Celebrating Five Years With Our Neighbors In Alabama!
• 33 rd Bahamas Poker Run
• Bahamas Summer Fling
• Concept Owners Poker Run
• Deep Impact Owners Run
• Northern Bahamas Island Hop
TAKE center stage
THE LUXURIOUS CRAFTSMANSHIP AND REFINED PERFORMANCE OF THE MERCURY RACING® 500R MAKE IT THE UNDISPUTED CHOICE FOR SOPHISTICATED BOATERS WHO WANT TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD.
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER
Stu Jones
stu@flpowerboat.com
OFFICE MANAGER
Megan Smith admin@flpowerboat.com
EVENT MANAGEMENT
RESERVATIONS & LODGING
Jackie Jones jackie@flpowerboat.com
EVENT LOGISTICS & DOCKING
John Wittenberger Jr.
Gen Mgr- Marine Operations john@flpowerboat.com
GRAPHIC DESIGN & PHOTO DESK
Lina Montes fpclina@gmail.com
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Ryan McCoy- Producer mccoymedia@me.com
VIDEOGPAPHY & DRONE
Joe Kotrady
Andre Alvarez
Stu Jones
Tyler Jones
Ryan McCoy
Bricen Vereen
Levi LeMay
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jerry Wyszatycki
Pete Boden
Jim Stewart
Tyler Jones
Stu Jones
FPC HEADQUARTERS
Florida Powerboat Club
1305 NE 23rd Ave.
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
MAILING ADDRESS: 1031 NE 28th Terr
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
Tel: 954.545-1414
Fax: 954.782-2452 www.flpowerboat.com
POMPANO OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
10 AM - 5 PM
6. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Stu Jones recaps on the highlights of a robust 2024 travel agenda with recon missions for new destinations in the Bahamas, and a 3-event summer tour with gracious hospitality from FPC members!
8. ORANGE BEACH POWERBOAT WEEK 2024
It was a momentous occasion as Florida Powerboat Club celebrated five years with The Wharf in Orange Beach as the event host and presenting sponsor!
36. BAHAMAS 2024 EXTRAVAGANZA!
It was the Bahamas motherlode of boating adventures, as FPC stepped up the 2024 agenda with a variety of destinations and two manufacturerhosted owners events.
•33rd Bahamas Poker Run: Bimini, Chub Cay Atlantis Paradise Island .....................................................................
•Bahamas Summer Fling: Bimini, West End, Port Lucaya..................44
•Concept Owners Poker Run: Blitz on Bimini with great parties!.......52
•Deep Impact Owners Run: Bimini, Chub Cay Atlantis, Normans Cay.......................................................................56
•Northern Bahamas Island Hop: West End, Port Lucaya, HopeTown Abacos.............................................................................62
68. FPC SUMMER TOUR HIGHLIGHTS!
1.Kuttawa Cannonball Run, Kentucky; 2. Mercury Racing sponsored BAGO BIG BET Wisconsin; 3. The Land & Lake Poker Run; 4. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. Summer poker run events provided new adventures for Stu & Jackie Jones, with a warm welcome everywhere!
70. 32 ND EMERALD COAST POWERBOAT WEEK
With the poker run roster bumping 100-teams for this Fall rendezvous there was plenty of eye candy in every direction as teams converged on Destin & Fort Walton Beach from all over the United States
ON THE COVER: Emerald Coast Poker Run Saturday morning start, as teams gather at the Emerald Grande 1st checkpoint in Destin Harbor.
Photo: Tyler Jones
Photo: Jim Stewart
Inset: The FPC Girls made it a Green Day for the Friday Fun Run, in honor of the Emerald Coast
It has been a long and adventurous summer for the Florida Powerboat Club, which kicked off in May with the Orange Beach Powerboat Week, followed by a flurry of Bahamas events June through August. We took these Bahamas events to new levels, planning three regular FPC events, and FPC worked closely with Miami manufacturers Concept Boats and Deep Impact Custom Boats to assist them with their annual owners’ runs. If five events were not enough, we added yet another event to our island adventures, taking a small group of FPC members on a Tropic Ocean Airways seaplane charter to Harbour Island near Eleuthera, about fifty miles east of Nassau. With that amount of exploration on our travel logs, we were able to discover exciting new destinations including marinas, resorts, restaurants, and pristine secluded beaches that are far off the beaten path! In this issue of Powerboating in Paradise, we feature extensive editorial coverage of these newfound gems in the Bahamas, and the good news is that we’ll do everything we can to incorporate many of these places in our 2025 Bahamas cruising series, which commences in early June. Just refer to the new FPC 2025 event calendar in the back page of this magazine and start planning ahead!
The other great adventure was our 2024 Summer Poker Run Tour, which took us to far away places including Kentucky, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire, for some fabulous poker runs we have never attended. Late May was the Kuttawa Cannonball Run which had a great turnout despite rainy weather, but Jackie and I had a ton of fun at the all-day houseboat dock party, which was followed by a great fund-raising event where organizers raised a lot of cash for the local charity.
June took us to the Bago Big Bet Poker Run on Lake Winnebago, presented by Mercury Racing. It was a small but super fun event; we conquered Oshkosh Wisconsin, and we made many new friends! The icing on the cake was visiting the Fond-du-Lac Mercury Racing headquarters before returning home!
Our third summer tour event was New Hampshire, where we attended the Lake Winnipesaukee-based Land & Lake Poker Run benefiting Easter Seals, which was and absolute blast.
At all three of these events, aside from all the fun and adventure exploring these new destinations, I must say that the warm hospitality extended by so many of our boating friends and extended FPC family, was enormous beyond words. Everywhere we went, people welcomed us with open arms, warm hearts and offered everything from scenic boat rides, to house parties and even places to stay! Honestly, this fun boating lifestyle just never gets old. But the truth is…. It’s not about the boats. It’saboutthepeople!
As this issue of Powerboating in Paradise gets into the hands of boat-people like you, we are attending the 65th Annual Fort Lauderdale Boat Show where exciting manufacturer unveilings will occur on opening day Wednesday. Two of these unveilings from Deep Impact and Nor-Tech are remarkably close to home for FPC, so we invite all of our club members join us on the Performance boat dock at Bahia Mar! After this exciting show concludes, we push the throttles to WOT, as we ramp up for the 32nd Annual Key West Poker Run! It’s going to be a wild ride….so HOLD THE HANDRAIL FIRMLY! (expression courtesy Ron Long). Above all, we remind everyone to make safety first priority, every time you turn the key!
Jones, Florida Powerboat Club President
Stu
Stu & Jackie Jones, Scotland ( 2024)
The Sweet Taste OF ORANGE!
Celebrating its 5th year at The Wharf in Orange Beach, FPC members from a dozen states were reminded why this quiet Alabama boating town is the perfect playground!
Story by: Stu Jones
With the amount of planning that it takes to manage the logistics of attending a poker run, it can be someone challenging for many FPC members around the nation when it comes to traveling long distances to the more popular events. That’s why FPC organizers try to keep some level of consistency on dates and poker run venues offered on the annual poker run calendar, and from all indications, the Orange Beach Powerboat Week is here for the long haul!
Celebrating its fifth year in operation, minus 2020 due to the global pandemic, this event continues to be supported by its loyal presenting sponsor and host, The Wharf in Orange Beach Alabama, a popular one-stop entertainment resort that has everything an organizer or participant could ever ask for. From luxurious lodging choices in a giant condominium complex and the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott on site, to the well-managed marina and endless choices for dining and retail shopping experiences, The Wharf once again gave
participants from ten visiting states, everything they could ever ask for in a poker run headquarter venue.
Looking over the 48-team roster, it was soon apparent that the continued popularity of this venue by Texas boaters was still on a roll, with a total of twenty registered teams from the Lonestar State. Of course, this has a direct connection to the TOPPS organization based on Clear Lake near Houston, and at least seventy five percent of these teams are repeat participants every year. This is a common trend that is not lost on the team from FPC, which praises this TOPPS group as a substantial contributor to the success of these Gulf coast events, including the Emerald Coast Powerboat Week that is staged four months later in Destin.
Continuing with the geography theme, Alabama fielded three poker run teams, while neighboring states including Florida logged eight teams, Mississippi with two, and Louisiana with four registered teams. That left eleven teams that traveled from
GA, IL, MN, MO and as far away as California, proving that there are no boundaries for many FPC members, when it comes to the enjoyment of their true passion!
While the writer loves crunching the facts and figures on every poker run event, another interesting fun fact was revealed when analyzing the distinctive styles of hulls. There is no secret that cats (at thirteen registered), and center consoles (total of sixteen teams) make up the bulk of most poker run entry lists, but Orange Beach somehow took a turn in favor of the almighty, oldschool V-bottom. Amazingly, nineteen registered teams were performance v-bottoms from iconic brands including Cigarette, Donzi, Formula, Fountain, Outerlimits and Velocity. But it was Alan Holley’s restored 1993 Wellcraft Scarab that predated all the others, and his Best Classic Boat award was well-deserved.
The 3-day poker run agenda followed a similar format to previous years, with a festive Miss Powerboat Week Contest Thursday
evening, followed by an eastbound run to Pensacola Beach Boardwalk on Friday, and a westbound run on Saturday, which visited an entirely new lunch venue. Located along the northeast corner of the Mobile Bay shoreline, the Grand Mariner Marina offered ample raft-up docking space, a relaxing rustic vibe, and poker run lunch menu that included choice of seafood boil and fried fish that was nothing short of spectacular! But the big highlight for the 2024 event was the discovery of a lunch venue in the Mobile Bay area where the entire poker run fleet could lunch together, in one spot, and thereby share in the maximum enjoyment of camaraderie with their fellow boaters from all over the United States. And indeed, as seen in the photos, it was quite the dockside show, like nothing that had ever been witnessed in these backwaters. Special thanks to FPC event planner Amber Contant for discovering this new venue, and to the Grand Mariner Marina owners Jason and Shanda Bunch, who pulled all the stops to make it a momentous event! ( Continuetopg.10)
Photos by: Pete Boben & Tyler Jones
The fun continued Saturday evening as the teams congregated at DICKS LAST RESORT at The Wharf, where FPC had arranged a private party buyout for the evening. While playing out the poker cards with the lovely FPC Girls, teams enjoyed a hearty buffet, open bar, and the presentation of Sponsor appreciation and President Choice awards, which culminated with announcing the top three poker run winners. Special thanks to all the teams and sponsors for their continued support of this Alabama-based event that checks off all the boxes for those attending year after year!
SJ
The Wharf Poker Card Checkpoint
It is no secret that to participate in a poker run, each team must pick up poker cards along the course. While this may sound easy, some events provide challenges when it comes to finding the right facilities to make this exchange seamless, scratch free and fun for all!
The floating docks at The Wharf provided the perfect setting each day, giving our FPC cameras some great content for the magazine pages, website, and YouTube channel! Where else do six lovely ladies in bikinis greet each team with energy and excitement- to get the day started!
Brent Medley | MO | Team I FIRST BORN | 42' Performance Cat
FIRST BORN Crew
Miss Orange Beach Powerboat Week:
Our 2024 Winner: Miss Jazzmyn
Following a long-standing tradition from thirty years earlier when Florida Powerboat Club hosted numerous Venus Swimwear Model Search contests, the Orange Beach event, has featured the Thursday night Miss Powerboat Week contest since its inception in 2019. While the hosting location has changed occasionally, for the second year the contest was staged with great success at the Sandshaker, located at The Wharf.
