LOWER WISCONSIN RIVER HOVERGROUP HOSTS
NATIONAL CRUISE AND HOVER-IN 2000 FOR THE HOA!!
(A note from Linda and a brief look at the schedule, followed by the REST OF THE STORY!)...Scroll down for some great pictures of crafts! If you have previously visited this site, new pictures were put up on 8/30 at the following link: More National Cruise Pics By Mike!
Letters received from new hovernauts who attended this cruise.......
I would like to say 'thank you' to everyone who spent time with us at this hover-in! I asked that all crafts be guarded, and pretty much all but 2 of the 33 crafts complied.......for everyone's safety, this I very much appreciated. We spent a lot of time together in the evenings watching videos and enjoying meals together, afforded our available time and fuel on Saturday to helping the authorities in the drowning search, and pretty much just laid back and enjoyed the remaining available time of the 3 days of hovering in and out of the area.......it was obvious this was not a banana pudding get together! Crafts needed to be in good condition to survive!
Verdon and I had put together 3 games that challenged maneuverability of hovercrafts, and felt that all three games were a success.
1. The Hover Slalom was done on a course of 5 marked buoys in very rapid water. The driver was expected to maneuver his hovercraft between all of the buoys, do a 180 at the end of the buoys and maneuver back. Time started when the nose of the craft hit water and ended when the nose hit the boat landing. The best time was 1 min. 5 secs. but we disqualified him because he was a Weber! Actual winner of the slalom was Doug Ihrig with his Hovertrek followed with a close second by David LaCombe in his 10F!
2. The Hovercraft Poker Run was a bit more lengthy, and the most difficult part of this game was finding the individuals holding the cards who had been placed on the various islands on the river. Altho everyone was within a 1 1/2 mile radius of the boat landing, one particular individual decided to sit on a log and contestants voiced their grievance about not being able to find him very quickly--Verdon, know anything about this? And one of the individuals on the islands also voiced a grievance about being left on the island to face 39 days of survival and wanted her $1,000,000 in compensation!!....and she's related to me. Winners were Mike and Brandon Jacobson, Dennis & Carol Alm and Carl & Janet Gorsuch.
3. The Guess Your Time run was something similar to a game played at a Cordova Ice In hosted by Bob Windt. The hovernaut would pick a spot (a bridge pillar in this case) that he would hover out to, around it and return to the boat landing. The driver would state what time he would do this maneuver in and then be timed. The principle was not to be the fastest, but to match your time. One driver came exceedingly close by counting 1001, 1002, 1003, etc. This I had not thought of. Of course, my time was pretty bad. But Ben Tilson had it down pat!
I hope you will enjoy the pictures I have assembled in the following four pages. I welcome your thoughts about putting together another hoverin next year, but most of all I welcome someone else to take it over!!! PLEASE......!!!!!!! Many thanks to Jacques Pienaar for several of the following pictures.
Drivers and crafts attending National Cruise 2000 were as follows:
| Verdon Weber - StarCruiser 23 |  |
| Linda Weber - StarCruiser 18 |  |
| Dave & Sue Ruebush - AirCommander 4 |  |
| Carl & Janet Gorsuch - Gorsuch Homebuilt 15 |  |
| Mike McCullough - StarCruiser 25 |  |
| Don & Jean Searls - StarCruiser 25 |  |
| Dennis & Carol Alm - StarCruiser 25 |  |
| Ben Tilson & sons - StarCruiser 25 |  |
| Gary Jensen - AeroCruiser SA 1100 |  |
| Charles Dixon - Scat 12 |  |
| Don & Shirley Angel - StarCruiser 18 | (no picture) |
| David LaCombe - UH10F |  |
| Andy
Pittman - Hovertrek Doug Ihrig - Hovertrek |
 |
| Scott Jindgra - UH17T |  |
| Bill Pendergast - UH16S (a/k/a The Toy Box) |  |
| John Windt - UH19P |  |
| Mike Lynch - Scat 2 |  |
| Bob Windt - WIG |  |
| Jeremy & Kasey - UH16P |  |
| Dennis Sornson - Sevtec | (no picture - met us at Lone Rock Boat Landing) |
| Mike Jacobson - UH13P |  |
| John Gruman - HomeBuilt 16P (Flying Low) |  |
| Bill Huebes - HomeBuilt | (no picture) |
| Charlie Feller Jr. and Charles Feller Sr. - StarCruiser 25 | (no picture) |
| George & Jeri Smith - Scat 12 | (no picture) |
| Ray Matthews - Chinook and Skim Aire |  |
| Larry Kirschbaum - StarCruiser 25 | (no picture - met us at Milville Boat Landing) |
| Dave Adams - AeroCruiser 3 | (no picture) |
| Connie Adams - Scat 2 | (no picture) |
| Eric Goldstein - StarCruiser 25 | (no picture) |
| Dennis Bobb - StarCruiser 25 | (no picture) |
Onward to more pictures and Page One of the 2000 National Cruise!
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For further information on the above or other hoverins scheduled across the USofA in 2000, please email Linda Weber or the Hoverclub of America!
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