Powerboating In Paradise Vol23#3

VOL 23#3 KEY WEST EDITION CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF THE FLORIDA POWERBOAT CLUB LIFESTYLE

ORANGE BEACH POwerboat week

Water by Day -Wharf by Night!

nd 32Three BAHAMAS POKER RUN! Decades Later & Still Goin' Strong

BAHAMAS SUMMER BLAST Returning to the Northern Bahamas!

EMERALD COAST POWERBOAT WEEK Kicking off the Fall with Paradise in the Panhandle!

Plus....More of our Lovely

FPG GIRLS!

FPC SUMMER TOUR • PBC Cigarette Rendezvous • 1000 Island Charity Poker Run • Thunder In The City Poker Run • Borden Light Charity Poker Run • Lake Cumberland Poker Run • Pirates of Lanier Poker Run WWW.FLPOWERBOAT.COM

A Magazine Showcasing The Florida Powerboat Club Lifestyle EDITOR/PUBLISHER

CONTENTS

OFFICE MANAGER

6. LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Stu Jones stu@flpowerboat.com Megan Smith admin@flpowerboat.com

EVENT MANAGEMENT

Jackie Jones jackie@flpowerboat.com

RESERVATIONS & LODGING

Amy Plumstead-Hospitality Mgr. fpcevents@gmail.com

EVENT LOGISTICS & DOCKING

John Wittenberger Jr. Gen Mgr- Marine Operations FPCJohn23@gmail.com

2023#3

The FPC president proudly introduces new team players and reminds us that the success of FPC's 30+ years hinges on having a strong management team!

8. ORANGE BEACH POWERBOAT WEEK Presented by the Wharf, this Alabama-based event provided a great mix of daytime boating adventures and evening festivities for over 200 participants.

26. 32nd BAHAMAS POKER RUN

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PHOTO DESK

FPC's longest running event delivered a robust agenda with over 600 miles of cruising to Bahamas's most popular attractions!

VIDEO PRODUCTION

36. BAHAMAS SUMMER BLAST

Lina Montes fpclina@gmail.com

Ryan McCoy- Producer mccoymedia@me.com

VIDEOGPAPHY & DRONE Joe Kotrady Andre Alvarez Walter Bulwinkle Bricen Vereen Stu Jones Tyler Jones

FPC HEADQUARTERS Florida Powerboat Club 1214 SW 6th St. Pompano Beach, FL 33069

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 - Thursday 10 AM - 5 PM

After a five year time-out, Florida Powerboat Club members return to the Northern Bahamas, discovering the quieter village vibe of Hopetown.

44. 2023 FPC SUMMER POKER RUN TOUR This traditional summer pilgrimage reached a new milestone for Stu & crew, as the Jones family attended six major poker runs around the USA!

56. EMERALD COAST POWERBOAT WEEK Gaining ground with 96 registered teams, this Fall Season opener provided participants with a playground noted for endless beaches and fabulous boating!

ON THE COVER: FPC Members deliver the Money Shot on the Bahamas Poker Run! The FPC Girls kept us entertained at the Orange Beach Powerboat Week 2023.

YouTube: Florida Powerboat Club www.youtube.com/user/FLpowerboatClub

www.facebook.com/flpowerboat Instagram @flpowerboat

Traveling? Need to lighten the load? Enjoy the digital version of this issue of Powerboating in Paradise Magazine on...

All copyright laws apply. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the publisher FPC Pompano Beach Headquarters

SEE THE COMPLETE DIGITAL EDITION OF POWERBOATING IN PARADISE MAGAZINE AT WWW.FLPOWERBOAT.COM

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 5

T

here are some new names and faces around the Florida Powerboat Club headquarters in Pompano Beach, and I would like to formalize these introductions in this edition of my Letter from the President. Joining our team recently, Amy Plumstead our new Hospitality Manager, and the one person that most of our active members will be dealing with, as you register for poker runs and coordinate room reservations at our partner hotels. Amy hails from England and has a strong hotel management resume, which has helped her to adapt quickly to the fast-paced environment around FPC, amidst our two largest events of the year. Amy loves boating and will be joining us at all FPC event venues, so you may welcome her in person at your next FPC poker run event.

Next on the introduction lineup is John Wittenberger Jr., who joins us in a new position as General Manager-Operations, handling the marine-related aspects of FPC events. This includes working with our marina partners to establish docking inventory for events, overseeing the application of USCG event permitting, staffing for safety management, mapping out course logistics and monitoring liability insurance compliance, and facilitating the docking assignments for club members on all events.

John Wittenberger Jr & 1st mate Natalie

John Wittenberger Jr | 36' Spectre John grew up in Southern New Jersey and has been around powerboating most of his life, spending a lot of time with his father John Wittenberger SR. on FPC Poker runs. Over recent years, John has maintained his membership status with FPC, first operating a 30’ Spectre cat, and more recently a 36’ Spectre cat powered by big HP blower engines that John built himself. His mechanical knowledge of powerboats and repair issues is extensive, making John a great asset to all of us on the FPC poker runs.

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It goes without saying that we are very fortunate to have a great team at FPC, including Megan Smith who has been on staff as an office manager and membership coordinator for over four years. Managing our video productions and Instagram social media posting is Ryan McCoy, who has been on the team for almost a decade and has been instrumental in helping FPC to increase our social media presence and deliver personal video content into the hands of our FPC members! Similarly, Lina Montes has proven herself as an accomplished graphic artist and photo desk manager, taking the Powerboating in Paradise Magazine to a polished, professional look that captures the excitement of the Florida Powerboating lifestyle. Other tasks include delivering personal boat images to our members and producing the artwork for all digital and printed material that we circulate!

