Celebrating an 80th birthday is an achievement for anyone, but when you've accomplished the amazing things in life that Howard Arneson has, an 80th birthday becomes a very memorable event, and writes its own chapter in the history of offshore power boating. 
     Howard Arneson, the subject of a special profile in Poker Runs America  (Volume 2 Number 1) is one of performance boating's most colorful personalities.  As inventor of the Arneson pool sweep, surface drive, and past world champion offshore competitor, his exploits are nothing less than legendary.
     San Francisco Offshore has been it's famous fellow members birthday for years, so throwing a party for this man who has contributed so much to performance boating is nothing new.  But creating a big splash for his 80th birthday required some extra special planning.
     Gary McElroy, Barry Garfinkle and Bob Howard worked closely with Howard's wife, Eva,
for this occasion, decorating his shop in San Rafael, CA, where his "toys" rest.  Members of San Francisco Offshore and fellow boating friends all came together for the festivities.
     During the gala evening, Howard spoke briefly about his life.  Everyone present could feel his pride of accomplishment when he related the story of his record shattering Mississippi River Run and his exploits with enduring racing as well as other racing venues, all of which truly tested the mettle of a man.
     But don't get any ideas that Howard Arneson has any plans to retire from the performance boating scene.  Any day you can see him on his 46' Skater on San Francisco Bay, pushing the limits of man and machine, as he continues to search for that elusive goal of comfortable, safe, "cruising" at the 200mph mark.