22 minute read
SUMMER FUN 2021 - POWERBOAT EVENTS AROUND THE NATION
NOR-TECH 30TH ANNIVERSARY FUN RUN
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Trond Schou and Nils Johnsen
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NOR-TECH POWERBOATS
There are few performance marine manufacturers in our industry today that can celebrate thirty years in business, and Nor-Tech’s 30TH Anniversary Celebration gave company owners, employees, industry colleagues and loyal Nor-Tech owners a lot to be thankful for. Organized to coincide with its annual dealer meeting which is staged annually at the Weston Cape Coral Resort & Marina, this luxurious venue combined with the mild Spring weather provided a great outcome. The festivities began Friday afternoon, and the Miami Vice theme clearly was not lost on many guests, who arrived in colorful bag pants and Sonny Crocket sport jackets to get their guest photo at the red carpet entrance to the lavishly decorated ballroom. With nearly 500 guests in attendance, an extensive charity auction agenda, live band and a comical, heartfelt speech from company co-founder Trond Schou, it was a festive evening that left everyone feeling proud of their connection with this exciting brand, and the people behind it. Nor-Techs, the majority of them 340 and 390 Sport models, along with a handful of signature models that stood out in the pack. A matching pair of blue 36’ and 46’ Flyers, along with the impressive new 500 Sport center console powered by five Mercury Racing 450’s, punctuated the fact that Nor-Tech Hi Performance has always been willing to step outside the box with stylish, yet functional new designs. Seeing this magnificent fleet head off together was an impressive sight, weather you were dockside, riding onboard, or flying in hot pursuit with the FPC photo and video chopper above. This was a fabulous day of scenic boating that included a casual lunch at Useppa Island Club, where participants, industry colleagues, Nor-Tech owners and of course the factory team, got a chance to celebrate this 30 year milestone, something the founders Trond Schou and Nils Johnsen, can be very proud of! SJ
Complete video episodes of the Nor-Tech 30th Anniversary event can be viewed on Florida Powerboat Club’s YouTube channel.
Scott & Cathy Campbell | FL | 36' Nor-Tech
Rob & Laura D'Angelo | MI | 39' Nor-Tech / 4-Mercury Racing 450R Nils Johnson | FL | 34' Nor-Tech / 4-Mercury Racing 450R
Greg Connell & Jennifer Bishop |TX | 39' Nor-Tech / 4-Mercury Racing 400R
MIDNIGHT – DUCK KEY RENDEZVOUS
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF MIDNIGHT EXPRESS
Riding on the success of its 1st Annual Midnight Express Bimini Rendezvous in 2019, followed by a cancellation of the 2020 planned event due to the pandemic, it was long overdue for the owners of the Miami-based builder to get another customer-appreciation event on the calendar. With continuing challenges faced with visiting Bahamas, Hawks Cay Resort & Marina seemed like the perfect fit, and on Friday April 30th, over twenty Midnight express owners gathered for the departure from Haulover Marine Center.
At first glance it was apparent that that at least three new 43 Solstice models were going to be the showstoppers for the weekend, a credit to the Midnight Express team that worked feverishly to get these new models delivered to their loyal owners. With over 120 attendees on hand, primarily local Florida residents, the group enjoyed fantastic Spring weather as they headed south through Biscayne Bay, making the traditional stopover at Gilberts, Key Largo for a casual lunch with a rustic, relaxing vibe. It was just another forty miles on the protected Florida Bay waters until their destination at Hawks Cay Resort, located on Duck Key, just north of Marathon.
