Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)
Sarnia

Powerboats To Race Down St. Clair River (GALLERY)

Boats will be speeding down the St. Clair River this weekend to benefit local charities.

The Sarnia Bay Charity Poker Run is back after a one-year hiatus. There was no event in 2017 because the boat ramp was still under construction.

The event kicks off Friday night with a BBQ in the pavilion, then the boats blast off Saturday morning after 9 m.

President of the Performance Boat Club Meghan Brousseau says there's a little spot of land you can access from the marina that gives you a great view.

"We leave the marina and we go under the Blue Water Bridge, and we turn around and stage," she says. "Then we kind of blast under the bridge, so right at that little spot of land is a great spot to watch the boats."

The boaters will then make the trip all the way to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, before returning to Sarnia Bay.

Brousseau says the weekend also features a one-hand poker game that could send you home with a wallet full of cash.

"It's a $5,000 best hand and our rule is you have to keep the money," says Brousseau. "A lot of people feel like they have to donate it back, and that's wonderful, but we want people to keep the money."

The event raised $20,000 in 2016 and Brousseau says they're hoping to top that number this year.

The money raised will be split between Noelle's Gift and the St. Joseph's Hospice.

For more information, you can visit Ontario's Blue Coast website.

Powerboat #3 Photo courtesy of Tourism Sarnia Lambton Powerboat #3 Photo courtesy of Tourism Sarnia Lambton

Powerboat #1 Photo courtesy of Tourism Sarnia Lambton June 6,2018Powerboat #1 Photo courtesy of Tourism Sarnia Lambton June 6,2018

Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)

Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)

Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Powerboat Festival Aug. 14, 2016 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)

Powerboat racing on the St. Clair River August 9, 2015 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Powerboat racing on the St. Clair River August 9, 2015 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)

Powerboat on St. Clair River (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)Powerboat on St. Clair River (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)

The The "Bat Boat," a crowd favourite at the powerboat festival August 9, 2015 (BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger)

Read More Local Stories