Captain of a cruise ship or Captain of a Harley ... - High Seas Rally

story and photos by Marilyn StempThe world’s only motorcyclerider rally on a cruise shipmarked it’s fourth consecutivesailing to the WesternCaribbean last November 5-12 whenHogs on the High Seas loaded 1,500people on the Royal CaribbeanMariner of the Seas and headedsouth. What? You haven’t heardabout this? Read on and we’ll tellyou. For those of you who think youalready know or simply don’tcare—turn the page if you like butyou’re missing out on a great time.This is no stuffy dress-up cruise,no sir, and we can understand whypeople with our two-wheeled proclivitieswould shun such a thing.HOHS attire is strictly biker-style,jeans and leather—or less. AndHOHS cruises draw riders from allover the United States—and theworld—each year. In fact, the fifthanniversary cruise in November2007 is already sold out.Billed as “almost too much fun,”it’s hard to dispute that statement.Consider this: HOHS takes place onone of the world’s largest cruiseships as it sails for seven beautiful,tropical days in the WesternCaribbean Sea. In addition to theveritable Vegas atmosphere aboardship and at the island ports, thereare private parties just for theHOHS group in Jamiaca at JimmyBuffett’s Margaritaville; on GrandCayman at the Hard Rock Café; andin Cozumel, Mexico, at Carlos ‘nCharlie’s. You might question howprivate a party of 1,500 people canbe, but you don’t really know tillyou’ve tried it.There’s an on-ship pool partyduring the week, a private islandstop, and all the shipboard amenities(gourmet dining, top-notch serviceand high-bling facilities) youexpect on a cruise. And if you arriveearly you can join a Bon Voyageparty at the host hotel in Floridawhere nearly 1,000 participantstook advantage of the chance tomeet their fellow cruisers beforecasting off.But it’s not just a party cruise.Motorcycle-related vendors andbike builders are onboard in theship’s conference room to talk shopwith cruisers, and nightly shows—for HOHS cruisers only—incorporatecash and vendor giveaways totalingmore than $300,000. AllHOHS cruisers are eligible forprizes, too, just by being there. Theweek culminates in a final showwhere two custom bikes are givenaway. Yes, two.More cash and prizes are awardedvia shenanigans like the Belly SmackerContest, Treasured Chest(women), Topless Man (men), BestBeard and Best Tattoo (both!), and PirateBiker Bingo. Better still, a percentageof the money collected goesto HOHS’s kidney dialysis fund thatprovides no-cost cabin, airfare, dialysistreatments, and spending moneyfor motorcycle enthusiasts requiringthis life-altering therapy. The 2006rally raised over $110,000 from thefun-loving bikers through 50/50 raffles,auctions and a poker walk—along with dollars designated by thevendors, the organizers, and kindmindedindividuals—allowing foreven more dialysis patients to cruisein future years (see sidebar). Thanksto HOHS rally organizers Dean andDebbie Anderson, thousands of dollarshave been dedicated in the pastto this cause and the Andersons arecommitted to providing continuedsupport for dialysis patients.continued63

www.ironworksmag.comYes, the 2007 Rally is sold out butin 2008, HOHS is adding a MexicanRivera trip in late April along withtheir annual Western Caribbean rallythat November. In 2009, it’s back toAlaska (they’ve been there twice before)in late June leaving from Seattle,Washington, plus a first-ever, twoweek“back-to-back” Eastern andWestern Caribbean rally in November.Truly, Hogs on the High Seasgives the word “cruising” a wholenew meaning for the biking crowd.For additional content and to postcomments related to this and other articlesgo to ironworksmag.comMike Costic and his wife from Cumberland, Rhode Island, jumped on the customtrike he won. It was built by Terry Stonehocker of GearGasm in Anderson,South Carolina, who says, “Three of a kind beats a pair anytime.”Bikers get harassed everywhere, itseems. Though you have to ask,how could he ride holding the baby?ResourceHogs on the High Seas1-800-444-8795www.hogsonthehighseas.comCan you believe Kathy Buckbinder from Sumner, Washington, won the custombobber? Neither could she! Captain Johnny pulled the winning tickets for bothgiveaway bikes. The bobber, like the trike, was built by Terry at GearGasm.Invariably, whenever I talked toone of the dialysis patients aboardthe HOHS 2006 Caribbean rally,somebody started crying. Maybe itwas the patient’s spouse, sometimesthe patient themselves, or perhapseven one of the technicians from theDialysis At Sea group who cared forthe patients. Let me clarify: thesewere tears of joy, or at least relief.See, this kind of freedom—to gowhere you choose, when youchoose—is a no longer a luxury topeople who have become tied to amachine for their very life’s blood.Literally. Dialysis patients must havetheir entire blood stream “cleaned”by a dialysis machine every few daysto simply stay alive. This means remainingclose to a dialysis treatmentcenter, in effect tethering them to amachine and a process.The kind of mobility and wideopenview of the world that patientson the HOHS cruise experienced onthis trip is akin to the exhilarationthey once felt riding their bikes onthe open road—and we can all certainlyrelate to that. Maybe that’swhy most of the rally participantswere so openly generous when itcame time to buy a 50/50 ticket orsign up for the poker walk. Weheard the stories of these afflictedfolks and knew they could be us.We commend rally organizersDebbie and Dean Anderson for theirsolid dedication to helping peoplewho live their lives bound to dialysistreatment. It reminds us all of justhow fortunate we are to have ourhealth so that we can ride our bikesunimpeded. —M. StempLike the other 11 dialysis patients onboard, Chuck Mielak from Mesa, Arizona,had his treatments in theship’s infirmary, monitored here byDialysis At Sea nurse Frank Janke.

