THUNDER on the BAY!

Tampa Bay is certainly known for high levels of year-round boating traffic from recreational boaters and commercial traffic alike. But only once yearly do these bay waters come alive with over sixty poker run teams, as they push the throttles and roar from shore to shore, for this amazing display of high-performance hardware and adventurous weekend warriors!

Story by Stu Jones

Now in its 13th year, the Tampa Bay Poker Run seems to have found its place on the map, after FPC moved event headquarters from St. Petersburg across the bay to Downtown Tampa five years ago, where abundant hotels, adequate docking facilities and a vibrant backdrop of dining and entertainment options were just steps away for the 300+ participants that attended this mid-April rendezvous. If there was one poker run on the FPC event calendar that had the Big City theme, the Tampa Bay Poker Run would win this credit by a landslide. In sharp contrast to the previous four FPC events that visited rustic Florida Keys destinations from Key Largo to Key West, the Tampa event is situated in the heart of a metropolitan city with a population that hovers around three million residents, boasts three major league sports franchises, and hosts A-list concerts and sports tours including the likes of WWF Smackdown, and musical royalty like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band. Did we mention Taylor Swift, with her three back-to-back gigs at Raymond James Stadium on the same three nights that the Tampa Bay Poker Run was in town? Oh, “that’s just splendid”, said the FPC members who procrastinated long enough to miss the registration cutoff date, which would have assured them $ 300 per night rooms at the Westin Tampa Waterside or the Tampa Marriott Water Street. On the contrary, when the 30-day hotel contracts expired with FPC, the Swifties drove the rates to $ 1,000 per night in about a 24-hour span! Yes indeed, this caught many attendees off guard, and it hit their wallets with a swift blow! So, just a helpful note to those who want to book for the TAMPA BAY Poker Run next year; register before the 30-day deadline or get out your wallet big spender!

The good news is, regardless of the price of the hotel rooms, this 2023 edition of the Tampa Bay Poker Run weekend may have reported some of the best weather and boating conditions we have seen in recent years. The handful of earlybird visitors that arrived Wednesday, probably got more area boating in than anyone else, getting their boats in the water in time to enjoy a Thursday shakedown run to area hotspots. FPC organizers kicked off a structured program Thursday afternoon, by opening poker run check-in at the Westin Waterside resort and later staging a 7PM captains meeting, so participants could get all the preevent details squared away, giving them two full days on Friday and Saturday to partake in the FPC boating agenda.

The Friday fun run was primarily a casual lunch excursion, with no structured poker card checkpoints. Due to the size of the fleet, with 62 registered teams, a total of three lunch locations had been set up on Tampa Bay, including the popular Getaway along the Gandy Blvd causeway, the new Doc Fords Rum Bar & Grille, situated at St. Petersburg Pier, plus a hidden gem called FINNS, located in the heart of the Apollo Beach boating community, across from St. Pete on the eastern shore of Tampa

Bay. By all reports, everyone enjoyed the casual fun run format, which made best use of some of Tampa Bay’s most popular waterfront hotspots. The Saturday poker run took on a more structured format, with a scheduled 10:30 am start time from the docks at Tampa Convention Center, with the first poker card handoff from the FPC Girls, and a robust poker run course. The modified course offered five checkpoints that covered all four corners of Tampa Bay, explored Gulf coastal waters to Egmont Key, visited two St. Petersburg checkpoints at Indian Key and Vinoy Basin, along with a final fifth poker card near Hula Bay Club, a Saturday lunch stop.

While about half the teams settled in at Hula Bay for lunch, the remaining 30+ teams continued north to Old Tampa Bay, reaching the popular Whisky Joe’s Bar & Grill, where boats were nestled into the soft sand, and attendees enjoyed a casual lunch rendezvous under a special event tent. Continuedonpage64

After an incredible day of boating fun, poker run teams re-united at the Tampa Westin Waterside for the Saturday night dinner and awards party. The once formal captain meeting room was converted to the fun zone, with the three basic ingredients to keep poker run teams entertained: A fully stocked bar, poker run videos playing on the big screen, along with Hannah and her team of FPC Girls playing out the poker cards! What more could anyone ask for?

The usual festivities included Sponsor presentations, Presidents Choice Awards and selecting the top three poker run winners from the poker hand playing boards. FPC thanks all those attending, and we are happy to report that 2024 events dates are already blocked off with the same popular hotels, and Tampa Convention Center management promises that all construction projects along the Riverwalk and event docks will be completed for next year’s event. With other promised repairs to the Marjorie Park docks (near the fuel dock) FPC estimates this event could easily reach 75-80 registered teams for 2024! SJ

Friday Fun Run

With most of the teams in town by Thursday, the Friday lunch run was well attended, and required three different lunch locations to accommodate the large group. The Getaway in St Petersburg has always been a favorite for local boaters, and made the ideal lunch stopover for about 25 poker run teams.

Midnight Express owners took charge during their chopper time, getting these three 43's lined up in nice formation for the Money Shot!