IN THE NEWS

It’s Friday — let the weekend begin! We rolled into Shipyard Marine’s Suamico, Wisconsin, store Friday afternoon to check on the new Formula 350 Sun Sport that we were going to captain for the rendezvous. The 350 had just arrived from Formula’s big dealer meeting in Fort Myers, Florida, and Shipyard Marine owner Andy Howitt’s staff promptly offloaded it and made it waterready. Even better, they cruised the 350 over to Sturgeon Bay’s Stone Harbor Resort marina, the starting point for the two-day rendezvous. Now that’s service!

The rendezvous kicked off with a marina-side cocktail party and delicious hors d’oeuvres. Shipyard’s customers were happy to mingle the night away, and we had a chance to meet some fellow Formula owners. The docks were home to a mini boat show as Shipyard showed off some model year 2008 Formulas, including the new 350 Sun Sport.

Captain Andy held the official captains’ meeting early the next morning and explained the intricacies of the “treasure hunt” to all the participants. Formalities out of the way and treasure maps in hand, we began the first leg of our day on Green Bay. We boated approximately 20 miles to the little town of Menominee for a hearty barbeque lunch at the local yacht club. Then it was “off the pub” to pick up our first clue, a pirate booty bag with gold doubloons, trinkets and a playing card. Back on the boats we cruised another 15 miles to Chambers Island and rafted up in a beautiful secluded cove with sparkling clear waters. Clue number two, a message in a bottle, was buried under the pirate flag on the beach. All the boaters enjoyed the hot sun, blue sky and cool water as they waded boat-to-boat catching up with old and new friends.

Late afternoon found everyone hoisting up his or her anchors for the fun run back to Sturgeon Bay. A transformed group gathered for the evening festivities — from powerboaters to pirates! The costumes were outstanding, as nearly everyone got into the groove of dressing up. After a scrumptious buffet dinner and decadent mini desserts, prizes were awarded for best costumes. Outstanding prizes were also given away by drawing for matching cards from the pirate clues. Afterwards, The Rhythm Kings provided an excellent selection of music for listening and dancing. Andy dove in later with his own mix of “singing” along for an appropriate close to the festivities!