Events
Story and select photos by DinaRella / Professional photos courtesy of Billy Frenz and NPBA
Thanks to Billy Frenz and the National Powerboat Association (NPBA), Guy LaMotta’s Port Washington, Long Island, enclave felt a little like an APBA racer meeting from the late 70s or 80s with so many...
Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional images from A.F. Thunderbirds, Cigarette, Lucas Oil, Mike’s Aerial Photography and F1
An over-the-top series of horsepower-packing, people-pleasing, fast-moving objects roared into Miami and beyond, fueling the streets, seas and skies for 2022...
Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional photos from Manatee Marine & Bryce Batzer
South Florida “boat show time” became South Florida boat “show-off” time, a mere 72 hours after Miami’s biggest marine extravaganza to date drew to a close. For round two, the Magic City emptied out and...
The first story I ever covered for RDP was the 2016 Long Beach Grand Prix. Dave told me… “I don’t give a shit who wins the race. Just tell us about the experience and who you partied with in the pits! What was it like, who were you with?”. So thats what I did. I’ve been shooting and writing...
Story and photos by DinaRella
Welcome Back Home! Gone for good was the commute from hell to Virginia Key, thanks to the return of the 2022 Miami International Boat Show (MIBS) to its former stomping grounds at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Completely revamped, it does entail a bizarre new...
Story and photos by DinaRella / Professional images courtesy of CRT
Cigarette Racing Team (CRT) was on top of its game maximizing its presence at the 2022 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show – all you had to do was look up! The premiere lifestyle and performance boat maker modeled...
Story and photos by DinaRella / Additional photos from Six Speed Photography
PART ONE
On the sunny Sunday of Veterans Day weekend, the steel and chrome crowd geared up to go ga-ga over the 300-plus curated rare and dear drool-worthy gems at the fourth edition of the Exotics on Las Olas (ELO4)...
Story and photos by DinaRella
Art Ain’t the Only Part
Tuesday’s opening whistle blew signaling Art Basel Miami, the stateside spin-off of the premier international Swiss art show, was up and running reclaiming its reign on South Florida terrain following its 2020 Wu-flu abolition. For this...
Story and select photos by DinaRella / Additional photos provided by Ben Robertson, Colleen Robertson, Inka Rodriguez, Nate Stuewer & Kevin Taylor
Two aquatic kin came together connecting for a weekend on Key West waters making a splash in – old-school meets new-school Fountain style – that’s...
Story and photos by DinaRella / Additional photos from RWO, P1 Offshore, Cole McGowen, Colleen Robertson, Ramon Vera & Ryan Walker
No matter your motive: poker running, pro-racing, or purely partaking in “pour behavior decisions” for your liver – powerboat purebloods plowed into their...
Story and photos by DinaRella
Bah-boom… the South Florida boat show scene is ba ba ba back. And the proof was in the nautical fineness that filled every inch of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), manifesting itself in examples such as – the Fountain 38 SC recently made famous...
In the early days of America Thanksgiving was created to celebrate the blessings of the harvest and the bounty it provided. Today, Thanksgiving weekend is full of traditions where people gather to celebrate family and express gratitude for the good things in their lives. But if you love boats...
It was billed as the “Outboard World Championships” 58 years ago, a promotion hype to bring people to Lake Havasu and maybe sell some real estate. Undeniably, Robert McCulloch had dreams for this desolate piece of desert including buying a bridge in London and reassembling it stone by stone in...
The 33rd Annual Lake of the Ozarks Shoot-Out just concluded with multiple noteworthy achievements, possibly none greater than side-stepping the Covid hysteria which continues to grip ‘woke’ portions of the country and big people gatherings. Without interruption, the week-long festivities went on...
A little over 3 years ago I stumbled upon a group on line named the ‘Lower River Outboards’. Having always loved the lower portion of the Colorado River down near Yuma, I was very curious what they were about. A short time later they had posted a ‘Lower River Run’ event that was to take place...
