering of Schiada boat owners and their crafts in more than 20 years, and the team at Jokers Wild Promotions of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, made sure the party went smoothly from the time the first boat entered the water on Friday until the dinner party on Saturday evening. The well-known London Bridge Resort served as the base of operations for this exciting event, and the crew from Schiada Boats was on hand to share in the fun with the participants.
The heritage surrounding Schiada Boats, located in Torrance, California, is a prestigious one with an impressive history of water-ski racing behind their hulls and a reputation for superb craftsmanship with every boat that is popped from the mold. The neat thing about this event was that boats from various production years were in attendance, providing a look at how gelcoat schemes have changed over the years.
On Friday evening, a registration and cocktail party held at the London Bridge Resort kicked things off as participants got to know one another. The guys tossed around compression ratios and carburetor sizes, while the gals talked about the following day's activities. After sipping on a few drinks, most of the attendees headed to their rooms to rest up for Saturday's full-throttle day of boating.
On Saturday morning, around 10 a.m., twin turbocharged, blown motors could be heard for miles as ignitions were cranked, and Todd Taylor from Jokers Wild Promotions led the arsenal of Schiadas out of Havasu Channel on the way to Jokers Wild Cove (aka Mothers Bay). Once everyone reached the cove, anchors were dropped and participants tied up together for the group aerial shot captured by Todd Taylor via helicopter. After a bit of float time and conversation on the water, driving shots of each boat were done from the helicopter, and participants were encouraged to show off for the camera.
Once the photography sessions were complete, everyone made their way back to the Havasu Channel to hang out a bit before the evening's festivities. The ride back from Jokers Wild Cove featured a few passes at speeds higher than 100 mph as participants hammered their throttles for a bit of high-speed fun.
Saturday evening featured a dinner hosted by Jokers Wild Promotions where participants got together to re-cap the day over some killer grub. Schiada's Ron and Lee Spindler gathered with a few longtime owners on stage to say a few words about the following and prestige of Schiada Boats. A raffle, where many participants walked away with a variety of cool prizes, finished off the evening and the event in style. The crew of Jokers Wild Promotions would like to thank Gatorz Sunglasses (a pair of shades was awarded to the participant who had traveled the farthest); Car Toyz of Lake Havasu City; the London Bridge Resort; London Bridge Chevron; J&D Performance of Corona, California; Budweiser Northwest Distributor; Nationwide Homes; and Mohave Hitch & Welding.If you own a Schiada and want to attend this event, go to www.jokerswildpromotions.com or www.411havasu.com for more information.