Social activities kept guests on property for Friday evening, which was followed by a Saturday raftup party at While Marlin Beach, a popular sand bar located at ten miles from Duck Key on the protected bayside waters. Evening activities followed, with a nicely presented dinner party at the Oasis Cay Ballroom, where attendees enjoyed one of the additional privileges of owning a Midnight Express, a VIP experience from the Glaser family, and all the employees at Midnight Express. SJ
PIRATE PARTY WEEKEND / 25 YRS OF MUTINY
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF PLANTATION BOAT MART
To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, Plantation Boat Mart pulled all the stops with a fourday event that had something for everyone. The Tavernier boat dealer and FPC Series Sponsor raised the bar by bringing a well-organized fishing tournament and poker run together for a weekend of fun, all based out of its marina complex in the heart of the Florida Keys. Strategically, each event was sponsored by manufacturers represented at PBM, including Invincible which sponsored the fishing tournament, Deep Impact was the natural sponsor for the poker run, and Sea Hunt sponsored the Sunday raftup party at the Whale Harbor channel in Islamorada. But the real buzz, was the event’s theme, a Pirate Party weekend with a full-on pirate costume party Friday evening, to kick off the festivities, with famed DJ Lazz spinning the tunes, and awards given out for best costume and sexiest pirate!
Plantation Boat Mart’s staff were fully engaged in all aspects of the weekend events, including an Saturday early 7am Shotgun Start for the anglers, followed by a 10:15am start for the poker run, which took a diverse fleet of performance boats to checkpoints throughout the Upper Keys. Both events had high stakes outcomes, with $ 50,000 in cash and prizes awarded to all the winners, while organizers still managed to include a charityfocus in their agenda, rising over $ 12,000 for the Miami Pediatrics Oncology Fund. This event proved above all, that Plantation Boat Mart owner Dennis Delatorre and his entire team, are not only professionals in the recreational boating industry, they are great ambassadors for the Florida boating lifestyle. Congratulations of a very successful event! SJ
CIGARETTE RENDEZVOUS
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY: ROB RICH
What started out over five years ago as another fun event on its summer boating agenda for Performance Boat Center, the annual Cigarette Rendezvous has now reached epic proportions, with a record 111 registered Cigarette teams on this mid-June event. Just a year earlier, at the height of the Covid pandemic, the PBC team actually broke the 100-mark, with 104 entries, and it’s understandable why. With a perfect home venue at PBC’s Red Head Yacht Club in Lake of the Ozarks, a good base of local Cigarette owners on the lake during summer months, and an easy 8-hour haul from popular boating hotbeds like Chicago to the North, or Dallas to the south, it’s got all the makings of a great summer blockbuster weekend. Combine that with the fact that PBC, the nation’s largest Cigarette dealer, plans exciting weekend agenda that takes boaters on Friday to popular waterfront spots on a Lake that is known for its focus on fun. The Friday agenda includes visits to entertainment hotspots like Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar ( giant pool- huge dock) and Backwater Jacks, followed by a Saturday run to Big Dicks Halfway Inn, where you can Shoot-the-Minnow. (#checkedthatbox:) With the momentum of this Cigarette Rendezvous going forward, it’s fair to predict PBC will have their hands full in June 2022!
Performance Boat Center’s leadership with co-founders Mark Waddington and Brett Manire at the helm, continues to focus tremendous attention on creating fun boating weekends for their customers, not only at their homeport of Osage Beach in Lake of the Ozarks, but also abroad, by sponsoring and attending many poker runs and racing events around the country. FPC thanks the PBC Team for their ongoing commitment to promoting the performance boating lifestyle, and their continued support of the Florida Powerboat Club. SJ
2ND ANNUAL ROCKIN' THE HARBOR POKER RUN
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY: RANDY NUZZO POWERBOATPHOTOS.COM