Event organizer Amber Contant, a former contestant and crowned winner back in 2019, once again assembled an amazing lineup of beautiful contestants for a fantastic show! Thanks to Paul Bertucci and Chad Havens for their continued sponsor support of this fun kickoff party, and congratulations to our winner Miss Jazzmyn, who has competed multiple times and is very deserving of the Miss Orange Beach Powerboat Week crown!
LIGHT'EM UP Crew
Paul Bertucci | MS | Team BEER MONEY TOO | 39' Deep Impact
Mark & Eileen Fischer | FL | Team DEEP IMPACT | 39' Deep Impact
Vince & Rachael Oddo | TX | Team LIGHT'EM UP | 42' Cigarette
Fountain Dealer - Grander Marine, Orange Beach
Fountain
Favre
FPC Girl Emma
FPC Girl Raine
Taylor Scism | MO | Team MTI | 44' MTI
Lonnie & Kelley Huff | TX | Team LOCKED AND LOADED | 38' Cigarette
Phillip Ogburn | TX | Team AQUA ADDICT | 35' Donzi
Craig Ackerman | GA | Team LEVEL UP | 39' MTI
Jeff & Jennifer Corbel | IL | Team PERFORMANCE BOAT CENTER | 40' Sunsation
SHAKE N BAKE Crew
Chris & Beth Jarreau | LA | Team SHAKE N BAKE | 38' Fountain
Weston Harlow | FL | Team IN 2 DEEP | 35' DCB
Mark & Lona Albert | TX | Team LICKALONAPUS | 35' Fountain
Stephen Dummer | MS | Team LOOSE CANNON | 38' Cigarette
Hugh Patroni Sr. | FL | Team ABOUT TIME II | 38' Statement!
Matt Brayton | CA | Team CHASING TAIL | 38' Jupiter
Charles Clark | TX | Team WE B TRIP'N | 36' Deep Impact
WE B TRIP'N Crew
FPC Girl Nevaeh
Kyle Fowler | GA | Team SMOKIN' 420 | 42' Wright Performance
Mike & Karen Stone | TX | Team SKIMMING STONES | 38' Fountain
SKIMMING STONES Crew
Jim Bates | GA | Team WGAS | 33' Advance
John McBain | FL | Team FOUNTAIN | 34' Fountain
FPC Girl Sage
A-MUSE-D Crew
Mike & Michelle Muse | TX | Team A-MUSE-D | 37' Axopar
Octavio & Karen Valdivia | GA | Team AWESOME ONE | 44' Concept
Alan Holley | LA | Team GOOD GRACIOUS | 38' Scarab
Matt Byrne | AL | Team HCB | 42' HCB
FPC Girl Nevaeh
New
Lunch stop: The Grand Mariner Marina
The new discovery for the 2024 event format, was adding the Grand Mariner Marina to the Saturday poker run course. After departing westbound from the Wharf, teams entered Mobile Bay, and eventually turned northbound along the main shipping channel. At just under fifty miles taking the (longer) shipping channel route, this gave the FPC chopper adequate time to chase down the 48-boat fleet, and Grand Mariner owners were kind enough to offer chopper landing on site. Everyone agreed that the rustic setting was ideal, as was the food choices of seafood boil menu (outside) or the fish fry in the upstairs dining room, with great views of the marina. This was a popular lunch stop for attendees, and will most likely return for the 2025 event agenda.
FlyBama R44 pilot Mike, with FPC crew Pete Boden(photo) and Bricen Vereen(video) on board capturing the excitement!
Octavio Valdivia | GA
FPC Girls Abigail, Navaeh, Lexa, Sage
FPC Girl Amber
FPC Girl Sage
FPC Girl Lexa
Rick & Lynne Jerentosky | TX | Team MORE COWBELL | 37' Formula
Ivan Lopez | LA | Team NAVIVAN | 39' Nor-Tech
Ricardo Chaves | AL | Team TEAM IN DEBT | 34' Fountain
Roger & Pam Anderson | TX | Team WILD HORSES | 39' Nor-Tech
James Leger | TX | Team HEART ON | 51' Outerlimits
HEART ON Crew
Sean Porter | TX | Team GOING DEEP | 33' Deep Impact
Tory Robson | MN | Team BE FIRST | 39' Cigarette
Ryan & Rachael Garnett | TX | Team FLIGHT 311 | 39' MTI
FPC Girl Abigail
Joe & Stephanie Dethloff | FL | Team FAST BREAK | 39' Nor-Tech
Chris Blackwell | TX | Team HOT WATER | 38' Formula
Clark Beecher | TX | Team EL GATO GRANDE | 44' MTI
Keith Johnston | LA | Team WHISKEY BUSINESS | 42' Outerlimits
HOT WATER Crew
Zach Martin | TX | Team SIDE HUSTLE | 39' MTI
FPC Girl Lexa
Chad Havens | TX| Team SAVAGE | 40' Skater
Kyle Horton | TX | Team STRIP IT DOWN | 38' Formula
Jack & Kay Stewart | FL | Team BLUE BAYOU | 32' Doug Wright
SAVAGE Crew
Cliff Anderson | FL | Team AIR SIGN | 34' MTI
Devin Wozencraft | CA | Team WOZENCRAFT | 34' Victory
Saturday Night Awards Party Dicks Last Resort, The Wharf
After two long days of boating fun under the Alabama sun, there is nothing better that getting all dressed up and congregating for the Saturday night poker run party, to celebrate a fun weekend with boating friends. Private venues have always been the format for Florida Powerboat Club, and Dicks Last Resort, formerly “The Port,” provided the ideal venue, just steps away from the hotels along the vibrant Main St. in the heart of The Wharf. The restaurant buyout and open bar was made possible through continued sponsor support from FPC members, and the party was well underway shortly after 7pm. The FPC girls were all decked out in their red and black dresses, as they played out dozens of poker hands and stood in to assist with awards presentations throughout the evening. Congratulations to all our winners, and we look forward to returning to The Wharf in May 2025! Visit the FPC 2025 event calendar on page 114 of this issue of Powerboating in Paradise!
First Place Winner - Mark & Lona Albert - Team LICKALONAPUS
Second Place Winner - Weston Harlow - Team IN 2 DEEP
Third Place Winner - Charles Clark - Team WE B TRIP'N
FPC Girls: Amber, Raine, Emma, Lexa, Nevaeh
Sexiest Crews - Team LICKALONAPUS & Team GOING DEEP Saturday Captains Breakfast Sponsors Cliff Anderson / Ivan Lopez Friday Night Cocktail Party Sponsor Cliff Anderson - Team AIR SIGN
Friday Captains Breakfast Sponsor Paul Boyden
The Wharf Presenting Sponsor Scott Favre
Best Sound System - Rick & Lynne Jerentosky - Team MORE COWBELL
Best Dressed Crew - Sean Porter & Crew Team GOING DEEP
BORN Farthest Trailered - Allen Kanouse TX - Team VELOCITY SQUARED
Best Catamaran -Clark Beecher Team EL GATO GRANDE
Good Samaritan Award - Charles Clark Team WE B TRIP'N
Best Performance V-Bottom Stephen Dummer - Team LOOSE CANNON
OUR PROMINENT FAMILY OF BRANDS IS DRIVEN TO DELIVER PREMIUM PERFORMANCE, EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY, AND LIFESTYLE-DRIVEN INNOVATION.
Kicking off the summer agenda, the 33rd Bahamas Poker Run offered an exciting multi-island excursion for over a dozen FPC teams!
Story by: Stu Jones
I
n May 1992, Florida Powerboat Club launched its first Bahamas run from Sunny Isles Marina in North Miami, with just over twenty boats in attendance ranging from 22 to 34 feet in length. With a handful of overloaded single-engine cuddy cruisers in the fleet, and the entire roster of boat owners having never crossed the gulf stream, it was an adventure like no other. Not entirely the kind of adventure that brings back fond memories, but nonetheless an historic event that started an epic chapter in Florida Powerboat Club's archives.
Fast forward thirty-three years to June 2024, and FPC proudly continues to promote the Bahamas Poker Run as the longest running poker run event throughout the club’s history. Outpacing popular events like Key West and Emerald Coast, each of which commenced in 1993, the Bahamas run has carried a stigma for over three decades, which separates it from all others. It’s the Bahamas. It’s a foreign country. A place with a diverse landscape that ranges from secluded, innocent, and unspoiled remote islands to over-developed concrete cities with poverty and crime. And somehow, its citizens display a pleasant nature and an uncomplicated culture that is far unlike its Big Brother to the west. But the more important fact is that you as the captain of your own ship, have somehow managed to successfully cross an open ocean, with no sight of shoreline. And now here you are, in this strange
foreign place, just sixty miles from Florida, and somehow you feel like Christopher Columbus! These are the very emotions that so many of us feel, every time we cross the gulf stream to Bimini and beyond.
The Bahamas Poker Run kicked off from Bahia Mar Resort & Marina, as fourteen poker run teams converged from seven different states, as far away as Arizona and Massachusetts. After a poker run check-in and captains meeting format on the night before departure, sixty participants gathered on the docks of Bahia Mar Resort & Marina in Fort Lauderdale, enjoying a quick bagel and coffee before the 7am departure. The morning breeze had picked up its speed since daybreak, and as the boats turned south from Port Everglades, captains and crews soon discovered they would be in for a bumpy ride to Bimini. No mishaps were encountered, and soon the captains were buzzing through customs and immigration while the crews relaxed on the docks of the Bimini Big Club, looking into the crystal-clear waters at passing bull sharks and stingrays.
With lodging at the Resorts World Bimini Hilton, for the next two days the teams enjoyed all that Bimini has to offer, with highlights that included stingray feeding at Honeymoon Harbour, snorkeling at the Sapona concrete shipwreck, and basking on a secluded beach along the shores of North Bimini.
The excursion continued eastbound to Chub Cay for a lunch and fuel stopover, then made the final crossing to Nassau Harbour, navigating 40 miles over the Tongue of the Ocean, an area that features a 5-mile deep trench that meets the shallower waters of the Great Bahama Bank.
The next three days were headquartered at Atlantis Resort & Marina at Paradise Island, offering a sharp contrast to the previous days on the remote islands of Bimini. While attendees certainly enjoyed the extensive amenities, dining options, casino and outdoor waterpark, everyone was quick to remind the writer, “HeywelikeAtlantisbutwecameheretoexplorethe Bahamas,sowherearewegoingtomorrow?"
Indeed, the daytrips in Bahamas are always a big hit, because there are so many remote islands
and beaches to visit, and everywhere you go, its paradise! Due to inclement weather for the next couple of days, the daytrip to Spanish Wells, with the piggies and sandbar swings, had to be ditched. But we did manage to sneak a short run out to Rose Island and its amazing beach for an afternoon raftup party near Footprints Beach Bar.
After a third night at Atlantis, it was time to return home, which is typically done all in one day. From Nassau, depending on the course chosen, it is about 134 miles to Bimini, followed by 60 miles back to Fort Lauderdale. Everyone returned home safely, and it was another adventure in the Florida Powerboat Club archives. For more information on 2025 summer Bahamas events, see the new event calendar on P 114, or visit the FPC website, at www.flpowerboat.com. SJ
TEAM KANSAS Crew
Photos by: Tyler Jones , Ryan Ferraro, Stu Jones
Daniel & Lana Dickert | FL | Team LADY LANA | 34' Nor-Tech
David & Brenda Giles | FL | Team SPECIAL EDITION KA | 39' Nor-Tech
Bruce & Andrea Mullins | FL | Team COASTAL THERAPY | 35' Statement!