The IronWorks Virtual Bike Show is part of the fun for Hogs on the High Seas cruisers. Because unless you’re theship’s captain, the closest most of us get to two-wheeling during the week is aboard a scooter in Georgetown,Grand Cayman. The IW Virtual Bike Show gives participants a chance to show off their rides and, if the judgesdeem it so, accept the accolades and affirmation of their peers.And the winners are…Arthur FilipettoGlassboro, NJ2002 FatBoyClass: People’s ChoiceCredit undoubtedly goes to Jeff Waters atInferno Graphics for the stunning paint job,but owner Arthur Filipetto added his ownhand-fabricated touches along with a Saddlemenseat and skull covers to upgrade this FatBoy. “And,” adds Arthur, “it’s chromed to thelast bolt.” It was chosen hands-down winnerin the People’s Choice class.Raymond SanchezPort St. Lucie, FL2006 Softail CustomClass: Twin CamRaymond credits Sonny Heflin from Custom Cycle Works for building the engineof this tasty ride, incorporating Wiseco pistons, S&S cases and carb, Craneignition, and fully polished Diamond Cut heads and cylinders. It sits in a DNAframe with 36-degree rake (2” up, 2” out) mated to a Pro-One front end, Baker 6-speed, and more top-name components than we can fit here. One thing is sure:the parts combined seamlessly to create a sleek and very rideable custom bike.Sunny SiegersColton, CA1993 Fat BoyClass: EvoThis Fat Boy’s engine, packed with Screamin’ Eagle upgrades, is fed by aKuryakyn air cleaner with a Mikuni carb, and dispatches spent gases via aThunderheader exhaust system. Custom sheetmetal, handlebar, and a snazzypaint job add bling to the Boy but we’re guessing the real story here is performance.Who says Evos can’t keep up?

John NeidengardWintersville, OH1947 EL KnuckleheadClass: Pre-EvoJohn Neidengard’s Knucklehead was restored by Neidengard’s Harley-Davidson with paint by Sterling’s Auto Body and plating by Brown’s. With theexception of the exhaust, which is a reproduction system, and the Coker tires,the bike is all original including tank, fenders, 61” engine and springer frontend. Even the speedo is a rebuilt original. It’s certainly one beautiful bike.Angela GravesShelbyville, TN1997 Sportster 1200 CustomClass: Sportster/BuellA 2” under fork and some shortened rear shocks give this Sporty a low profile,yet making it more comfortable for its rider. Angela and Jack Graves leftthe engine stock, adding only a D&M air cleaner and Samson pipes. The bikerolls on fancy American Wire Wheels, has a LePera seat, Ness bars, and aftermarketlighting and controls. Our judges gave it the winning nod.Joe RiceAlbuquerque, NM2005 CustomClass: Scratch BuiltJoe Rice chose major components for his custom build from Daytec (singledowntube frame), Ultima (100” engine), BDL, S&S, Vance & Hines, Avon,Hawg Halters, and other familiar companies. But it’s the sum of those parts—topped off by Danny Bally’s lightning motif paint job—that cuts such a strikingprofile. Nice job!Peter and June HarrakaPort Orange, FL2003 Victory VegasClass: Other V-TwinWith its tasteful touches from Arlen Ness, the Victory Vegas exemplifiesbillet custom cool. Top-shelf components like a Corbin seat, Vance & Hinesexhaust, PM wheels and Brembo brakes are icing on the cake. The BikerBuddy Hi-Low Rider air suspension contributes to function and comfort.Owner Peter Harraka credits George Snyder for the professional photo.Dan ZinkeWisconsin Dells, WI2006 Street GlideClass: Twin Cam TouringThere were so many handsome Twin Cam baggers entered in the show thatthe judges demanded a new class for them—and got it. Capital City H-D inMadison (Wisconsin) handled this bagger’s Screamin’ Eagle engine upgrades,N. S. Designs did the paint, stretched saddlebags, frenched taillights and innerfairing. It’s one swoopy bagger.