What did you do on Election Day; sit in front of your television watching CNN

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Spencer Dickerson
5 years ago
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A FEW WORDS FROM DAVE If You Have Never Been, You Probably Wouldn t Understand!

I was on the Caribbean with 1,600 bikers having the time of my life.

The biggest misconception is that the HOHS is a charity cruise; it is in fact a cruise that bene ts a charity. The charity is the HOHS Dialysis Fund (hohsdialysisfund.org).

1 A FEW WORDS FROM DAVE If You Have Never Been, You Probably Wouldn t Understand! HOGS ON THE HIGH SEAS: CARIBBEAN CRUISE 2008 What did you do on Election Day; sit in front of your television watching CNN for hours? I was on the Caribbean with 1,600 bikers having the time of my life. Our magazines have covered the HOHS Caribbean cruise for the past two years, but I really didn t understand it until I went on the cruise. The biggest misconception is that the HOHS is a charity cruise; it is in fact a cruise that bene ts a charity. The charity is the HOHS Dialysis Fund (hohsdialysisfund.org). With the proceeds raised from the cruise, estimated at $120,000 this year, 16 dialysis patients are own in, their cruise is paid for, their medical care while on board is paid for, and they are given spending money for the cruise. These 16 dialysis patients are given the chance to take a vacation and actually enjoy themselves. Since these patients are all on dialysis, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them. Take the best parts of Myrtle Beach, Daytona and Sturgis, take away the motorcycles and you have the HOHS Cruise. This year s cruise had four stops, Haiti, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cozumel Mexico. At each stop there were organized events, in Haiti was the world s biggest T-shirt swap, I think the guy who picked my Black Hills Choppers shirt got the better deal. In Jamaica there was a huge party at Margaritaville. In the Caymans Margaritaville was once again the party host, I chose to swim with the Stingrays before attending that party. In Cozumel there were two parties; Margaritaville and Carlos n Charlie s, which was the better of the two, but I chose to rent a jeep and tour the island rst. You have the choice to do as little or as much as you want. It was my rst time on a cruise and I can t imagine that the other 2,200 passengers had as much fun as us HOHS members. While we were wearing leather, they were wearing suits. What I never realized was the camaraderie you feel the moment you step on the boat, you are with 1600 passengers that share the same passion as you do. My table was #306 second seating. The rst night we were all a little nervous, would we like these people? Would we skip desert so we could escape? Would we be forced to eat from the buffet every night to escape these people? What I found was just the opposite, I made friends for life. Our table dined together every night, six of us swam with the Stingrays, four of us rented a jeep, we met at the bars after dinner, we ate breakfast and lunch together, we played bingo together and gambled in the casino. I will see Jesse and Sue in the Bay Area for the Arlen Ness Show, Brad is looking for property in Spear sh and will be in Mazatlan, I am going to ride Copper Canyon in Mexico with Billy, Gail, Kim, Steve and their Steel Thunder crew. There were plenty of activities to keep everyone busy on the boat. Over 20 top vendors had their parts and accessories on display, there was a poker walk, 50/50 drawing, bingo, leather night, dress like a pirate, a gym on board, a casino, piano bar, a nightclub and more food than any of us should eat. Dean and Debbie Anderson, are the scally wags in charge of this motley crew. It is their personal experience with dialysis that led to the HOHS, and they are the ones that have allowed us to have the time of our lives while helping 16 very worthy recipients. Thanks Dean & Debbie, see you again in Mexico! DAVE WITHROW Publisher 8 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

2 HOGS on the HIGH SEAS Western Caribbean 2008 Rally 14 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

3 American Cycle Magazine AmericanCycleMag.com - February

4 16 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

5 Hogs on the high seas - Western Caribbean 2008 Rally American Cycle Magazine AmericanCycleMag.com - February

Hogs on the High Seas Story by Dave Withrow BIKE

t refuse since Dean & Debbie threatened me with

How do you have a bike show on a cruise ship?

arrived with 5 x 7 photos of their motorcycles.