Anyone visiting Baltimore’s Inner Harbor would agree that is one of most vibrant waterfronts along America’s eastern seaboard, with historic ships, great tourist attractions, multiple dining options, entertainment, luxurious hotels and giant marinas with transient docking. Those are the core ingredients for a great poker run venue, and Rockin’ The Harbor organizers staged an amazing late June event, after bowing out in 2020 due to statemandated covid restrictions. The 2021 event returned to its first class lodging headquarters at the Four Seasons Baltimore and Marriott Waterfront, both just steps away from the Harbor East Marina, which offered floating docks and easy reservation process through an online booking portal. The event registration details were well presented on www.rockintheharbor.com, and the roster soon filled up quickly to their limit of 75 teams, many from the local Chesapeake Bay area, and a handful of weekend warriors that trailered several hundred miles to attend. Friday activities got the party started at W.O.T, with a dockside party and bikini contest, drawing a stellar cast of local ladies with a backdrop of high-performance hardware. For the Saturday main event, poker run teams enjoyed a dockside breakfast, brief mandatory captains meeting, then headed out for a 125 roundtrip run, dealing the first card at Inner Harbor, then Annapolis Harbor, Kent Island , Tolchester Marina, with the final card #5 at the new Tiki Lee’s Dock Bar in Back River Maryland. With the poker run event culminating at the last checkpoint, this kept everything on a casual basis for attendees and organizers alike, giving everyone the chance to let the day just play itself out. Congratulations to FPC member and event co-organizer David Landman, Jim Jernigan and all the team for what was reported by many as a fabulous poker run weekend! SJ
TIKI LEE'S SHOOT OUT & POKER RUN
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY: RANDY NUZZO POWERBOATPHOTOS.COM
The summer fun-filled weekend had something for everyone, whether you’re a boat racer, poker runner, air show enthusiast, bikini girl expert or just someone who likes being around a lot of fun people and a constant stream of eye-candy, this event delivered 110%. Created and hosted by FPC Member David Carey, owner of Tiki Lee’s Dock Bar in Sparrows Point MD just east of Baltimore, this entertainment-packed weekend kicked off a Thursday night dockside Boat Display event, followed by a Friday poker run. The 110 –mile poker run included a five-checkpoint course that navigated the north fork of Chesapeake Bay, with stops at Tolchester Marina and Chesapeake City, before the 100+ boat fleet rafted up for lunch at Carey’s Port Deposit restaurant, Lee’s Landing Dock Bar. A fifth card was picked up at Pooles Island, followed by a huge party with poker hands played out on the Shootout Deck under the massive event tents at the Tiki Lee’s well planned venue. A 20-contestant Bikini contest with an $8000 prize purse and live bands kept well over a thousand guests entertained…and the best part is, that was there were still two full days of Shootouts, air shows and live entertainment on the agenda.
It was an impressive feat for Carey and his event team to pull off such a successful event for their very first run, but everyone who attended would agree that was first-class fun and a must-do if you can get yourself to East Maryland in early July. Thanks to David for rolling out a warm welcome mat to Stu & Jackie Jones and all the FPC members in attendance. SJ
SUNCOAST SUMMER FEST
STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY: LUCY V. NICANDRI-SUNCOAST CHARITIES FOR CHILDREN
On July 3, 2021 the “Suncoast Summer Fest” Boat Fun Run, CoChaired by Simon Williams and Dee Babcock, was a great success raising $30,000.00 for Suncoast Charities for Children. Partly cloudy skies and a nice warm breeze off the Gulf of Mexico greeted 32 preregistered participants stopping at 5 waterfront locations along the Intracoastal Waterway. Stops included Marina Jack, The Old Salty Dog City Island, Caddy’s Bradenton, Bridge Tender Inn, and a private yacht anchored just off beautiful Longboat Key.
In 2020 the Fun Run attracted 120 boats and raised a total of $50,000 for the charity. However, a fleet of that size made it difficult to find adequate dockage. In order to enhance the quality of the run, the Fun Run Committee agreed to limit the number of boats participating. Williams stated, “Last year was our first time and it worked out really well, but we didn’t have much time to plan. Most places around here – make that all of them – can’t handle a fleet or group of that size. So we decided to make it a more upscale event that we can produce annually. This year’s Fun Run proved just that offering an all-inclusive VIP Captain and Passenger Package to entice boaters to spend their entire July 4 weekend in Sarasota.
On Friday the weekend kicked off with a casual lunch cruise to a newly opened waterfront restaurant, The Point. That evening a VIP Welcome reception for participants and sponsors was held at The Westin Sarasota, then on Saturday a post-run dinner was held at Embassy Suites. During the post-run dinner guests enjoyed live music, great food, full cash bar, and a chance to sit at the dealer’s table and draw their cards to win cash prizes. This year’s winners were as follows: First Place - $1,000 (Joe Harris), Second Place - $500 (Catherine Clapperton), and Third Place - $250 (Tracy Faggione). The Fun Run once again proved that anyone can be winner with a $100 Columbia Restaurant gift card awarded for the worst hand won by Mike Holderness Sr.