A little over a year ago, just before the pandemic, I was browsing through YouTube videos and came across a video from an event in Texas. It contained lots of performance boats speeding across a beautiful lake that wound like a snake through lush, green, rolling hills. Being a freelance...
Most boaters, especially those with a penchant for high performance and racing, are at least somewhat aware of the annual Grand National Catalina Water Ski Race held in Long Beach, CA. Afterall, a 71-year history tends to make people pay attention.
And although the 60+ mile ski race in the open...
It was October 22, 1972 and world speed ski record holder Danny Churchill was attempting to up his own mark of 126 miles an hour in the quarter mile on a single ski. Churchill was at the top of his game, winning the overall Grand National Catalina Water Ski Race title the preceding August...
In celebration of Lake Havasu City, Arizona’s famous London Bridge and its 50th anniversary, powerboat racing will once again dazzle the shores of the city with the running of the beloved Lake Havasu Classic Outboard Championships. The powerboat racing event will be held October 15-17, 2021, and...
Story and photos by DinaRella / Additional photos by Florida Powerboat Club, Stephen Miles Design & M. Boyle
Let's be honest, technically a poker run is a boat show, the only exception is everyone's there not for the show but to show off their go-fast goods and glitterati of guests along for...
What does 100,000+ horsepower look like? Maybe something like this….over 100 of the hottest hot boats in the country lined-up gunnel to gunnel along the beach of the oh-so-popular Pirates Cove Resort just south of Needles, California on the Colorado River.
September 21, 2013 was a special day...
IHBA officially bowed out of the drag boat racing business at the conclusion of the 2009 World Championships at Firebird Lake in Phoenix and turned the reins over to Lucas Oil. Here’s Part 2 of that final IHBA race.
As for the 2009 IHBA World Finals, they went out in style. Although the total...
26th Annual IHBA NAPA Auto Parts World Finals 2009 — IHBA Bows Out, Lucas Oil Products Drag Boat Racing Series Steps Up
The changing of the guard….sometimes for the better, and then again, sometimes not. That’s kind of the mixed feelings that the elite of drag boat racing had at Firebird...
Starting in 2010, Irvine Lake in Orange County, California Hosted Some of the Wildest V-Drive Regattas on the Planet!
For 363 days a year, Irvine Lake, located in the rolling hills of eastern Orange County, California is a quiet, calm and serene reservoir where the loudest audible sound might...
Billy Berkenheger.....Boat Painting Rembrandt
You can sometimes spend months, and even years, restoring a great old flatbottom or hydro. Countless hours of garage time can go into meticulously fabricating and machining every custom part and piece of hardware. And the repair of every nick...
What Better Way to Start a New Year (2014) and Honor One of Their Own Than to Have a Meet-Up.
While two-thirds of the country is locked in a deep-freeze with sub-zero temperatures, Southern California jet boaters were breaking out the sunblock for a day on Lake Elsinore at the annual Tom...
Top Sprint Boat Racers from Seven States Battled for 2013 Championship Titles in Long Beach
Most power boat racing fans just refer to it as “the beach.” Eighty–one years ago there wasn’t a motorboat to be seen at Long Beach Marine Stadium, a city icon now recognized has a historical landmark...
S.C.O.P.E…..All About Big, Fast Boats and Fun
When you call yourself the Southern California Offshore Powerboat Elite, better known around west coast boating circles as S.C.O.P.E., you better be able to back up that moniker with some solid credentials. Fortunately for the stalwarts of...
Last Saturday evening I was sitting at the bar at Sundance Saloon having a beer with my buddy, Daren Van Ryte ( @OCphotographics ). I had just signed Amanda Ames' pants (a whole other story) and was relaxing after shooting the Outlaw Nationals V-drive event that “DIDN’T” happen at Sundance...
Story and photos by DinaRella / Additional photos from TNT Marine Sales, B. Chrisco & M. Boyle
Eta didn't know what she wanted to be... a tropical storm, a hurricane, or just a pain in the ass for powerboaters who waited all the Orwellian-year-long for the 28th Annual Key West Poker Run...