A SALT WEAPON Crew
LADY LANA Crew
SPECIAL EDITION KA Crew
Kyle Fowler | GA | Team A SALT WEAPON | 38' Fountain
COASTAL THERAPY Crew
Special thanks to the Fowlers for hosting FPC John Witternberger & first mate Natalie for the ride.
Richard Haase | FL | Team SOME LIKE IT HOT | 36' Deep Impact
Matt Berman | AZ | Team SHE GONE | 32' Sunsation
Mike & Carlene Leardi | KS | Team NO FILTER | 38' Cigarette
SOME LIKE IT HOT Crew
SHE GONE Crew
NO FILTER Crew Bahamas Poker Run Winning Team!
Eric & Ivy Ducrou | FL | Team BAD DOG | 39' Nor-Tech
Roger & Lazara Ors | FL | Team NEVER ENOUGH | 42' MTI
Hugh & Debbie Patroni Sr. | FL | Team ABOUT TIME II | 38' Statement!
BAD DOG Crew NEVER ENOUGH Crew ABOUT TIME II Crew
Kevin & Melissa Welch | MA | Team MARLIA | 30' Grady White
MARLIA Crew
Resorts World Bimini
Beach rendezvous on day two, as teams discovered the secluded pristine beaches along the east shoreline of North Bimini.
Stu & Tyler Jones
Atlantis Paradise Island
Sapona Shipwreck, South Bimini
Chub Cay Club
Rose Island beach rendezvous, just a few miles southeast of Nassau.
With most Bahamas events offering seven-day formats, the new Summer Fling format combined Bimini and Grand Bahama Island into a shortened 200-mile, 4-night agenda that was the perfect July getaway!
Boaters can only experience the true flavor of the Bahamas by including multiple island destinations on their cruising agenda. With more than 700 islands over an area of 2,300 square miles, the options are endless. But some members of Florida Powerboat Club have busy lifestyles and may not afford the time necessary to plan a mid-summer, multi-day agenda for the longer events that may log well over 600 miles. For these boaters, the Bahamas Summer Fling provided the best solution, with a simple 4-night program that visited the most accessible islands from Florida, including Bimini, West End and Port Lucaya on Grand Bahamas Island. At just over 200 miles total, the triangle-shaped course started from Fort Lauderdale, with a two-night stay at Resorts World Bimini, followed by a 75-mile island hop to West End on Grand Bahama Island, with Old Bahama Bay Resort & Marina as home base to the remaining two nights. Including the daily fun runs to local attractions would add another
100-plus miles to the total distance logged by most teams, and by comparison this fling-format was still less than half of the total distance traveled on the FPC June and August counterparts, which by design, are long distance adventures over a week-long format.
Staying with the mid-week departure from Fort Lauderdale, a small fleet enjoyed a smooth crossing and a quiet, relaxed vibe in Bimini, with easy access to the most popular boating attractions including Honeymoon Harbour for the stingray feeding, the Sapona concrete shipwreck for snorkeling, and the remote beaches of North Bimini for doing absolutely nothing at all!
After a fun-filled agenda of activities Wednesday and Thursday, the FPC fling was joined by our boating friends the Avila family at Concept Boats, who were staging their annual Concept Owners Run, which visited Key West in recent years. (see P 52)
Story by: Stu Jones
Needless to say, the Thursday welcome party for the 30+ Concept teams at the Monkey Business Pool at Resorts World Bimini, took the party to W.O.T!
Friday morning, as the parade of incoming boat traffic poured into local marinas from South Florida, it was clear that Bimini was about to be invaded by hostile forces. The best part was that our FPC teams were departing in the opposite direction, as we took our heading to West End on Grand Bahama Island, settling into the tranquil Old Bahama Bay Resort & Marina for another two days. By contrast, West End is at the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to Bimini. Unless you are an avid angler, there is little more to do than just hang out on the pristine beach sipping rum drinks or cooling off in the pool. While that was certainly acceptable for most, the FPC founder and writer feels a certain obligation to his members to ensure some level of adventure, and
a Saturday fun run was scheduled to take a scenic ride through the Grand Lucayan Waterway. Adding in a snorkeling stop at Petersons Cay, the group later congregated for a pool party lunch at the Grand Lucayan Yacht Club at Port Lucaya. Thanks to Simon Williams for re-discovering this little gem off the beaten path! The 80mile excursion was the ideal fun-run format that introduced participants to the unique flavor of Grand Bahama Island’s geography, including Port Lucaya and Freeport Harbour. Clearly Grand Bahamas Island boasts a colorful past, but sadly has become one of the less-traveled destinations by recreational boaters in the last two decades.
The Summer Fling was an escape to paradise that offered a fun-filled agenda for all attendees in a shortened format, allowing many to check off another box on their boating bucket list! SJ
Photos by: Tyler & Maxwell Jones
With the course heading on Bimini, the fleet encountered some challenging but manageable chop due to east winds
morning start from
Tory Robson
Tory Robson | MN | Team BE FIRST | 39' Cigarette
German member Frank Scheelen and 1st mate Casandra joined Stu & Jackie on the Top Gun Flight 1130.
Stu & Jackie Jones | FL | Team TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130 | 38' Cigarette
Early
Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale.
Sal & Stephanie Olivia | NY | Team X-SCAPE II | 40' Mystic
Robert Burger | FL | Team NOR-TECH | 39' Nor-Tech
Simon Williams & 1st Mate Dee | FL | Team CORTEZ COVE | 38' Fountain
X-SCAPE II Crew
Robert Burger & Crew- 39 Nor-Tech
Simon & Dee, Team Cortez Cove
QUARANTINED Crew
Skip Magee | FL | Team QUARANTINED | 39' Nor-Tech
Resorts World Bimini
Boats departing from Bimini Bay Marina for the daily fun run.
First stop at the Bimini Big Game Club for customs clearance and a relaxing lunch.
Honeymoon Harbour: Paradise Found!
One of the most popular attractions in the Bimini area is visiting Honeymoon Harbour, at Gun Cay, just a few miles south of Bimini. While the island remains uninhabited, the local residents include dozens of friendly stingrays that always provide a warm reception to visitors. FPC provided a safe format for the stingray feeding encounter along the shallow sandy beach, which is fun for all ages.
Dee & Jocelyn- Team Cortez Cove Fountain
Sal Olivia & 1st Mate Stephanie
Team QUARANTINED barefootin' at Honeymoon harbour
Teams enjoying Honeymoon Harbour
Sapona (Concrete) Shipwreck: South Bimini
Honeymoon Harbour, Gun Cay
Drone view of Honeymoon Harbour- captured by Tyler Jones
Kirk & Jocelyn, Team Cortez Cove
Tory Robson, Team BE FIRST
Team BE FIRST Crew.
A FAMILY FOR ADVENTURE
Concept Boat based in Miami has been a family-owned and operated performance boat builder for nearly four decades. With company founder Luis Avila still at the helm, the company remains a family-driven organization very much, as son Eric, still in his late twenties and several other family members, have assumed major roles in the daily operations.
While Concept spent many of its earlier years in the production of center console boats up to 36 feet in length, the last decade has been focused on the larger and more luxurious center console models from 39 to 44 feet, as can be seen by the popularity of the 4400 model, a solid fixture on many Florida Powerboat Club events. Soon, a 53’ foot model will
be released, which will prove to be exciting for many loyal Concept customers, who are in line for these new builds.
Meanwhile, Concept Boats has always displayed tremendous importance to giving back to its loyal customers, by staging annual owners rendezvous events. Over the last five years, FPC photo crews have joined in on the excitement of the Concept Key West Poker Run event held in July, but for 2024 it was time for a change, and the Avila family announced that the destination would be Bimini. The Thursday departure from Miami fell on the heels of the FPC Summer Bahamas Fling, providing a great opportunity for the FPC staff to provide aerial photo and video support, and hang out with the fun-loving Concept owners at their welcome pool party, at the upstairs pool at Resorts World Bimini. We are happy to provide some great photos from this very memorable event! SJ
Story by: Stu Jones
The Avila Family from Miami continue their four-decade boat building legacy by giving back to their loyal Concept Boat customers, staging a fun-filled weekend in Bimini for over thirty teams!
Concept 4400 Open model, the first with (5) Mercury Racing 500R
Eric Avila with Karen & Octavio Valdivia
GOIN' DEEP INTO PARADISE
As worldwide dealers for Miami-built Deep Impact Custom Boats, Plantation Boat Mart pulled all the stops to deliver a first-class owners run to Bimini, Chub Cay, Paradise Island and beyond!
Story by: Stu Jones
When Florida Powerboat Club member Mark Fischer got bit by the offshore bug, he turned his passion into building no less than four go-fast Nor-Tech high-performance boats, with at least two of them clocking over 100mph. But eventually he and wife Eileen shifted their passion towards the center console craze, and they soon fell in love with the styling and ride of the Deep Impact. That was a dozen years ago, and it led to Mark’s outright purchase of the brand, along with its sister brand, Blackwater Boats. Since then, Mark has taken a leading role in developing new models and turned the entire marketing and sales of these brands to Dennis Delatorre and the entire team at Plantation Boat Mart, based in Tavernier Florida, in the heart of the Florida Keys. In less than a five-year span, the Plantation team has managed to log record sales, primarily of the popular 399 model, which has seen a series of major design revisions in the last decade. Along with the now popular 369 model, several Deep Impacts have flooded into the poker run circles around the nation, and the Plantation Boat Mart team felt it was time to bring these loyal customers together for a first-class Deep Impact Owners Run. Bahamas here we come!
Brett Halper (NY) Deep Impact 399- Team RESURRECTION
Dennis Delatorre( FL) Deep Impact 399- Team PLANTATION BOAT MART
Lebsay Leonard (FL) Team SMART PLASTIC SURGERY
In fine formation, the Deep Impact fleet launched from Grove Harbour Marina in Miami for the early start.
With Florida Powerboat Club recruited to manage reservations, logistics and media coverage of this six-day adventure, event dates fit perfectly over the first week of August. The team from PBM set the goal at ten registered teams to keep it manageable for the first go-around, and it was the perfect mix of custom-built Deep Impact models and equally colorful personalities from all over the United States.
Setting out from Grove Harbour Marina in Miami, the group headed to Bimini Big Game Club to clear customs and later feed the stingrays at Honeymoon Harbour, then spent their first night at Chub Cay Resort & Marina. The next four nights were headquartered at Atlantis on Paradise Island, where a variety of resort-based social activities and boating daytrips were offered to participants. Inclement weather interfered with some of the boating activities and presented some challenging seas for the return home, and that is why boating to the Bahamas, is always an Adventure!
SJ
James & Sonya Redding (GA) Deep Impact 399- Team LaMEXICANA
Charles Clark (TX) Deep Impact 360- Team WE BE TRIP'N
Deep Impact 399- Team MIAMI LIFE
BAJANDA Crew
Eddy Hernandez (FL) Deep Impact 399- Team Bajanda. Passing Stiltsville, near Key Biscayne
Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas
Atlantis Marina staff provided exceptional facilities.
Enjoying the pool at Atlantis. "No Drinks Allowed!"
