Lanier to go after world record raft-up: 2011 boats
Organizers need boats, volunteers for June 11 event
By Pamela A. Keene
If organizers have their way, the eyes of the world will be on Lake Lanier on June 11, 2011, when the lake’s boaters strive to beat the Guinness Book of World Records Largest Tie Up. In honor of National Marina Day, the Marine Trade Association of Metro Atlanta is organizing a gigantic raft up in front of Buford Dam.
“All boat dealerships will be participating, and we are trying to contact all the lake’s boat clubs to get their help and participation,” said Barkley Geib, who is organizing the event. “If everyone gets word of mouth going we should be able to make it. We’re really counting on huge participation from everybody on the lake – marinas, boaters, dealers – to make this a success. We’ll also need a lot of volunteers to run the event; it will be great fun for everyone.”
The official attempt at the record will be held in front of Buford Dam, with a two-story floating stage in the middle providing the entertainment and command center. The goal is to raft up 2011 boats, exceeding the previous record of 1651 boats in August 2010 on Lake Cumberland, Ky.
Entry fee is $30 per boat. Every boat must be registered. They must all be “tied-up” for 60 seconds and each boat must have at least one person in it. Boats can include everything from wave-runners, sailboats, houseboats, cruisers, pontoon boats, etc. All boats must be registered by midnight Monday, June 6. Every registered boat will receive a “Gift Swag Bag” worth more than $50 in gifts, including two “Official Guinness World Record T-Shirts.” A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a local children’s charity.
The mandatory captain’s meeting will be held at the Gwinnett Civic Center on Wednesday, June 8, at 6 p.m., with a chance to win $50,000 cash. Each registered boat gets one chance at the cash.
An adjudicator (or authenticator) will be at the event from Guinness to verify the record, and the New Guinness World Record Certificate will be awarded at the “Official Awards Ceremony” that is being sponsored by Sunset Cove and Lake Lanier Islands Resort after the event.
“Volunteers are desperately needed,” Geib said. “We will need a minimum of 14-20 large houseboats for help with positioning, but we welcome as many boats as we can register. We’re also encouraging people to register in groups from their clubs and marinas. As members of your ‘Group’ register, they just include the name of the group, and we will put them with the others in your group.”
By early February the website www.lanierworldrecord.com will be operational, with complete information about the event and the opportunity to register online.
More info:
Sponsorship opportunities - sponsorship@lanierworldrecord.com
To volunteer - volunteer@lanierworldrecord.com
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