Story and photos by DinaRella / Additional photos by Nor-Tech and Sunsation
Inked up sales contracts state the obvious; serious spenders trumped strolling pretenders on the Bahia Mar docks during the 2020 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS). Never have I covered a show where so...
Desert Storm is the Biggest, Baddest Poker Run in the Country –Since We Missed It in 2020, We Can at Least Take a Walk Back Down Memory Lane.
It's called Desert Storm, and it's arguably the biggest, most over-the-top poker run, shoot-out and street/-party/show-and-shine display of exotic...
San Francisco to Long Beach – Non-Stop
There’s something very enticing about the ocean and traveling great distances in a high-speed offshore boat. Some very well known celebrity-types have even tried their hand at it like Chuck Norris, Michael Regan (son of President Ronald Regan), Betty Cook...
V-Drives Reclaim Respect At 2009 Parker 300 Enduro
The 2020 Parker Enduro just happened last Saturday, October 30, keeping America’s oldest marathon boat race still alive although it is a mere fragment of its once great self. Still, the Enduro remains competitive and entertaining to watch as a...
The Real Story How Boat Racing Lost the Best Competition Venue in the West - Part 2
After the crushing news from the November 1975 Parks and Recreation meeting, things were left up in the air on many fronts. Racing in 1976 wouldn’t be that much different than before except for the new 5:00pm...
The Real Story How Boat Racing Lost the Best Competition Venue in the West
Occasionally the subject of Long Beach Marine Stadium comes up during conversations among boat racers and fans. Inevitably someone offers up their version of how and why boat racing got aced out of the Stadium, and...
Not everything in 2020 has been a bust. Just ask the 92 registered Hallett owners who attended the 5th annual Halletts in Havasu event here in Lake Havasu last weekend. Yes, even with a modified event due to COVID restrictions, the loyal Hallett owners showed up in droves to support the event...
The Storm is Here
Tsunami of Red, White and Blue Hits NY and Beyond
Story by DinaRella / Photos from DinaRella, Carlos Gavidia, TrumpStock and 617images.com
"Red spirited" New Yorkers had the right idea by ditching their Midtown-turned-ghost-town workplaces and swapping their Zoom meeting...
The last day of the LOTO shootout opened up in complete contrast from the day before, with bright sunshine and perfect temperatures. We got to the docks early for a planned photo shoot of the new 46’ Black Thunder Raised Deck which turned out great (feature article on this boat coming soon)...
If you haven't been to the LOTO Shootout, theres something you should know. The action never stops. Its constant. From day-to-night, every day from the time you arrive its a constant schedule of parities, street shows, bar hopping, races, poker runs, fun-run's, boating, and more parties. If you...
The Lake of the Ozarks shootout officially kicked off yesterday with the famous street party in Osage Beach, Missouri. If there was a global pandemic going on, you wouldn’t have known it by walking the strip. Boats lined the street on either side from end to end, and thousands of people showed...
As we ramp up to the Lake Of the Ozarks Shootout, we wanted to take a look back to 2013, which we consider to be one of the best years of the event!
It’s become performance boating’s most important mile. And why not? After 25 years, the Lake of the Ozarks Shoot-Out competition is the place...
Story by Erick Bryner. Photos by Erick Bryner and Daren VanRyte
If you’re local to Havasu or Parker, you’ve probably heard of Scott Steele. Known for his collection of beautiful K-boats, his reputation as a party animal is eclipsed only by his love for the river. And if you’ve paid any...
Story and select photos by DinaRella / Professional Imagery by Foley Loaded Media
Part Two
Seeing 20/20 brings those annoyingly blurry bits into focus – like making out the minute hand on your OMEGA Speedmaster or honing in on that distant Skater transom that reads Roostertails & Cocktails...
Story by DinaRella / Professional photography by Foley Loaded & Cigarette
Part One
Miami is never without a story to tell, and in today's male-gaze driven society, this February the tropical megalopolis delivered with two heavy hitters -- hosting Super Bowl LIV and the Progressive Miami...