In addition to the Boat Fun Run, this week long Festival featured events for powerboat fans, motorcycle enthusiasts, and the entire family all benefitting a great cause generating a combined net total of $147,500.00 for Suncoast Charities for Children. The net proceeds are distributed by Suncoast Charities for Children to six area non-profits that provide programs and services to children, teens, and adults with special needs. Lucy Nicandri, Festival Director and Executive Director of Suncoast Charities for Children stated, “Success like this on the fundraising side, coupled with the economic impact generated, are a win-win for Suncoast Charities for Children and our local business economy. The money raised will allow us to provide a significant grant to the Suncoast Foundation to do some necessary capital improvements at several of the non-profit agencies we support. It will also enable us to fund specific projects within these agencies directly related to programs and services. So many children, teens, and adults with special needs are on a waiting list. Good news like this will have such a significant impact on their lives and their future.”
Presenting Sponsors included Shore Thing Storage, World Cat, and Sara Bay Marina. Additional sponsors including Suncoast Powerboats & Yacht Brokerage, Erickson Marine, FCCI Insurance Group, Marina Jack Yacht Basin, Suncoast Exotics, Budweiser, Black Jack Air, Gagels Auto Parts, and Glueck’s Auto Parts 2. Billy Glueck, owner of Glueck’s Auto Parts 2 and longtime local offshore racer of team Twisted Metal, has been a longtime supporter and event participant of Suncoast Charities for Children explaining, “I have expended a lot of effort throughout the years on many different things, and most of them don’t mean that much to me anymore.” He continued, “Putting effort toward things that matter like Suncoast Charities for Children means a lot to me and actually makes me feel good.” Matt Trulio with Speed On The Water also joined forces to help the charity as a Major Media Sponsor for the event.
The 2022 “Suncoast Summer Fest” Boat Fun Run is scheduled for Sunday, June 26, featuring a full weekend of events starting on Friday. Simon Williams and Dee Babcock will continue to serve as Co-Chairs of the Fun Run and to get things started for next year’s event both Simon Williams (Shore Thing Storage) and Scott Ryerson (Suncoast Powerboats & Yacht Brokerage) have already agreed to be Presenting Sponsors. Pre-registration is now open so boaters are encouraged to register early online at suncoastsummerfest.org (Click On The Events Tab).
Lucy V. Nicandri, Executive Director
CONCEPT KEY WEST RUN
STORY: STU JONES | PHOTOGRAPHY: RYAN @BOATS.DAILY -INSTAGRAM
Wrapping up our feature coverage of eight big events on the Summer Fun 2021 series, Concept Boats blew it out of the park for their owners, organizing a three day Key West Poker Run in mid-July, which attracted at least forty Concept owners and their spirited teams. This is an annual event for Concept, which has been a family-owned Miami-based builder for over three decades. Luis Avila keeps his daughter and son Eric on their toes, managing many aspects for this bustling enterprise, and if you ask any Concept owners, they would agree that the Avila family have excelled with their focus on fun events for their owners.
The summer fling started from the Caribbean Club boat ramp in Key Largo, this was a suitable rendezvous location because many Concept owners prefer to trailer their boats down to the Keys, then do the 100+ mile run through the scenic waters all the way to Key West. Stopping points included White Marlin beach to anchor in the soft sand, followed by a picnic style lunch rendezvous later in the day near Snipe Key.
Arriving in Key West, boats settled in at the Key West Bight City Marina, with a variety of hotel options for the participants. One of the highlights of the weekend was an amazing raftup party at scenic Boca Grande, just ten miles beyond Key West in the Mule Keys. Congratulations to the Avila family for hosting such a well-organized weekend of boating fun to Concept owners, and for extending the invitation to have the FPC photo and video crew ride along. The complete Concept Poker Run event is featured on the Florida Powerboat Club Youtube channel. www.conceptboats.com