RIGHT NOW Crew
Eddie Collier (TN) Deep Impact 399- Team RIGHT NOW
Rose Island daytrip- 20 minutes from Atlantis
Swimming with the pigs, Rose Island
RIGHT NOW Crew
Bennet Loftin (FL) 36 Deep Impact Team GOIN DEEP
Lazaro Munoz (FL) Deep Impact 399
Island piggies
GOIN DEEP Crew
Sean & Valerie Porter tied the knot in Nassau with their family and friends at their side!
The Ladies of Deep Impact! Rose Island, Bahamas
Sean & Valerie Porter (TX) Team GOING DEEP,- 33 Deep Impact
Doin' the HOPETOWN HOP!
Story by: Stu Jones
For over a century Florida’s boaters have felt the overwhelming desire to explore eastbound across the gulf stream to the islands of The Bahamas. And while the modes of transportation may have evolved dramatically over recent decades, the allure remains unaltered. Americans just love the scenic beauty of the Bahamas, along with the unique array of tropical colors found in the landscape and the warm, simple charm of the Bahamian people. At the heart of these experiences, visitors are left with a feeling of escapism and freedom, where it is quite easy to let one’s hair down, and maybe an article of clothing too. Welcome to the Northern Bahamas.
Well, just to be clear, Florida Powerboat Club is not a floating nudist colony, but it would be fair to say that the basic uniform for the Northern Bahamas Island Hop was a pair of board shorts and/or a bikini. August is still the height of the summer when it comes to temperatures, but the tourism officials would call August, the slow-down month for many islands in the Bahamas. We might add perfectly slow, because it translates to more availability of docking and lodging at the finer resorts. Our destinations included Old Bahama Bay Resort & Marina at West End for the first two nights, followed by three nights at Hopetown Inn & Marina in the Abacos. Technically our first stop in West End is not considered Northern Bahamas,
but upon reaching the Sea of Abaco on the north side of Grand Bahama Island, this protected 62-mile body of water connects boaters along a safe corridor to an endless island chain known simply as, the Abacos. This reference relates to the mother of all islands in the Northern Family, named Great Abaco Island. It spans 120 miles and is the fourth largest island in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
After two days in West End, which included an 80-mile scenic tour through the Grand Lucayan Waterway and a pool party at Grand Lucaya Yacht Club, the group continued through Sea of Abaco to Spanish Wells, where the teams settled in for lunch, and later enjoyed island golf cart tours. At the completion of the 140-mile run to Elbow Cay, our crew settled in at Hopetown Inn & Marina for a three-night stay. Visitors here are treated to a variety of charming cottages and modern two-story villas, overlooking their private boat slip.
The onsite restaurant served all three meals daily and provided a comfortable vibe at happy hour each evening. Daytrips took the teams to nearby attractions including Pete’s Pub at Little Harbour, which was recently closed for the season, as part of the seasonal lull before the Winter season returns the visitation to higher levels.
Eric & Ivy Ducrou
Smooth start from Fort Lauderdale, with amazing gulf stream conditions!
HopeTown Inn & Marina, Elbow Cay Abacos
Eric & Ivy Ducrou
Those willing to explore the less traveled islands in the Northern Bahamas will soon discover abundant cruising grounds with countless islands and the jewel of the Abacos, Hopetown on Elbow Cay.
A second daytrip visited Nippers at Great Guana Cay, a popular hangout high on the bluffs, with scenic ocean views and a festive Caribbean vibe. Just a barefoot walk away, some of the FPC group sampled the other Sunday hotspot Grabbers, grabbing a cold Kalik or rumrunner and relaxing along their stretch of calm sandy beach. Saturday night’s dinner outing took the group to Firefly Restaurant on Elbow Cay, which requires some multi-modal transportation, and usually starts with a water taxi from the hotel. Fortunately, two FPC members
had their boats at the Firefly docks, and we loaded everyone up for a slow, safe 7 mph cruise back to Hopetown Harbour.
Navigating the Bahamas Northern Family of Islands with the Sea of Abaco as your corridor, is an experience that leads to endless adventures through a vast array of destinations. Florida Powerboat Club, with over three decades of exploring these waterways every summer, always manages to discover new and exciting experiences on every visit, year after year. SJ
Rick Riggle/Yiseni Sanchez | OH | 45' Nor-Tech
Fred & Judy Reavis | SC | Team BLEW BY U | 42' MTI
Fred & Judy Reavis
Rick Riggle/Yiseni Sanchez
Photos by: Tyler Jones , Ryan Ferraro, Stu Jones
Dominic & Christy Boscaglia | SC | Team THE RENTAL | 42' Mystic
Marc Berman and 1st Mate Drie | Team BAM | 55' Sunseeker Predator
John Stella | NY | Team PERFECT RX | 39' Nor-Tech
Todd & Danielle Fountain | MI | Team FIRE ESCAPE | 41' Cigarette
THE RENTAL Crew
Joe & Jen Greulich | OH | Team ENDLESS SUMMER | 39' Nor-Tech
Joe & Jen Greulich | OH | Team ENDLESS SUMMER | 39' Nor-Tech
Brian & Christi Hauke | FL | Team AT EASE | 34' Fountain
Hays & Karlyn Wilson | FL | Team VELOCITY | 39' Nor-Tech
Coty & Candice Bullington | AL | Team SEA BULL | 38' Fountain
Nippers Beach Bar, Great Guana Cay
Grand Bahama Yacht Club, Port Lucaya
Todd & Danielle Fountain (MI) Team FIRE ESCAPE departing HopeTown Harbour
Beach rendezvous at Pete's Pub, Little Harbour, South Abaco
Coty & Candace Bulington (AL)
The Ladies of Team FIRE ESCAPE
The amazing pool at Grand Bahamas Yacht Club
Dockside pic at Hopetown Inn & Marina
Todd & Coty Bro-bonding
Summer Tour
For three decades it has been a summer tradition for my wife Jackie and I to get out on the road and visit poker runs around the country, hosted by other organizations. Several of these long trips required extensive coordination, with the family riding along in the RV and towing the Cigarette Top Gun to six or more events throughout the summer. The 2024
Kuttawa Cannonball Run, Kuttawa KY- Organizer: Jeff Hoefling
T his event featured well over one hundred registered teams, along with a very impressive roster of some seriously high-performance machines. Kuttawa is a small town, so this poker run takes over the landscape for the entire weekend. Special thanks to Jeff Hoefling, Steven Miles, Paul & Tiffany Ison, and especially to Mike & Dana Royster, who hosted Jackie and I at their private home overlooking Kuttawa Harbor.
tour was a much lighter agenda, with three targeted events in vastly different geographic regions of the country, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire. Flying rather than driving was the mode of transport, and we were able to check off three more boxes on our Poker Run bucket list. Of course, there are many more to go!
BAGO BIG BET Poker Run: Oshkosh Wisconsin: Organizer: Shannon Radke.
Sponsored by Mercury Racing, this event was staged from Downtown Oshkosh on Lake Winnebago, close to the Mercury Marine and Mercury Racing headquarters in Fond du Lac. Flying into Appleton, we first enjoyed dinner with event organizer Shannon, and later met up with several FPC friends, including Devin Wozencraft who offered us a ride on his 34 Victory Cat, recently re-powered with Mercury
Racing 500R’s. The Friday fun run was staged without any schedule changes, but Saturday was amended to a fun bus ride to the Fond du lac Yacht Club, where Mercury Racing’s Kevin Skiba joined in. After the poker run, we enjoyed the EAA (aviation) museum in Oshkosh followed by a factory tour at the Mercury Racing facility. Thanks to all those who gave us such a warm welcome!
Story & Photos by: Stu Jones
LAND & LAKE POKER RUN for Easter Seals-Lake Winnipesaukee NH
Hosted on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee, the event is about a two-hour drive from Boston Logan Airport. As on previous summer events, we received a very warm reception from dozens of powerboaters, many of whom are active FPC members, starting with Andrew Rocco who invited us out on his MTI 390X for an afternoon tour of the lake. Later that evening, a well-organized poker run party was hosted by Garry & Nancy Robertson, at Garry’s insane mancave garage, with assistance from the Lake Winnipesaukee Powerboating Facebook group, which made an emotional tribute to the late Brian Connelly. Riding with Garry on his Nor-Tech 400 Supersport for the Saturday poker run, the amazing lake tour was complete, and we thank all those who went out of their way to make this a special event!
Waterfront home of Garry & Nancy Robertson
IT'S WHY YOU OWN A BOAT!
There is no question that Florida's Emerald Coast is considered one of the leading boating vacation playgrounds in the Sunshine State, and it's why many boating enthusiasts from all over the country keep coming back every year!
Story by: Stu Jones
Spanning over one hundred miles from Panama City Beach to Pensacola Beach, the Emerald Coast has provided a beachfront playground for its residents and visitors for many years, and more recently has taken on the distinction of being one of America’s more popular boating hotbeds. Eventually the region adopted the unofficial title as the “Redneck Riviera” due to its popularity with travelers from southern states, and as early as the 1970’s, the area soon began to see rapid development primarily due to tourism, and the small fishing village of Destin was incorporated in 1984.
Forty years later, the area’s sportfishing heritage lives on, as Destin Harbor claims the title as the largest and most active recreational fishing port in the Sunshine State. Equally, the presence of a thriving recreational boating community is apparent on any given weekend, and especially during the FPC’s annual Emerald Coast Powerboat Week.
Now, at thirty-two years running, the Emerald Coast Poker Run can take its place on the Florida poker run scene, as the second largest event on the FPC calendar, logging in at one hundred registered teams for the recent September event.
Of course, there was a long road and many challenges along the way to reach this level, and the result is appreciated by the loyal FPC members who travel hundreds of miles to Destin with their boat in tow, making this their annual Florida Panhandle pilgrimage.
While several locals attend the Emerald Coast event every year, about 80 percent of the attendees haul their boats from over a dozen states, some driving well over five hundred miles one way to attend! Thankfully, Legendary Marina in Destin, and Brooks Bridge Marina in Fort Walton Beach, provided the much-needed boat launching and trailer parking facilities to accommodate most of these teams. With other supporting marinas like Two Georges in Shalimar, AJ’s Oyster Bar, Harborwalk Village Marina, and dozens of residential docks that are rented in Destin Harbor, the local marine community has always been able to support these larger events.
While the poker run has primarily a three-day format, Thursday through Saturday, a few years ago FPC adopted the title “Powerboat Week” in the event name, primarily due to the growing number of participants that would build a week-long boating vacation around the poker run.
PRESENTED BY:
The reasons for the longer stays began with the beauty of the local waterways and the popularity of the magnificent beaches. Even the land-based activities like amusement parks and a vast array of dining options provided enough rationale for visitors just decided to stay a little longer. The same patterns have developed with Emerald Coast Poker Run attendees, as many families rolled into town on the Monday before the poker run, checking into their luxury condo units at Emerald Grande Resort and planning enough fun and down time as a warmup for the poker run. And of course, doing nothing at all is easy when sitting on one of the spacious outdoor Emerald Grande balconies, with magnificent views of the East Pass to the Gulf of Mexico and the amazing water colors of Crab Island.
