Twenty One PILOTS!

Sometimes SIZE matters but not for the 2023 edition of the Spring Key West Poker Run, where twenty-one poker run captains led their teams on a four-hundred-mile roundtrip from Miami to Key West, discovering that smaller events offer unique advantages!

Story and photos by Stu

Jones

Completing a long run of four separate FPC adventures to the Florida Keys that began in November, the Spring Key West Poker Run gave twenty-one poker run teams the chance to enjoy four days of incredible boating to a destination that is world famous for having fun. And, if visiting Key West at the height of the Spring Break season isn’t enough reason to celebrate, consider that this third event of the FPC 2023 calendar fell directly in synch with St Patrick’s Day, which happens to be a very popular occasion for thousands of enthusiastic visitors in this very festive vacation hotspot!

In addition to the local Key West festivities, there was far more to celebrate for the attendees over this four-day boating adventure. Like the Winter Fun Run that took place just two months earlier, the Spring Key West Poker Run reaps the benefits of the “less is more” scenario, where smaller events provide less stress over docking and over-crowded functions, and more quality facetime with fellow FPC members. And not, we might add, the kind of facetime one uses with a mobile device. The fact that twenty-one teams and about eighty participants are in close quarters with each other during the four-day fling, accounts for many new friendships being created, and an event experience that is very different from the event’s counterpart, the 275team November Key West Poker Run, which takes place during powerboat race week.

On this mid-March weekend in Key West, absent from the mix are 250 of the other FPC teams, dozens of offshore powerboat racing teams and thousands of fans that crowd the streets and bars, so the Spring Key West event mood is more casual and chill in so many ways.

The other bonus that comes along with the smaller fleet, is the advantage of visiting the popular island getaways in the Mule Keys, including Boca Grande Key which is typically closed by National Refuge authorities every November during the Key West Poker Run. Seizing that opportunity and making the best of the incredible spring weather, FPC’s Friday agenda included a fun run to Boca Grande, with the FPC photo and video crew flying overhead in a locally based Robinson R44, capturing some amazing imagery. With double-digit winds gusting from the southeast, the ocean conditions for the short 10-mile ride were far from perfect, but that didn’t deter these weekend warriors, who feathered the throttles and rode the humps, knowing that safe harbor was just around the corner. And indeed, it was, because the bumpy conditions had kept many other local boaters back in their home ports, and for the first time in recent years, FPC took over the protected and pristine beaches of Boca Grande, to enjoy a picnic in paradise.

The fun continued both on-water and off, as cocktail parties were hosted every evening at FPC’s hospitality tent, situated at the landmark Conch Republic Seafood company in the Key West Historic Seaport. With the majority of the FPC fleet docked at the Conch Republic venue, this made for a great backdrop, that included a formal Saturday evening dinner party in the courtyard, where everyone gathered to celebrate this wonderful weekend, and enjoyed the fun and games of playing out the poker cards and taking part in the awards presentations. Thanks to all those who attended, and we hope you enjoy all the incredible images in this Powerboating in Paradise feature. SJ

This Sunseeker Superhawk was purchased as a low-hour fresh water boat from Michigan and completely refit in 2022 with new components and systems including diesel generator, bow thruster, new trim tabs, Dolphin battery charger, JL Audio System and a completely updated helm with new shifters, gauges and electronics. The entire boat was refinished in 3M vinyl by Boatwraps, and outfitted with new canvas and extended bimini top to cover the helm, then finished with extensive U-Dek flooring over the entire deck, cockpit, cabin and swim platform. This triple 502Efi Sunseeker is maintained by FPC marine partners and stored at Jones residence in Pompano Beach on a 40k hydraulic boat lift.

$139,000 half interest | Ownership through a registered Florida LLC corporation. Annual maintenance, insurance and storage budget of $ 30,000 is split 50/50 with a low cost of $ 1,250/month.

* The boat is privately owned and no longer offered for charter.