The largest class was the American Bagger, and the

The most surprising class though was the Vintage.

either American Cycle or American Bagger magazine,

That is an impressive number and speaks to the

6 Hogs on the High Seas Story by Dave Withrow BIKE SHOW I have judged many bike shows over the years, in some very diverse locations. These days, Las Vegas Bikefest is the only show that I judge. This October I was called to duty for HOHS, I couldn t refuse since Dean & Debbie threatened me with walking the plank. How do you have a bike show on a cruise ship? One hundred and nineteen motorcycle enthusiasts arrived with 5 x 7 photos of their motorcycles. We originally started with six classes but soon expanded to twelve. The mix was eclectic and the competition was erce. The largest class was the American Bagger, and the toughest to judge was the custom class. The most surprising class though was the Vintage. In all, 30 bikes were picked as feature bikes for either American Cycle or American Bagger magazine, with one guaranteed a cover. That is an impressive number and speaks to the quality of bikes entered. I hope to see you all on the HOHS Mexican Riviera Cruise, and don t forget to bring your 5 x 7 photo! ALBERT GIZZARELLI GREENVILLE, RI 2000 H-D ELECTRA GLIDE CLASS: AMERICAN BAGGER 38 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

7 BOB SPROCKET ECKARDT SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 1958 H-D FLH CLASS: INTAGE HOGS ON THE HIGH SEAS BIKE SHOW CRAIG KENNEDY FORT COLLINS, CO 1960 H-D FL CLASS: VINTAGE American Cycle Magazine AmericanCycleMag.com - February

8 DANIEL CULBERTSON ODESSA, TX 2001 SUZUKI INTRUDER CLASS: METRIC CRUISER GRAHAM RITCHIE SURREY, BC, CANADA 1981 U-BUILT H-D REPLICA CLASS: OTHER 40 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

9 JOHN CATHCART AUDUBON, NJ 2001 H-D WIDE GLIDE CLASS: FXR/DYNA/V-ROD HOGS ON THE HIGH SEAS BIKE SHOW LISA ARMSTRONG NORTH GOWER, ON CANADA 2001 H-D SPORTSTER CLASS: SPORTSTER/BUELL American Cycle Magazine AmericanCycleMag.com - February

10 NEIL JONES SOUTH COFFEYVILLE, OK 2006 VICTORY VEGAS JACKPOT CLASS: AMERICAN PRODUCTION/ NON HARLEY MICHELE MACPHEE ALBUQUERQUE, NM 1999 SUZUKI INTRUDER CLASS: PEOPLE S CHOICE/ METRIC BAGGER 42 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

11 MARK HULSLANDER FREEVILLE, NY 2003 H-D FAT BOY CLASS: SOFTAIL HOGS ON THE HIGH SEAS BIKE SHOW ROGER TOMPKINS OLD BRIDGE, NJ 2006 CUSTOM SOFTAIL CLASS: GROUND-UP CUSTOM American Cycle Magazine AmericanCycleMag.com - February

12 SHAWN PEDEN SPOKANE, WA 2006 H-D SHOVELHEAD CLASS: TRIKE TIM MEYERROSE NOBLESVILLE, IN 2007 H-D SOFTAIL DELUXE CLASS: SOFTAIL BAGGER 44 - February AmericanCycleMag.com American Cycle Magazine

13 RUSSELL WERLE PAINESVILLE, OH 1993 ELECTRA GLIDE /DFT TRIKE CLASS: TRIKE HOGS ON THE HIGH SEAS BIKE SHOW ROB HASTINGS TRUMANSBURG, NY 2005 H-D ELECTRA GLIDE CLASS: BEST OF SHOW American Cycle Magazine AmericanCycleMag.com - February

HIGH SEAS HOGS. on the

HIGH SEAS HOGS. on the HOGS on the HIGH SEAS Story and Photos: Natalie Fairbrother It took Dean and Debbie Anderson s life savings and endless hours of organizing, and begging and pleading with cruise lines to create Hogs on