The Thursday Fun Run took on a simple format, with the primary goal to shake down the boats after launching and give the newcomers a chance for a quick recon tour of the poker run course in the Choctawhatchee Bay area, while logging GPS breadcrumbs on their chart plotters! Crossing the bay waters eastbound to Sandestin, the small
pack convened at Legendary Marina, which is home to the popular Lulu’s, an open-air, Louisiana style restaurant owned by Lulu Buffet. Later Thursday, the fun kicked off with the Annual Miss Emerald Coast Powerboat Week, and popular tradition that has stood the test of time, and is now hosted at Margaritaville Destin, just steps from the Emerald Grande lobby making it convenient for all attendees.
The Friday Fun Run format hit an all-time high in popularity, as the beaches of Juana’s in Navarre were already crowded before the first poker run team arrived. Fortunately, with some creative rafting and due to the abundant span of over one thousand feet of sandy beach, Juana’s was able to accommodate the boat mob, estimated to be the largest one-day turnout of boats in recent years! Later Friday, the fun shifted to AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar on Destin Harbor, where the team at AJ’s hosted an amazing party for the poker run teams, complete with hearty buffet, live entertainment, a VIP deck for the sponsors, and spectacular photo ops of the brightly lit sponsor dock below! (Continuetopage72)
Photos by: Pete Boden, Tyler Jones, Jim Stewart
The Saturday poker event featured an eight-checkpoint, 120-mile course from Sandestin to Pensacola Beach, and was completed safely, without any reported incidents. But rather than talk about it, the author suggests that you just enjoy the pictures in this extensive photo editorial, because the pictures say a Lot more than any words! Florida Powerboat Club thanks all our loyal members for continuing to attend this festive fall rendezvous, and especially all those who showed their support by sponsoring our lunch and dinner functions, helicopter coverage and cocktail receptions. FPC could not stage quality poker run events without this sponsorship support! We do it for you, and we couldn’tdoanyofthiswithoutyoursupport!
SJ
Mike & Susan Pascoe | GA | Team STIRRED UP | 39' MTI
Mark & Lona Albert | TX | Team LICKALONAPUS | 35' Fountain
Eric & Hagen Glaser | FL | Team MIDNIGHT EXPRESS | 43' Midnight Express
LICKALONAPUS Crew
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS Crew
Miss Emerald Coast Powerboat Week
Following a tradition that was established three decades earlier, the Miss Emerald Coast Powerboat Week contest remains popular among participants and serves as the perfect kick-off party for the Thursday evening festivities. Sponsored by Paul Bertucci from Team Beer Money II, and with former contestant Amber Contant as the contest coordinator, the show just keeps improving year after year. Staged at Margaritaville at Harborwalk Village, the venue is just steps away from the front lobby of Emerald Grande, making it easy for participants to find a comfortable seat and enjoy dinner while a dozen beautiful contestants perform three rounds for a 10-judge panel. This year, a record number of eight female judges took part in the scoring of our lovely contestants, and we all agree they did a fantastic job. We congratulate the top three winners who shared a $ 1,000 cash purse, and as organizers, we are happy to report that all contestants were paid a promotional fee just to participate. The best part, more than half of our lovely contestants stuck around for the entire weekend, to help with the poker run checkpoints and the Saturday night party. SJ
Congratulations to the Miss Emerald Coast Powerboat Week Winner, Lauren, who was a returning contestant.
Performance Boat Center's Sunsation 32 CCX was the perfect platform for some elegant evening
photos with our FPC Girls.
Pictured here: Lauren, Maria, Drew, Avery, Lauren and Alyssa
FRIDAY NIGHT CAPTAINS PARTY
Octavio & Karen Valdivia | GA
Parnell & Wendy Olson | MI | Team CONCEPT | 36' CONCEPT
Nathan Lambert | GA | Team REEL TIME | 38' Fountain
Vu Nguyen | LA | Team SEE VU PLAY | 43' Outerlimits
FPC Girl Avery
Raul & Susan Palles | Team SUNSATION | 32' Sunsation
Joe & Jen Greulich | OH | Team ENDLESS SUMMER | 39' Nor-Tech
Ricardo Chaves | AL | Team TEAM IN DEBT | 34' Fountain I KNOW Crew
Isaac Burgos | FL | Team I KNOW | 44' Concept
Dan & Nancy Wall | NC | Team WALL NUTS | 38' Fountain
Ivan & Kyle Lopez | LA | Team NAVIVAN | 39' Nor-Tech
Joe & Stephanie Dethloff | FL | Team FAST BREAK | 39' Nor-Tech
John & Jill VanDyck | MI | Team RELAPSE | 36' Concept
FPC Girls: Maria & Lauren
Ryan & Rachael Garnett | TX | Team FLIGHT 311 | 39' MTI
Jason & Jodi McDowell | SC | Team LITES OUT | 42' Mystic
James & Sonia Redding | GA | Team LA MEXICANA | 39' Deep Impact
Stephen Dummer | MS | Team LOOSE CANNON | 38' Cigarette
Bruce & Andrea Mullins | FL | Team COASTAL THERAPY | 35' Statement!
Jack & Kay Stewart | FL | Team BLUE BAYOU | 32' Doug Wright
Mike Boyle | FL | Team CATTITUDE | 39' MTI
Chris & Norma Blackwell | TX | Team HOT WATER | 38' Formula
Rufus Scott | GA | Team OBSESSION | 47' Fountain
Jeff & Jennifer Corbel | IL | Team PERFORMANCE BOAT CENTER | 32' Sunsation
BLUE BAYOU Crew
FPC Girl Alyssa
Todd & Lynnell Guthrie | IN | Team SHOOT TO THRILL | 46' Outerlimits
Eddie Collier | TN | Team RIGHT NOW | 39' Deep Impact
Tory Robson | MN | Team BE FIRST | 39' Cigarette
Craig & Brenna Millett | FL | Team OUTTA GAS | 39' MTI
BE FIRST Crew
SHOOT TO THRILL Crew
FPC Girl Lauren
Boats settle in along the beach as Juana's for the Friday Fun Run party.
Juana's Pagodas has always been a popular attraction for boaters and has been a favorite stop on the Emerald Coast Poker Run for over three decades. Recent renovations provided a new outdoor deck for the Friday Run Run where a low country boil was served.
Kruis Retherford | AL | Team GSX POWERBOATS | 36' GSX Powerboats
Dawn & Donald Hadden | SC | Team DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS | 44' Concept
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS Crew FPC Girl Alyssa
FPC Girl Christina
Jos & Jennifer Bekkers | FL | Team SILVER ARROW | 43' Saltwater Steel
FPC Girl Lauren
FPC Girls: Lauren, Drew, Maria, Christina, Avery, Alyssa, Lauren, Amber
FPC Girls: Maria & Lauren
Alan & Kelly Swindoll | TX | Team POCKET CHANGE | 47' Fountain Bret & Alli Laso
Team NAUTI BEAST
38' Mystic
Kevin & Melissa Welch | MA | Team TA DA PINS | 39' MTI
NAUTI BEAST Crew
Team TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130 at the Card Stop
Thanks to Two Georges Marina in Shalimar, checkpoint #4 Sponsor
Peter Bos /FL/ Emerald Grande yacht checkpoint, Sandestin
Jackie Jones
Chad & Natalie Opaleski | FL | Team HALF COCKED | 35' Fountain
Alan Holley | LA | Team GOOD GRACIOUS | 38' Scarab
FPC Girl Maria
Frank Bulte | FL | Team SHARK RIDER | 44' MTI
Dominic & Christy Boscaglia | SC | Team THE RENTAL | 42' Mystic
SHARK RIDER Crew
THE RENTAL Crew
James Adams | FL | 41' Cigarette Nighthawk
James Adams | FL | Team MARBORO MAN | 51' Cigarette 515
James Adams | FL | Team BOOBY TRAP| 52' Thunder Cigarette
FPC Girls Lauren, Christina, Alyssa
FPC Girl Avery
Destin's Adams Family representing Cigarette Racing with a stellar fleet!
FPC Girls at the Juana's Friday party
Mike & Carlene Leardi | KS | Team NO FILTER | 38' Cigarette
Cliff Anderson | FL | Team AIR SIGN | 34' MTI
AIR SIGN Crew
Jerry Swanson | MS | Team TERRIBLE TWO | 50' Skater
Team AMG- 41SD Cigarette | Mercury Racing 1100
FPC Girl Drew
Juana's beach at Navarre, Friday Fun Run
Larry & Heather Montelaro Jr. | LA | Team FULLY INVOLVED | 34' MTI
Paul & Tiffany Ison | KY | Team LIQUID ASSETS | 42' Cigarette
Guy Wilson | VA | Team NOTHING BUT TIME | 39' Nor-Tech
Tim Meissner | GA | Team BLOWN MONEY | 46' Invincible
FPC Girls Lauren & Alyssa
Team Midnight Express
Team Flight 311 -39 MTI
Team LICKALONAPUSS 35 Fountain
Eric Avila | FL | Team CONCEPT | 44' Concept
Steven & Marina Johnson | FL | Team NAUTI GIRLZ | 32' Concept
Paul & Tee Bertucci | MS | Team BEER MONEY TOO | 39' Deep Impact
Brad Hancock | FL | Team ALL HAIL | 43' Midnight Express
FPC Girl Lauren
Brian & Christi Hauke | FL | Team AT EASE | 34' Fountain
Joe & April Parnell | NC | Team BLACK SHEEP | 38' Fountain
Zach & Lindsay Martin | GA | Team SIDE HUSTLE | 39' MTI
Brox & Bree Baxley | SC | Team IMPROMPTU | 39' Nor-Tech
AT EASE Crew
FPC Girl Maria
John & Cher Floyd | TX | Team INXS | 45' Fountain
Curtis Watkins | FL | Team DOWNLOAD LOGO | 39' Nor-Tech
Christopher & Bethany Beaudry | FL | Team BAJA BLAST | 27' Baja
FPC Girls Christina & Avery
SENGO Crew
Robert Sengelmann | LA | Team SENGO | 40' Invincible
David Simpson | FL | Team KNOT 2 BAAAD | 30' Chaparral Boats
FPC Girls Maria, Drew, Alyssa, Lauren
AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar- Official Sponsor Dock
Chas Owens | GA | Team OUTLAW WOMAN | 29' Eliminator
Jimmy & Lisa Quick | AL | Team QUICK DECISION | 43' Formula
Mark & Diana Santos | TX | Team TRIBUTE | 39' Nor-Tech
Preston & Hailee Collins | TX | Team In REEL DEEP | 45' Nor-Tech
TRIBUTE Crew
QUICK DECISION Crew
IN REEL DEEP Crew
Steve King | MI | Team NACHO FAST | 39' Cigarette
Jeff & Brenda Jacobs | MD | Team TRIPLE J'S | 39' Cigarette
AMG CIGARETTE Crew
Jerry Swanson | MS | Team AMG CIGARETTE | 41' Cigarette
Settling in along the sandy beaches of Norriego Point, Destin Harbor. Harborwalk Village and Emerald Grande Resort in the backdrop.
