Offshore gambling in Onset
It's happened to all of us. You're in your kayak and suddenly you think to yourself, Gee, "if I only were playing poker right now."
Amazingly, the Onset Bay Association has come to our rescue, with its annual Kayak Poker run that brought a little bit of offshore betting to Onset on Saturday morning.
About 30 players "anted up" with a $25 fee for the fundraising event, which was not a race (in fact, the slowest boat won a prize), just a calm paddle and chance to see Onset from a different perspective.
The event was sponsored by the Onset Bay Association and, according to organizers, has only gotten bigger each year since they began four years ago.
Participants launched with their first card from Shell Point, then paddled across Shell Point Bay to Agawam Beach to pick up their second. From Agawam, they cruised around Shell Point and out to Wickets Island. After collecting their third card at Wickets, they headed across the bay to Kenny's Salt Water Taffy and their fourth card. Their final card was delivered at the start and registration tent where players had the opportunity to take a hit and replace cards at $2 apiece.
The winning hand was a full house collected by first-year participant Ryan Webber. He took home $250.
"I'd never even heard of 'Poker Kayak,'" Webber said. "I think it's very cool to see so many people out there. It was great looking back and seeing all these kayaks out on the water."
In addition, the L.L. Bean Outlet, which sponsored the event, offered numerous raffle prizes of kayak gear and gift certificates. The worst hand was also awarded a prize.
A good time was had by all.
"We had a very good time," said Julia Renaux, of Lakeville, who participated with her friend, Kim Borge. It was the pair's first time kayaking.
"We weren't here for the poker, though," Borge said. "We were here for the kayaking!"
Watch our Kayak Poker Run video!
Video shot and edited by Jaime Rebhan.