Super Cat Fest—the famous gathering of high-speed catamarans scheduled during the week of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout—came to Lake Havasu this past weekend for three days of friend-making, partying and muscleboat action.
The West Coast spinoff from the celebrated Midwestern revelry came together with the combined efforts of Super Cat Fest organizer Alvin Heathman and Speedboat Magazine publisher Ray Lee. The new event continues the tradition of uniting the fastest, most exotic offshore marine hardware in the world, with casual, fun-filled activities, cool vibes and heavy horsepower and great entertainment. Headquarters were at Havasu’s famous London Bridge Resort.
The action began at a late Thursday-afternoon kickoff party at the Swap Meet Plaza, not far from the London Bridge Resort, the ideal venue to accommodate a sizable number of boats on display and plenty of vendors. The well-attended event was both a thank-you to registered VIPs as well as the official registration party for participants to pick up their credentials and swag bags. Cardinali Family Concessions of Lake Havasu provided pulled-pork and tri-tip barbecue sandwiches to VIPs while large video screens from the Boom Bandits of Lake Havasu played boat-action footage from other events around the country. Upbeat tunes kept people on their feet and dancing until about 10 p.m.
Saturday brought a brunch hosted by Bling Sauce at the Havasu Springs Resort, where attendees were served breakfast burritos. Later in the day, participants rafted up at the Joker’s Wild Cove; River Dave’s Place hosted an evening party at the London Bridge’s Martini Bay Pool, where DJs the Boom Bandits again provided music and entertainment.
On Saturday, it was time to head up to Pirate Cove Resort & Marina in Needles, CA, for a concert featuring the alt-rock band Lit, with opening act Undercover, a local cover band. Some strong winds, gusting at as much as 30 mph, were a bit of an annoyance, but they failed to spoil the party. The concert was not only well attended, but completely sold out.
Saturday night also saw a charity auction at Kokomo Nightclub at the London Bridge Resort, benefiting the Western Arizona Humane Society. The auction raised over $30,000 to purchase a new ultrasound machine for the animals.
Unquestionably, the highlight of the auction occurred when an Australian shepherd mix puppy was brought out to be auctioned for adoption. Colton Moe, the young son of Outerlimits enthusiast Jason and Laurie Moe, flipped for the adorable animal, and even put in a few bids for it himself. Ultimately, the pup was won by Thomas Flatly, owner of the London Bridge Resort, to the tune of $3,000. But when Flatly accepted the pup—and promptly handed it over to a heartbroken Colton Moe—there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
Overall, Super Cat Fest West proved to be a strong and promising first-time event, resulting in a lot of positive feedback from all who attended.