Amber, Alyssa, Lauren, riding with Team PBC
Steven & Casey Head | AL | Team TUTZ | 35' Formula
Kyle Fowler | GA | Team SMOKIN' 420 | 42' Wright Performance
Devin Wozencraft | CA | Team WOZENCRAFT | 34' Victory
WOZENCRAFT Crew
FPC Girl Drew
Aaron Swafford | FL | Team FOUR PLAY | 38' Fountain
John & Shaun McBain | FL | Team FOUNTAIN | 34' Fountain
Patrick Gros | LA | Team EPIC RIDE | 34' Nor-Tech
Tony & Jessica Gielow | FL | Team NINO | 43'Midnight Express
FPC Girl Drew
FPC Girls: Lauren, Drew, Avery, Maria, Alyssa, Lauren, Christina, Amber
FPC Girl Lauren
FPC Girl Lauren
FPC Girl Lauren
FPC Girl Alyssa
FPC Girl Maria
FPC Girl Christina
FPC Girl Avery
FPC Girl Drew
Emerald Coast Poker Run Party
Margaritaville at Harborwalk Village
No poker run is complete until the poker hands are played out and that process involves a lot of moving parts with almost one-hundred poker run teams! And that is precisely why the Saturday night poker run party is so much fun!
After three great days of boating fun, this is the one final gathering where participants can truly engage with each other in a relaxed setting and celebrate all the fun memories from this event and years past, while exchanging notes on upcoming poker run plans. Following the traditional sponsor award segment, the highlight for many teams is the presentation of nearly two dozen President’s Choice Awards in a variety of categories, along with the bittersweet Broken Propeller Awards. These wall plaques, which display a mangled propeller, somehow take the edge off the captains who may not have even finished the poker run due to various mechanical woes, but somehow the award reminds them that after all, it’s just part of boating!
The Emerald Coast event is the only poker run where a final table of ten players gather to play straight poker, to determine the top three winners. Eight of these teams are drawn from the TOP poker hands from the player boards, and two captains did a buy-in for two open seats. After dealing ten rounds, the top three winners were selected, sharing a $ 6000 prize purse and a variety of donated sponsor prizes. Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to another great rendezvous in Fall of 2025, as the Emerald Coast Powerboat Week continues to be the FPC’s anchor event in the Florida Panhandle after thirty-plus years. SJ
First Place Winner - Joe Parnell - Team - BLACK SHEEP
Second Place Winner -Joe Dethloff - Team - FAST BREAK
Third Place Winner - Alan & Kelly Swindoll - Team POCKET CHANGE
Emerald Coast is the only FPC poker run that uses a final table for the playoffs.
The lovely FPC Girls changed from bikinis to cocktail attire, and became our poker card dealers
Sponsor Award - Nor-Tech Hi Performance Boats Dealer - Bent Marine
Sponsor Award - Christopher Langille Emerald Grande/Harborwalk Village
Member Appreciation Award - Stephen & Kelly Marino - Team LITTLE BLUE
Sponsor Award - Ashley Strong & Tiffany Crawford - GSX Powerboats
Sponsor Award - DEEP IMPACT
Special Award - Paul Bertucci - Team BEER MONEY Too
Sexiest Crew Award Team IN REAL DEEP
Broken Propeller - Todd Guthrie Team SHOOT TO THRILL
Broken Propeller - Larry Montelero Jr Team FULLY INVOLVED
Saturday Night Cocktail Hour Sponsor Ivan Lopez & Cliff Anderson
Saturday Night Poker Run Party Sponsors Cigarette Racing Team & Ison Marine
Lona & Cambri Albert - Team LICKALONAPUS
Best Center Console Award Team IN REAL DEEP - Nor-Tech 452
Best Dressed - Ryan & Rachael Garnett - Team FLIGHT 311
Broken Propeller - Ken & Laura Wolkens Team DOCKED WAGES
Best CAT - Octavio & Karen Valdivia Team ROYAL FLUSH
Best Sound System - Eric Avila Team - CONCEPT
Most Enthusiastic Team - Dan & Nancy Wall Team WALL NUTS
Carlos Ruga/ Alex Thompson Paul & Tiffany - Ison Marine / Cigarette Dealer
Sponsor Award - Devin Wozencraft WOZENCRAFT INSURANCE & FINANCE
Sponsor Award - Performance Boat Center Jeff & Jennifer Corbel
Good Samaritan Award - Steven & Casey Head Team TUTZ
Best Paint & Graphics - Chas Owens Team OUTLAW WOMAN
Sexiest Crew Award - Hagen Glaser & Crew MIDNIGHT EXPRESS POWERBOATS
FPC MEMBERSHIP MARKETPLACE
Florida Powerboat Club offers a “Commercial Member” program which is designed for individuals or companies that are engaged in some form of commerce that relates to the marine industry. In many cases these members provide special discounts and offers to FPC members, so we invite you to contact them and keep your boating-related needs within the FPC family.
ARTHUR FUSCO
American Marine Performance | 954-852-5252 americanmarineperformance.com
arthur@americanmarineperformance.com, claire@americanmarineperformance.com
601 NW 12th Ave | Pompano Beach | FL 33069
SIMON TAVCAR
Astel Underwater Lights | 786-458-8861 astel-usa.com | info@astel-usa.com 66 W Flagler Street | Suite 900 – #9102 | Miami | FL 33130
RICHARD GARCIA
Boat Depot | 305-587-3094 boatdepotonline.com | boatdepot@live.com 101500 Overseas HWY | Key Largo | FL 33037
JAYE & DONNA WATSON
Card Payment Solutions | 800-359-0710 | 800-359-0710 cardpaymentsolutions.com | jaye@cardpaymentsolutions.com
9838 Bellasera Circle | Myrtle Beach | SC 29579
CHRISTOPHER & BETHANY BEAUDRY
CMB Tuning | 904 239-9751
CmbTuning@outlook.com
2595 Cholerton Lane | Hilliard, FL 32046
RAYMOND / PETER ROBERTS
Double R Performance | 705-487-7575 doublerperformance.com raymond@doublerperformance.com, peter@doublerperformance.com
50 Line 9 N, Oro-Medonte | Ontario L0L 1T0
PAUL CALISI
East Coast Flightcraft | 978-777-1721 | 978-777-7279 eastcoastflightcraft.com | pcalisi@eastcoastflightcraft.com
4 Lookout Lane | Middleton | MA 01949
JIMMIE HARRISON
FJ Propeller | 954-467-7723 fjprop.com | jimmie@fjprop.com
200 SW 6th Street | Fort Lauderdale | FL 33301
JODY HAMILTON
Hamilton Marine Finance | 470-248-2655 hamiltonmarinefinance.com | jody@hamiltonmarinefinance.com
3231 Lake McGinnis Dr | Suwanee | GA 30024
ED MILLER
Hi-Tech Marine | 410-375-1638 hitechmarine.com | ejmiller@thehomemag.com 2023 River Road | Baltimore | MD 21221
HAYS ROBERT
Hellkats Powerboats | 786-514-5174 hellkatspowerboats.com | Bhays@hellkatspowerboats.com
3300 NW 37th Street | Miami, FL 33142
STEVE SMARSH
HydraFoam | 586-315-1100 hydra-foam.com | steve@hydra-foam.com
49746 Leona Drive | Chesterfield, MI 48051
JOHN & DAWN CLARKE
Jaguar Powerboats LLC | 844-JAGBOAT (524-2628) jaguarpowerboats.com | dawn.clarke@jaguarpowerboats.com 1437 Cunningham Brickyard Rd. | Thomasville, NC 27360
JORDAN LAMPKIN
Lampkin Marine Services | 242-376-3066 lampkinmarine.com | jordan@lampkinmarine.com
1323 SE 17th st | Fort Lauderdale | FL 33316
ANDY IMHOF
Maryland Offshore Marine | 301-294-5936 mdoffshore.com | info@mdoffshore.com 9615 Doctor Perry Road | JAMSVILLE | MD 21754
KELBY MYERS
Myers Brothers Marine Corp. | 954-240-1355 myersbrothersmarine.com | service@myersbrothersmarine.com 7031 SW 22nd Ct, Suite D | Fort Lauderdale | FL 33317
STEPHEN GIFFORD NavInsure Brokerage, Inc. | 631-664-6805 navinsure.us | steve@navinsure.us 11 Maple Ave | Suite 212 | Bayshore| NY 11706
CRAIG PLASSMEYER
North American Yacht | 805-906-0589
craigyacht@aol.com
2110 N Ocean Blvd | Suite 19 A | Ft Lauderdale | FL 33305
JEAN-COME MAZIERE
Nuova Jolly North America | 773-999-7834 nuovajollyusa.com | jcmaziere@highfieldusa.com
9639 Fox Hearst Road | Tampa | FL 33647
CHRIS HANNA
Palmetto Yacht Transport | 843-687-2932 palmettoyachtmanagement.com | chris@palmettoyachtmanagement.com
PO Box 31947| Myrtle Beach| SC 29588
PAUL BOYDEN
Paul Boyden Customs | 850-356-5880 paulboyden.customs@yahoo.com
7880 Apollo Drive | Pensacola | Fl 32506
ALBERT FRANKO
Powerboats | 646-785-0125 powerboatsus.com | albert@powerboatsus.com
1410 W 24th Street | Miami Beach | FL 33140
MANNY OSES
Renegade Powerboats | 626-664-1016 renegadepboats.com| info@renegadepboats.com 1111 E 52nd Street | Hialeah | FL 33013
ANDREW POKORNY
Powerstroke Performance | 239-910-4169 powerstrokeperformancespecialties.com | andrew.pokorny@gmail.com
5660 Division Drive | Fort Myers | FL 33905
JIM & NIKKI CAMPBRILL
Shine N Clean Marine | 937-414-9436 jimcampbrill76@yahoo.com
111 Silverstone Drive | Englewood | OH 45322
ST. LAWRENCE RENEE
SKYDEX Technologies, Inc. | 410-980-5301
skydex.com | rstlawrence@skydex.com 246 Moreau Ct. | Severna Park | MD 21146
GREGORY ARNOLD
South Florida Powerboats | 772-631-0467
southfloridapowerboats.com | greg@southfloridapowerboats.com
533 SE Monet Drive| Port Saint Lucie | FL 34984
JOHN KRAY
Sportboats Marine | (239) 482-BOAT sportboats.com | conrad@sportboats.com
17790 San Carlos Blvd | Ft Myers | FL 33931
BRANDON MAYER
Sweetwater Landing Marina | 630-881-9422
sweetwaterlanding.net | bmayer14@yahoo.com
16991 St Rd 31 | Ft Myers | FL 33905
DAVID SHAEFFER
T&D Custom Painting | 616-841-1086
tanddcustompainting.com | david@tanddcustompainting.com
9500 Henry Ct Suit 50 | Zeeland | MI 49464
PATRICIA SUMMERFIELD
Tropic Ocean Airways | 954-299-5425 flytropic.com | psummerfield@flytropic.com
1050 Lee Wagener Blvd | Fort Lauderdale | FL 33315
STEVE SPRAGUE
Tuppen's Marine | 561-252-6105 tuppensmarine.com | boatking@earthlink.net
5999 Homeland Rd | Lake Worth | Fl 33449
JOSEPH LABON
Ultimate Marine | 407-492-8881 ultimatemarine.com | zoie@ultimatemarine.com
3419 WD Judge Dr | Orlando | FL 32808
DAVID DELEZENNE
Unique Custom Marine | 954-980-4887 ucmarinevault.com | uniquecustommarine@gmail.com
2044 NW 25th Ave | Pompano Beach | FL 33069
MARK / KATE WILSON
Wilson Custom Marine | 772-287-8755 wilsoncustommarine.com | wilsoncustommarine1@yahoo.com
3250 Saint Lucie Blvd Suite A | Fort Pierce | FL 34946
32 nd Key West Poker Run - Nov 5-11, 2024
We are happy to be returning to Key West, one of America’s most popular destinations and home to the World Championship Powerboat Races and the FPC’s signature poker run event of the year for decades! We welcome all club members, their onboard guests, sponsors, and spectators alike, to what has become our Holy Grail of events, with an average attendance of 250 registered teams and over 1,000 participants for several consecutive years.
