A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER MORE THAN TWO DECADES OF HOT STEAMY WEEKENDS AND OVERCROWDED WATERWAYS FORCED FPC ORGANIZERS TO MOVE THE EMERALD COAST DATES TO LATE SEPTEMBER, PROVING TO BE THE BIGGEST AND BEST DECISION EVER, AS 350 ATTENDEES ENJOYED COOLER TEMPS AND LESS CROWDED WATERWAYS!
STORY: STU JONES
W
ith the growing popularity of recreational boating and a bustling tourism economy in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach region, FPC organizers and attendees had observed alarming levels of congestion on local waterways during the last few years of the Emerald Coast Powerboat Week event. It was a tough decision to make, but pushing the mid-August dates into late September yielded an outcome that exceeded all expectations! The luxurious Emerald Grande resort continued as the official event headquarters and host hotel and very few details of the boating agenda were changed, however there was a big shuffle in many of the event-related venues and marine-related services. The practice of launching boats at Fort Walton Beach’s Marler Park ramp and parking trailers behind the Emerald Coast Convention Center had to be eliminated, as a major RV Show took over the grounds. This may have presented challenges, however Legendary Marina in Destin stepped up their game, taking in more of the poker run teams than ever before, by offering staging, forklift launching, 93-octane fuel, overnight boat parking and a dedicated courtesy shuttle to transport guests to and from the Emerald Grande. Adding to that, an increased use of Destin’s Joe’s Bayou Boat Ramp, located is just minutes from Emerald Grande, this combination of services eased the logistics challenges for incoming boaters, and many expressed thumbs up to the new format.
68 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE
Overnight docking continued at the customary locations, including the Aj’s Sponsor Dock on Destin Harbor and Harborwalk Village on the doorstep to Emerald Grande, and there was still a significant number of slips offered by Brooks Bridge Marine in Fort Walton Beach, which was also a poker card checkpoint for the Saturday run. While organizers opted to leave out the Wednesday night Powerboat Boat parade through Harborwalk Village, the activities got off to an early start Thursday with a casual fun run around the bay waters, giving about two dozen teams a chance to shakedown their boats, and at the very least it was a chance to drop GPS tracks for a handful of checkpoints, making the Saturday poker run navigation a little easier. The run’s destination was Legendary Marina, where staff delivered a helpful dockside greeting, getting boats tied up quickly, so that guests could wander into Lulu’s for our scheduled lunch rendezvous. Thursday evening provided a great new venue at Harry T’s in Harborwalk Village, for the very popular Miss Powerboat Week contest ( see page 70) featuring eight lovely contestants and raising the first $1000 towards the club’s charity objectives, with judges paying $ 100 for that coveted front row seat!
