Tip of the Spear Poker Run
The 2026 Tip of the Spear Poker Run will return to Norfolk June 26–27, 2026, bringing another major weekend of high-performance boating and patriotic fundraising to the Virginia waterfront. Hosted by the Atlantic Coast Powerboat Association, the event benefits the SEAL Legacy Foundation, which supports wounded and fallen Navy SEAL families, educational assistance programs, trauma treatment initiatives, and preservation of the SEAL community legacy.
Centered around Waterside Marina, the event has quickly grown into one of the East Coast’s most talked-about poker runs, with organizers limiting the field to approximately 55 boats. Registration demand has continued to rise each year, with organizers reporting that the 2026 event is already approaching sellout status.
General registration for the 2026 Tip of the Spear Poker Run is priced at $850 per boat and includes entry for the captain and mate, reserved slip accommodations at Waterside Marina for Friday and Saturday nights, event merchandise, and access to all major scheduled meals and activities throughout the weekend. Additional riders may be added for $250 each and also receive event access and official shirts.
The weekend schedule begins Thursday evening with optional early dockside check-in at Waterside Marina. Friday features an optional fun run departing Waterside Marina and heading to Decoy's Seafood at Bennett’s Creek Marina for lunch before participants return to Norfolk for registration, the captain’s meeting, and a large docktail party at Blue Moon Taphouse overlooking the marina.
Saturday serves as the main poker run event, beginning with breakfast and final check-in before the official run launches at 10:00 AM. Participants will travel across the Hampton Roads waterways before stopping for lunch at Smithfield Station and later returning to Norfolk for the evening banquet and final card draw at the Harbor Club at Waterside.
The Tip of the Spear Poker Run has become known for combining a polished, high-end boating experience with a strong charitable mission and patriotic atmosphere. Organizers emphasize that all proceeds go directly toward supporting the SEAL Legacy Foundation and military-related charitable causes. In recent years, the event has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable impact, including major fundraising support for veteran debt relief and military family assistance programs.
With offshore catamarans, custom center consoles, V-bottoms, and performance boats lining the Norfolk waterfront, the 2026 Tip of the Spear Poker Run is once again expected to deliver one of the East Coast’s premier patriotic boating weekends while supporting an important mission benefiting America’s Navy SEAL community.