There are very few recreational horsepower sports that have experienced the immense growth in popularity that we have witnessed on our national poker run circuit over recent years. Unlike competitive boat racing, poker runs have no national sanctioning bodies, no central record-keeping agency, and no formal connections between dozens of poker run organizations from coast to coast. Yet clearly, there is the presence of a distinct, although unofficial fraternity of funloving people from around the globe that feel connected to one another, through that powerboat passion we all share to enjoy the powerboating lifestyle.
That passion fuels a fever in all of us that is contagious. As we build our own social networks of friends that we meet at poker run events around the country, discover new and
Presented
by
exciting boating destinations, and trade up our toys to the newest models from a performance marine industry that is on fire, we find ourselves in a world of fun that most of us never imagined was possible!
With that said, I remind everyone to never take what we have for granted. We are all very blessed to enjoy a lifestyle that is very special, and one that only a small percentage of our population can experience. As President of this great organization that celebrates the powerboating lifestyle, I ask you to always make Safety a top priority. Not just on poker run events, but every time you jump in the boat and turn the keys. Get out the life jackets, they are your only friends in times of peril. Leave the beer can and the liquor bottle in the cooler, they will be cold and ready when the boat is tied up. Then, you can crank up the tunes and grab a hose to rinse off the salt, and most off all, celebrate another no drama day on the water with your friends and loved ones!
We’ll see everyone in Key West and please spend as much time with us as you can, at the FPC Poker Run Village, Conch Republic Seafood Co- 631 Greene St. Open daily starting THURS NOV 7th at 2pm ! SJ
NOTE: this list reflects current registration as of October 5, 2024. Any late registrations, cancellations or boat updates will not be reflected on this list.
KEY WEST POKER RUN 2024 PARTICIPANTS
Michael Friedman FL 41 Apache CRAZY HORSE
Frank & Christi Ungarten MD 36' Apache FRANK'S MARINE SERVICE
Kevin Kugler OH 37' Axopar FIVE MORE MINUTES
Derrick Ritchie KY 78' Azimut TRIPLE NET
Max Zeldich FL 36' Cigarette SUPERBAD
Stu & Jackie Jones FL 38' Cigarette TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130
Dan Ellis CA 38' Cigarette PUFF THIS
Alan Lima FL 38' Cigarette GROVE HARBOUR MARINA
Ryan Schrimpf MO 38' Cigarette RUNNIN GUN
James Ferrell Jr PA 39' Cigarette ALL FIRED UP
Joshua Ballon MA 39' Cigarette ALWAYS SOMETHIN'
Jason Efron FL 39' Cigarette PARTY OF FIVE
Steve King MI 39' Cigarette NACHO FAST
Tory Robson MN 39' Cigarette BE FIRST
Mario Diaz FL 41' Cigarette AMARA
Tod Fountain MI 41' Cigarette FIRE ESCAPE
Rick Kirk OH 41' Cigarette BUCKEYE NATION
Gregory Moppert DE 41' Cigarette HAVE MURCI
Anthony Piraino NJ 41' Cigarette FULL SEND
Ed Stella NJ 41' Cigarette HIGH MAINTENANCE
Don House KY 42' Cigarette NIGHTHAWK
Paul & Tiffany Ison KY 42' Cigarette LIQUID ASSETS
Stephen Barker NY 42' Cigarette X-FACTOR
Rick Riggle OH 42' Cigarette SMOKIN
Alex Thompson FL 42' Cigarette CIGARETTE RACING
Gabby Pacheco FL 51' Cigarette SD MARINE
Xavier Fauvel FL 30' Concept CONCEPT OF KNIGHTS
John VanDyck MI 36' Concept RELAPSE
Eric Avila FL 44' Concept CONCEPT
Isaac Burgos FL 44' Concept I KNOW
Kelly O'Hara NY 37' DCB COWBOY & INDIAN
Ray Aquit FL 39' Deep Impact HAMMERTIME 2.0
Eddie Collier TN 39' Deep Impact RIGHT NOW
Mike Leardi KS 39' Deep Impact ANDIAMO
Mark & Eileen Fischer FL 39' Deep Impact DEEP IMPACT
Brett Halper NY 39' Deep Impact RESURRECTION
Saverio Minucci NY 39' Deep Impact HITTING GOALS
Dustin Orozco WA 39' Deep Impact THE BULLY
James Redding GA 39' Deep Impact LA MEXICANA
Byron Storms AZ 39' Deep Impact DEEP IMPACT
Dennis Delatorre FL 49' Deep Impact DEEP IMPACT
Paddy Sullivan MD 38' Donzi CODE BLUE
Seth Therrien FL 38' Donzi CRUSH GROOVIN
Laurent Besnier FL 32' Doug Wright GROS COCHON
Hugo Marcelo Prigue FL 36' Doug Wright XPRINTX
Brian Blount OR 39' Doug Wright EARS BACK
Justin Wagner MO 39' Doug Wright WAYS AND WHEELS MARINE
Chas Owens GA 29' Eliminator OUTLAW WOMAN
Francis Marfyak CT 35' Formula Yeah Baby
Mike Francisco IL 38' Formula THUNDER STRUCK
Jeremy Porter IN 38' Formula THUNDER STRUCK
Mike Riggs NC 34' Fountain NSF
Mat Raymond IV NC 34' Fountain SANDERS FORD
Ricardo Chaves AL 34' Fountain IN DEBT
Chris Dittrich MA 38' Fountain DADDY'S GIRLS
Michael Foutz OH 38' Fountain RELIABLE
Jason & Lisa Hill MO 38' Fountain BOUGHT OUT
Richard Leon MA 38' Fountian MIAMI VICE
Ben Robertson SC 42' Fountain YAZZ
Jorge Arellano FL 42' Fountain 151 Express
Joe Erickson MD 42' Fountain ORANGE CRUSH
Mat C. Raymond III NC 48' Fountain MISS GRACE
David Tievy MD 48' Fountain SPEC-OPS IV
Billy & Brandy Engle KY 36' GSX GSX
Kruis Retherford AL 36' GSX GSX POWERBOATS
Dave & Karen Peterson FL 53' HCB SD MARINE
Robert Hays FL 32' Hellkats Powerboats HELLKATS POWERBOATS
John & Dawn Clarke NC 37' Jaguar WILDCAT CLASSIC
Matt Brayton CA 38' Jupiter CHASING TAIL
Mark Palanchian FL 105' Leopard NEXTERA ENERGY MARKETING
Simon Williams FL 43' Magbay MAGBAY
Michael Lacasse NH 37' Midnight Express TOO MUCH BABY
Deris Ceresa FL 43' Midnight Express PHANTOM BLACK
Domenick Landriscina NJ 43' Midnight Express FOURPLAY TOO
Jared & Chelsea Bartholomew NY 43' Midnight Express STEEL TEAM 6
Eric Glaser FL 43' Midnight Express MIDNIGHT EXPRESS 43
Brad Hancock FL 43' Midnight Express ALL HAIL
David & Jenny Landsman MD 43' Midnight Express GAME CHANGER
Christian & Andrea McCauley FL 43' Midnight Express NEXT EPISODE
Nicholas & Heather Mitchell MA 43' Midnight Express OFF SITE
Brian Murray NJ 43' Midnight Express MIDNIGHT
Robert Nelson AR 43' Midnight Express HELIOS
Kevin Catron MD 43' Midnight Express IT'S MY TURN
Eric Lemoine FL 43' Midnight Express TIMEKILLER
Dwayne Reith NY 34’ MTI FLY MTI
Craig Ackerman GA 39’ MTI LEVEL UP
Zach Martin GA 39’ MTI SIDE HUSTLE
Gilbert Anuez Jr. FL 39’ MTI EL GATO
Kevin & Melissa Welch MA 39’ MTI TA DA PINS
Craig Millett FL 39’ MTI OUTTA GAS
Mike Boyle FL 39’ MTI CATTITUDE (BOAT FENDERS)
Jeff Thompson AL 39’ MTI ROLLING WET
Ryan & Rachael Garnett TX 39’ MTI FLIGHT 311
Andrew Rocco NH 39’ MTI TIME CONSCIOUS
Keith Mirchandani FL 39’ MTI BOSSY PANTS
Jim & Sarah Wiley FL 39’ MTI BAD ALTITUDE
Michael Ciasulli NJ 39’ MTI MAXON AUTO GROUP
Barry Henson FL 40’ MTI FLIGHT TIME
Tom & Rachel Regan TX 40’ MTI WHINE THERAPY
Jack Villars CH 40’ MTI JACK
Kirk Anderson MO 42 MTI BLUE STREAK
Glenn Moss CA 42’ MTI UNO MOSS
Fred & Judy Reavis SC 42’ MTI BLEW BY U
Kevin Primmer CAN 42’ MTI MANY TONS INVESTED
Tom / Wes Abraham NY 42’ MTI FIRE SALE
Frank Esposito NJ 42’ MTI TODAY’S 4 SHORE
Ray Kowalik MO 42’ MTI BIKINI BOTTOM II
Micheal Reiter NY 42’ MTI KAOS
Chip Romer AZ 42’ MTI MAS CERVESA
Chad Rudesill LA 42’ MTI WHY WORK
David Sacher IL 42’ MTI LEO V
Gary & Patty Smith AZ 42' MTI MTI
Mark Tuck VA 42' MTI TIMBERWOLF
Thomas G. Toto NJ 42’ MTI ALWAYS ALL IN
Mark Stoddart ON 42’ MTI MTI
Chuck & Shannon Stark SC 42’ MTI CRYPTO
Cody & Haley Wood MD 42’ MTI MOVIN WEIGHT
Chris Sticha NV 43’ MTI DIRTY MONEY
KEY WEST POKER RUN 2024 PARTICIPANTS
Michael Tandoi NY 44’ MTI SPEED RACER
Simon Tusha FL 44’ MTI PRIMUS
Jesse Neumann MN 44’ MTI DIRTy Money 2.0
Taylor Scism MO 44’ MTI MTI
Steve Smarsh MI 44’ MTI HYDRA-FOAM
Michael & Sara Howe FL 44’ MTI HOWE2LIVE
Matt Gabriel NJ 48’ MTI RAGING BULL
Brett & Sharon Spraggins CA 48’ MTI 3X BOUGIE AF
Kenny Armstrong TX 48’ MTI PHANTOM
Chris Nazetta IL 48’ MTI BLU GATTI
Chris Peyerk MI 48’ MTI AGAINST THE WIND
Randy Scism MO 50’ MTI MTI
Sam Gabriel NJ 50’ MTI RAGING BULL SUPPORT
Bryan Houtchens CA 50’ MTI MEANT TO IMPRESS
Lane Christianson TX 50’ MTI FAST LANE
Bob Ladas MA 50’ MTI MTI V 50
Scott Rosenbach IL 50’ MTI BCI
Zach Polsky NJ 50’ MTI MEGA FLEXIN
Jeff McCullough GA 52’ MTI PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS
Sal & Stephanie Olivia NY 40' Mystic X-SCAPE II
Robert Lockyer CT 42' Mystic WASABI
Tom Schoedel VA 42' Mystic MYSTIC
Bill & Shelley Zausch IN 42' Mystic MYSTIC
Gary Karwowski FL 42' Mystic LOADED DECK
Robert "Skip" Cripps SC 42' Mystic SMFC
Cory Peter IN 42' Mystic LEADED
Steven Woitkun NH 42' Mystic MUST BE NICE
Paul Jordan FL 34' Nor-Tech BABBO
Jason Koehler PA 34' Nor-Tech KNOT WORRIED
Frank Scheelen FL 36' Nor-Tech TOP FUN
Tom Conlan NC 39 Nor-Tech NOR-TECH
Johan Andersson FL 39' Nor-Tech SAMLAGE
Jimmy & Jackie Blackburn OH 39' Nor-Tech COWBOY UP
