The normally peaceful surrounds of the Manning River was shaken by the rumble of passing speedboats recently as the North Coast Speedboat Classics Club held its final fun run for the year.
Beginning at Wingham wharf at 10am, a group of 11 assorted and mostly classic boats made the run to Manning Point, where they paused for a lunch and re-fuel break courtesy of the Manning Point general store before returning.
Despite the sky remaining overcast throughout the event, the breeze was negligible, providing excellent conditions throughout the run.
We don't cause any trouble but some of the old speedboats can really get going, so we can pull a bit of a blast every now and again just to get the adrenaline up there and clean the spark plugs out
- Jeff Reardon
Started by by husband and wife team of Jeff and Narelle Reardon, the club has been active for about five years with a membership that grew from nothing to well over 3000, largely due to its Facebook presence.
"Narelle and I started this off just by ourselves," club president, Jeff Reardon said.
"On our very first run, one boat turned up - now we've got over 3300 members."
That being said, most club outings consist of less than 20 boats on the water at a time.
"Between six and 12 is optimal because that many boats running down a river is not really inconveniencing other river users," Narelle said.
"If there's a whole pile of us tearing down the river, you can imagine it becomes like a bit of a washing machine, so a smaller number keeps it well under control."
A major consideration of the club is safety and due respect to other river users.
While the thrill of speed on the water is an undeniable attraction to club members, adherence to Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) regulations remains paramount to the safe and ongoing ventures conducted by the club.
"We don't cause any trouble but some of the old speedboats can really get going, so we can pull a bit of a blast every now and again just to get the adrenaline up there and clean the spark plugs out," Jeff said.
"You've got to be mindful of the rules and regulations though, and it's one of our strict things is that people do follow the RMS rules and regulations because at the end of the day, we're all pretty mature people, our crazy days have left us and we're lucky to survive," Narelle said.
Anyone interested in joining the club can contact them via their facebook page for details on upcoming meets.
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