Lake Mohave Power Squadron A Unit of United States Power Squadrons® - District 28 Sail and Power Boating Boating is fun..We'll show you how

The 2nd Annual Colorado River Regatta took place on August 16th and the Lake Mohave Power Squadron was well represented. The theme for this year's regatta was "Pirates of the Colorado". We are very proud to announce that we were awarded First Prize in our category of a "Mega Team". We had 14 of our group actually take part in the 11 mile float down the Colorado River.

Our entry was christened The Black Rose. Construction was completed and final rigging and decorating was done during the week before the Regatta. As you can see from the accompanying pictures almost all of our members took part in that phase of the float's completion. Sharon Dack put her talents to work to create Zelda and Pierre. More about them later.

Ready To Go To Work	Mike Accardo Painting
Jo Anne Waller	L to R The Truemans and Mike Accardo
Sharon Dack With Zelda and Pierre	Commander Bluebeard Bramble

Bluebeard Bramble kept the crew working in the hot Arizona sun. He promised everyone an extra measure of rum for their efforts but for some reason, he kept the location of that barrel a secret. I guess what he meant was that if we find a barrel of rum, he will let us have an extra measure. You just can't trust a pirate!

Putting On The Final Touches	Just About Done
Ready To Sail

The float was designed by and assembled at the home of Commander Pat Bramble on his boat trailer. We used four small one-man rafts and eight inner tubes for floatation. Since this was the first time for all of us, most continued to ask……."Will it float?" Pat's confidence in his design certainly paid off.

Launching The Black Rose
Getting Under Way	Joining The Regatta

Launching the Rose was a challenge in itself. We were forced to use a dirt ramp and could not get the trailer into the water far enough to allow her to float free. Combine that with a couple of snags between the straps holding the inner tubes and the trailer bunks and you have a real "heave ho" situation, but finally the Black Rose was under way.

Water level view of the Black Rose under sail

Aerial view of the Black Rose under sail

It was a spectacular sight to see and even more exciting to be a part of. Some of the members rode on their own floatation devices attached to the Black Rose, and some floated on her deck. Everyone, in one way or another, helped guide the raft along the swift current of river.
The crew had to contend with a couple of stowaways. One was an evil looking extremely underfed individual who kept guard over his stash of treasure. Could this have been Davy Jones? Another was a fellow named Pierre who we think was after the attention of Zelda, our ship's figurehead. Pierre was strung up and made to walk the plank.

Davy and His Treasure

Pierre About To Go Overboard

Sometimes the current and the wind would take us close to shore. There were a few tense moments when we were almost beached among the rocks and vegetation. Between poles, paddles and the brute strength of squadron members Brian Zebrowski and Don Jameson, we navigated the entire course and the Rose managed to weather the wind, the weight of her crew and an occasional brush with an unyielding rock.

The End Of The Day

First Place Award Presentation By The City's Chief Pirate. With Commander Bramble And Some Of The Crew.

Pictured in the presentation photo above are Lt/C Brenda Jameson, Morgan Jameson, Jean Militello, Barbara Bramble, Commander Bramble and John Militello. Winning first prize in our division was really the icing on the cake. We are hoping that our participation in the event exposed a lot of people to the USPS in general and our local squadron in particular.

Post Regatta Celebration:
by Sharon Dack

On August 28th, we got together at Rotary Park in Bullhead, the finishing point of the regatta, and celebrated our win with a pot luck brunch. Below are some pictures of the event. Jo Anne Waller was especially recognized for all the work she did in organizing our involvement in the regatta.

Jean Militello(L) And Barb Bramble(R) Thanking Jo Anne Waller For Her Efforts	Enjoying Some Great Food
Jean Militello Displaying Our Trophy And Cash Win	Lots Of Smiles

Links to other pages on this website and more to come

Squadron Officers	Boating Safety Classes	Newsletter	River Reggata
Commander's Message	Advanced Courses	Articles/Activities	Lake Powell
Officer Reports	Elective Courses	Calendar of Events	Halloween
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