Rudee Rocket, an Oceanfront tour to blow your hair back

It's about 70 feet long, seats about 100 people, features bright yellow paint and cruises the Atlantic Ocean at up to 35 mph. It's the Rudee Rocket, a 2,000-horsepower speedboat that has been providing thrill rides since 2006.

The boat departs from the Virginia Beach Fishing Center off Winston Salem Avenue. It's managed by Rudee Tours.

As dozens of guests board, boat mate Johnny Cameron greets passengers and takes souvenir photos with a "Rudee Rocket" life ring. Skip Feller takes the captain's chair.

The theme music from "Jaws" plays as the Rocket makes its way from Rudee Inlet into the open ocean for an hourlong ride.

"Let's count down from five and yell 'blastoff,' " Cameron urges the passengers.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One. What are we supposed to yell? Oh, blastoff!" say confused guests.

Feller guns the boat to 25 mph and runs the Rocket parallel to the shore. Then he slows to a stop. "If you look out in front at about 11 o'clock, there are 10 to 20 dolphins," Cameron says.

"How cute! They look like they are coming out to greet us," says Carolann Beachy, a New York resident who is visiting with her daughter, Rebecca, 15.

Feller fires up the Rocket again and plays radio-friendly rock and beach music. The passengers enjoy a leisurely ride on the calm sea, the boat running smoothly, cool wind blowing on faces.

"If you would like to get out of your seats and come to the back of the boat, we have dolphins doing tricks in the wake," Cameron says over the microphone. The boat moves at 10 mph. Feller later explains that the dolphins like playing in the "pressure wake" caused by the boat when the sea is calm. The boat's wake pulls the dolphins along in the water, like racers drafting behind a faster car.

"It's pretty cool," says Pennsylvania resident Sandi Spanier, who is visiting with her 11-year-old son, Dylan.

Eight miles up the shoreline, the Cape Henry lighthouses mark the halfway point.

Although the boat can hit speeds of 46 mph, the Coast Guard regulates how fast the Rocket can travel, setting a top speed of 35 for safety reasons. Even at that speed, "the boat opens up." As Feller pushes the engines, the increased speed forces passengers back into their seats. The boat bounces in the water, and the ocean sprays off to the sides. On windy days, passengers get splashed, Feller says.

"The wetter you get them, the happier they are," Feller says of the passengers. Dylan Spanier shows his approval with a wide smile.

"Good music. Good time," says Beachy as the boat returns to the inlet.

Patty Jenkins, (757) 446-2298, patty.jenkins@pilotonline.com