Pierre & Megan Brousseau FL 39' Nor-Tech THREE STOOGES
Greg & Jennifer Connell TX 39' Nor-Tech LEGEND MARINE GROUP
Robert Crow FL 39' Nor-Tech NOR-TECH OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Stu & Jackie Jones FL 39' Nor-Tech KING OF CLUBS
Jerold Fahrner WI 39' Nor-Tech FOUR PLAY
Joe Greulich OH 39' Nor-Tech ENDLESS SUMMER
Joe & Stephanie Dethloff FL 39' Nor-Tech FAST BREAK
Frank Schultz PA 39' Nor-Tech NOR-TECH
John Stella NY 39' Nor-Tech WOLF
Curtis Watkins FL 39' Nor-Tech Download Logo
Jack & Jennifer Couto MD 39' Nor-Tech TRIMMED OUT
James Wright MD 39' Nor-Tech IT's A NO BRAINER
Fred Kiekhaefer CO 39' Nor-Tech NORTECH
David Kramer NJ 39' Nor-Tech NAUTI TENDENSEAS
Ivan Lopez LA 39' Nor-Tech NAVIVAN
Travis Musgrave KY 39' Nor-Tech RELENTLESS
Brock Vernon TX 39' Nor-Tech TIE ME UPS
Patrick Battaglia NH 39' Nor-Tech POUR ME ANOTHER
Ryan Cullmann MO 39' Nor-Tech INNOVATIVE MARINE GROUP
Dan Kurzejewski FL 40' Nor-Tech ANYA
Trond Schou FL 40' Nor-Tech NOR-TECH
Thomas Cox FL 40' Nor-Tech ST THOMAS
Henrick Margard FL 40' Nor-Tech NOR-TECH
Robert & Aubrey McAtee OK 40' Nor-Tech EMERALD ISLE
32 nd Key West Poker Run - Nov
5-11, 2024 Presented by
Raymond /Peter Roberts FL 40' Nor-Tech DOUBLE R
Bill Raisbeck FL 42' Nor-Tech RAISERS EDGE
Preston Collins TX 45' Nor-Tech IN REEL DEEP
Anthony Sans FL 45' Nor-Tech SANS OF THE SEA
Scott Campbell FL 46' Nor-Tech SUGAR
James & Tammy Johnson III NJ 50' Nor-Tech NEVER ENOUGH
Chris Ribeiro OK 52' Nor-Tech DON'T TELL 'EM
Mark & Eileen Fischer FL 120' Ocean Alexander EILEENS WAY
Chad Werab OH 33' Ocean Hawk RIVER CHICKEN
Bruno Perree FL 39' Outerlimits MEGAWATTS
Adam Panichi PA 41' Outerlimits THE G SEA
Shane Jespersen MD 42' Outerlimits CANCEL THIS 2.0
Brian Forehand NC 50' Outerlimits B FORE U
Paul Nigito NJ 52' Outerlimits ENOUGH SAID
Brett Manire MO 42' Performance Cat FIRST BORN
Justin Digiovanni TX 34' Pilini GINGER
Robert Bodvake VA 39' Rafnar DISRUPTOR I
Daniel Cates GA 38' Renegade NAUTI NAUTI
Stephen Madaffari FL 38' Renegade LET'S GEAUX
Tony Decker MD 38' Renegade TRIPLE DECKER
Manny Oses FL 38' Renegade RENEGADE POWERBOATS
Stephen Clarke FL 42' Scout VIVIAMO
Trey Robinson GA 37' Seafox NAUTI WAYS
Andy Imhof MD 36' Skater TEASERS
Chris LaMorte NJ 36' Skater SKATER 36
Shawn & Shelby Aksamit AZ 38' Skater INSTAGATOR
Joseph Castellana NY 38' Skater AWESOME
Tyler Stone CA 38' Skater RESURRECTED V
Clay Kehrer TX 40' Skater SAY WHEN
Craig Piercy KS 46' Skater BAD ATTITUDE
Greg Miller AZ 50' Skater RAIDEN
Greg Collinson FL 35' Statement! BAD INFLUENCE
David LaVie LA 35' Statement! REEL ESCAPE 2
Philip Kelser IL 38 Statement! POKER MONEY
Dennis & Amanda Phillips FL 38' Statement! PERMISSION SLIP
Cindy Huffman CA 43' Statement! WAY NUTZ
Jason Moore FL 44' Statement Statement
Eric Lonabaugh CA 45' Statement! VOODEW
Jeff & Jennifer Corbel IL 32' Sunsation PERFORMANCE BOAT CENTER
Greg Dutka TX 32' Sunsation KEKOA
Shawn Schimenti NJ 34' Sunsation SNEAKY LEAKS
Richard & Denise Thomas FL 70' Sunseeker LUCKY LADIES
Steve & Lisa Marini FL 38' Tiara MISS LISA
Michael Frungillo NJ 55' Vandutch VABBUO II
Devin Wozencraft CA 34' Victory WOZENCRAFT
Alex Danze CA 36' Wright Performance Endless Summer
Kyle Fowler GA 42' Wright Performance SMOKIN' 420
JOIN THE CLUB. JOIN THE FUN.
Five levels of membership to suit your boating lifestyle.
PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP
• Access to all FPC events and parties.
• Powerboating Video. (Dozens of titles to choose.)
• Powerboating in Paradise Magazine subscription.
• Embroidered Club T-shirt in your choice of colors.
• Access to all Membership discount programs.
PLUS:
• Premium mens OGIO club polo shirt.
• Premium Concierge Services
• Priority booking status for rooms and dockage on all FPC Events.
• Marina and marine service referrals for your powerboat.
• Nautical assistance to a variety of marine resorts and boating destinations.
• Planning and hotel/slip reservations for your Florida boating weekends.
$499.00/year*
GOLD MEMBERSHIP
Membership suggested for married couples Includes all of the Standard Membership benefits
COMMERCIAL MEMBERSHIP
Membership Includes:
• Discounted rates on FPC Magazine advertising
• Discounted rates on all web advertising/banner programs.
• Second membership for spouse/partner included
• Premium mens OGIO Club Polo Shirt.
• Premium womens OGIO Ladies Tank Top
PLUS: $399.00/year*
STANDARD MEMBERSHIP
Membership Includes:
• Access to all FPC events and parties.
• Powerboating Video. (Dozens of titles to choose.)
• Powerboating in Paradise Magazine subscription.
• Embroidered Club T-shirt in your choice of colors.
• Access to all Membership discount programs.
$299.00/year*
• Access to all FPC events and parties.
• Business listing on our website affiliate section.
• Business card introduction Ad in FPC magazine.
Commercial Members also have the opportunity to run promotions and discounts through FPC events.
$399.00/year*
SOCIAL MEMBERSHIP
Membership Includes:
• Club T-shirt in your choice of colors.
• Powerboating in Paradise Magazine subscription.
• Access to FPC parties
• Discounted Boat Show tickets.
$99.00/year*
FLORIDA POWERBOAT CLUB
JAN 24-26 | WINTER FUN RUN
Playa Largo Resort & Spa, Key Largo
FEB 12-16 | MIAMI INT'L BOAT SHOW - Miami Beach- 3 Locations
Featuring Feb 14- Miami Boat Show Bash, Hosted by FPC & SPEEDONTHEWATER
FEB 20-23 | 30th ANNUAL MIAMI BOAT SHOW POKER RUN
Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key
MAR 20-23 | SPRING POKER RUN- Southwest Florida- Gulf Coast
New Venue- details soon! Visit www.flpoweboatcom
APRIL 10-13 | 15th ANNUAL TAMPA BAY POKER RUN
Tampa Conv Center - Westin Waterside Resort & Tampa Marriott
MAY 9-12 | 6th ANNUAL ORANGE BEACH POWERBOAT WEEK
The Wharf, Orange Beach, AL - Turn-Key one-stop venue!
JUN 11-17 | 34th ANNUAL FPC BAHAMAS POKER RUN
Bimini, Nassau, Harbour Island ( 7-day, 6 night format)
JULY 16-23 | DEEP IMPACT OWNERS BAHAMAS RUN
Atlantis Paradise Island & Harbour Island, Bahamas- (7-day/6 night format)
AUG 7-13 | NORTECH OWNERS INVITATIONAL BAHAMAS RUN
BiminI, Atlantis Paradise Island, Harbour Island – (7 day/6 night format)
AUG 28-SEP 1 | NORTHERN BAHAMAS ISLAND HOP
West End, Spanish Cay, Hopetown Abacos. (6 day/5 night format)
SEPT 18-21 | 33rd ANNUAL EMERALD COAST POWERBOAT WEEK
Emerald Grande, Destin Harbor- Events commence Thursday!
NOV 4-10 | 33rd ANNUAL KEY WEST POKER RUN
Multiple hotels & marina options available- 250+ teams every year!
INTRODUCING THE 2025 NOR-TECH 390 "500"- KING
Florida Powerboat Club proudly announces the launch of the newest Nor-tech 390 Sport, celebrating the production of 500 Nor-Tech 390's since the model's inception in 2011. This exciting project is a collaboration between Mercury Racing, Florida Powerboat Club and the Cape Coral-based boat builder, Nor-Tech HiPerformance Boats. Like the previous 2008 Nor-Tech Supervee partnership between the same parties, this center-console project is supported with an A-List of OEM and aftermarket members of the marine trade, who have provided their latest products to be showcased on this unique, custom-built 390 model.
Carrying the model designation as the 390 POKER RUN
EDITION, this well-equipped twin-stepped center console is powered by three Mercury Racing 400R V-10's with the latest hardware including Mercury Racing Vesselview engine display, Digital Zero Effort Controls and Mercury Racing Ventera 4-blade propellers.
With club President Stu Jones at the helm, this “FPC Official Support Boat” will engage in critical event-related functions, such as safety management, carrying fire-rescue medics on board during poker runs, and will also act as a shadow boat for photo and video content acquisition.
A third and important focus will be a national fundraising agenda to support a wide variety of charities. By donating “poker run experience” rides to local charities in South Florida and other poker run promoters around the country, Jones plans to utilize this successful fund-raising formula to meet new fundraising targets for 2025 and beyond.
After unveiling the new 390-500 at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show on Wed Oct 30th, The King of Clubs will embark on the 32nd Annual Key West Poker Run, where guest riders on board have already raised more than ten thousand dollars for local 501(c) charities. Stay tuned for more details at: www.flpowerboat.com and watch the entire Nor-Tech build on Florida Powerboat Club’s YouTube channel. SJ
Stu & Jackie Jones enjoyed their maiden family voyage on the new Nor-Tech 390 Sport, King of Clubs on Sunday Oct 20th, passing through the Hillsboro Inlet to the Atlantic coastal waters.
Photo: Tyler Jones
