Miss Geico in Atlantic City. FEBRUARY 12, 2009

(Powerboat Magazine, May 2009)

Mardi Gras and boating make for a great party, and offshore racing's John Haggin was there to lead it all.

Traveling down a winding stretch of the Tickfaw River in Louisiana on a barge, John Haggin yelled "oompah!" as he tossed a cup full of beads to the nearby boat filled with enthusiastic Mardi Gras partygoers.

The cup The cup hit one of those revelers in the hands and the beads fell in the boat's cockpit, setting off a well-mannered scramble for the purple and green necklaces.

"You can't get much better than that," Haggin told the group riding on the float.

The owner behind the world champion Miss GEICO offshore race boat, Haggin could have been referring to his throw or the joy of watching as children and adults collected beads from the boats in the Krewe of Wrecks parade. The boat parade is the largest in Louisiana and Haggin was the king of the madness.

Ask the locals to describe the February event, which includes the infamous "chicken drop," and you'll hear the same thing - "A great party."

Thanks to the water-speed record holder Ken Warby, Haggin ended up celebrating in the swamps of Louisiana the weekend before Fat Tuesday. Warby had served as King of Wrecks in 2008, and this year, he convinced Haggin to assume the title.

"Everybody just has a ball, nobody really gives a crap about too much," said Warby, whose 317.6-mph record still stands. "They decorate their boats up, laugh and have fun. It's just party time down here."

The party started 23 years ago when three locals got into a boat and made their own parade calling themselves "King of the Wrecks." Legend has it that they were chased off to littering and the parade grew from there.

Today the parade features 40 boats, err floats, and at least five times as many spectator boats lined up along the 4-mile stretch of river. Thousands of people gathered in yards, cooking up sausage and crawfish, to watch the procession of boats.

A popular theme this year was President Barrack Obama's stimulus package that was passed a few days after the parade. One boat renamed itself the USS Bailout, while a cruiser had a large check on the back that read, "Where's My Stimulus Check?" The winning entry was a houseboat with a biker gang theme where everyone on board was dressed in leather.

The ringmaster of the parade was "Crazy Charlie" Albert, who hosts the event out of his Blood River Landing in Springfield. The Louisiana native is a gracious host, opening his private marina to the public for the weekend.

The rustic marina is an eclectic place that features the Fun House, a three-story structure that Albert has built over the ears. Hanging from the ceiling were old lobster pots and a tattered confederate flag in addition to Scuba Steve, a mannequin in an old diving suit.

Albert's latest addition was the Katrina outhouse, which was built with fallen heart pine trees from the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The entire marina embodies Albert's fun approach to the Mardi Gras weekend, as well as the Tickfaw Poker Run in May. But break the rules and you'll get a tongue-lashing from the no-nonsense Albert.

"I've kicked almost everyone out of this marina," said Albert, who has owned the marina since 1979. "If somebody follows somebody in, I make them back out. I have a bad reputation and good credit. When I have an event like this, they know I open my doors."

While the duties of king involve nothing more than shaking hands, passing out beads and accepting free drinks from the partygoers, Haggin clearly enjoyed it from the moment he arrived in town with the race team's Marc Granet and Scott Begovich.

Haggin received the crown and frog gig from Warby in a small ceremony Friday night at the Fun House that featured some incredible Gumbolaya and white beans. Warby said the event and the weekend reminded him of offshore racing of years' past.

"This is the way boat racing used to be where you've got a bunch of people, the boats are on the eater and you never cared whether you won or lost," Warby said. "You were ther to have a good time and meet people."

The event's fun-loving spirit was infectious, even a couple of hours before the parade began. Running upriver in the Miss GEICO rigid-inflatable safety boat with Kid Rock blasting on the stereo, Haggin took in the sights as the spectator boats started to raft up for the parade.

Haggin's float for the day was a barge with a 60-horsepower outboard - a far cry from the Miss GEICO Mystic catamaran with 4,000 hp under the hatches. The barge featured a makeshift lifeguard stand that was decorated to serve as a throne. Five young ladies rode along on the float to hand heads and cups to Haggin, who was dressed in a Mardi Gras-themed robe and wearing a crown.

As Haggin's float made its way downriver, his accuracy at throwing bead improved greatly. Many of the beads would end up in the water, but resourceful parade watchers brought fishing nets to catch them.
By the time the parade finished a couple of hours later; Haggin had distributed thousands of beads and got a share of beads back from the spectators. "I woke up the next morning and thought I had fallen out of bed," Haggin later said regarding his sore shoulder.

Albert said the main difference between Mardi Gras in Springfield (which is about 35 minutes north of New Orleans) is the sense of family.

"When that bead hits that boat, it's that baby's bead and nobody's fighting for it," Albert said. "In New Orleans, they fight for them beads and you've got to watch your kids."

The party moved from the water to the Fun House, where people drank and dances to live music. Haggin sat on a wood perch watching as his Miss GEICO throttleman (Begovich) and driver (Granet) danced and had fun with the crowd. For a guy who is usually running the show, Haggin enjoyed soaking in the festivities.

It's a rarity you'll ever catch (Haggin) in a situation where he's overwhelmed by this kind of outpouring," Granet said. "I just went up and asked him if he was all tight and he said, 'I can't believe this. This is fantastic.'"

The highlight of the night was, and always is, the chicken drop, which featured a young woman blowing hard on a chicken's backside. The bird was placed in a metal cage with numbers painted on the ground. When the chicken left a dropping on a number, money was given to the lucky winner. Money from the drop and the entry fees at the gate went to a local charity.

It was all part of the fun and that's why boaters such as James Moak of Baton Rouge, L.A., come back to the event year after year. Moak, who owns a Cigarette 35 Top Gun, has participated in the parade in past years but now prefers to be a spectator.

"The parade starts our season," Moak said. "This gives you a reason to get the boat out after winter and soon enough the Tickfaw (poker run) will be here."

Even though Haggin will hand off his king duties in 2010, he plans to be a regular at the Krewe of Wrecks.

"I want to have as much fun as possible. because any of us could be go ne tomorrow," Haggin said. "As far as fun goes, this was at the top of the list for me."