There is still a team of part-time, often unsung heroes who are always ready to go into action for FPC whenever we call. Video team members like Joe Kotrady, and Andre Alvarez, along with our drivers and set-up team Darin Gleichmann, Bob Watson, and Sean Evans, all of whom have been reliable and loyal to the FPC cause, making themselves available year-round, for our events throughout the Sunshine State.

Without this team to keep FPC operating as a well-oiled machine, my wife Jackie and I would not have much of a personal life.

Florida Powerboat Club is a business organization that has a lot of moving parts. Having the right team to keep the wheels spinning is paramount to staging successful events, which in turn keeps our membership alive, and fuels the demand for the Florida Powerboat Club lifestyle. Looking ahead to 2024, my wife Jackie and I will be slowly stepping off the “front lines” of day-today operations, so that this new team of professionals can grab the wheel and throttles. Let me be perfectly clear, this is not an announcement of retirement. We plan to stay very active with the FPC team, and I will continue my involvement working on the Youtube videos and jump in wherever I’m needed the most.

This is our last 2023 issue of Powerboating in Paradise Magazine until our first 2024 issue releases in the New Year, so we hope to see you in Key West, and if not, we wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday Season! Most importantly, be safe on the waterways and always wear those life jackets!

Stu Jones

A New State Of Mind Many Boaters Are Starting To Discover That Crossing The State Lines From Neighboring Florida Or Mississippi Into Orange Beach, Alabama, Provides A Vibrant Boating Community With Sandy Coves,Dozens Of Restaurants, Fresh Seafood And First Class Marinas. For Fpc Members, The Wharf In Orange Beach Provided The Ideal One-Stop Venue To Enjoy This Alabama Playground!

Story by Stu Jones

T

he fourth annual Orange beach powerboat week returned to The Wharf, a popular entertainment waterfront complexwhich featured a one stop- full service poker run headquarters for a roster of nearly 50 poker run teams fleet and 180 registered participants in attendance.

The late spring temperatures averaged in the high 80s daily, with no trace of rainfall during the three day event giving visiting boaters plenty of opportunity to enjoy the scenic coastal and ICW waters from Mobile Bay to Pensacola Beach.

Following an event format that was established in previous years, FPC organizers chose a three-day agenda, similar to the Emerald Coast powerboat week, which takes place about 100 miles to the east in Destin every fall. Thursday provided a casual all-day arrival program, as most teams rolled in from Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas, with the Lonestar State taking top attendance honors thanks to the strong support from the Texas TOPPS organization, an active powerboat club which stages a series of events in the Houston/Clear Lake region. Upon arrival,

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attendees were pleased to see the new boat ramp adjacent to The Wharf fully operational, making the process of launching much easier, combined with the spacious free truck/trailer parking provided at The Wharf.

Lodging at The Wharf was another attractive benefit of attending this annual event, as visitors could stay on site, by opting for luxurious waterfront condominium rentals from two to four bedrooms, or reserving hotel rooms through FPC event staff at the modern SpringHill Suites, a Marriott-branded hotel. Either way, it was only steps for participants to reach their boats which were docked at The Wharf Marina, not to mention dozens of retail establishments, restaurants, bars, and entertainment on property.

With most poker run attendees settled in by late Thursday, the event itinerary commenced with a Thursday night kick-off party featuring the Miss Orange Powerboat Week contest, now relocated to a new venue at the Sand Shaker Bar at The Wharf.

With ten contestants registered, the cozy bar venue brought poker run teams together in a playful atmosphere and at least six of the

Photos by: Pete Boden and Stu Jones ladies would stay on board for the weekend as FPC Girls, assisting with parties and functions - not to mention handing out the poker cards on The Friday and Saturday runs. Special thanks to FPC members Paul Bertucci, “Team Beer Money”, and Texas member Chad Havens,” Team Savage”, for their generous sponsor support to keep the Miss Powerboat Week tradition alive and well.

Each day of boating commenced with a captain’s breakfast, supported by member-sponsors, where the important course details and safety guidelines were outlined, before teams boarded the boat for departure. The Friday run commenced with a poker card dockside at The Wharf, followed by another at the Favre residence, before teams headed offshore through the Perdido Pass, to make the eastbound coastal run to Pensacola Beach. High winds that had dominated the local weather over recent days, created turbulent seas, forcing many captains to turn quickly back to the inlet, and favor the protected intracoastal waters for the ride to Pensacola Beach. Still, a handful of more adventurous teams stayed offshore, taking the challenging ride, and giving

the FPC chopper crew some fantastic money-shot opportunities!

Upon arrival in Pensacola Beach, the 50-boat fleet split up to enjoy a choice of two beachfront lunch destinations, including Felix‘s Oyster Bar and Flounders Chowder House on the opposite end of the sandy beach strip. Fortunately, the transient docks at the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk had recently been fully repaired and completed giving all of the necessary documents facilities for the event.

The poker run fleet mobilized by early afternoon heading back towards Pirates Cove resort in Alabama - a rustic beachfront stopover that is wildly popular with boaters throughout the area, and rumored to be the venue that motived Jimmy Buffet to score the Cheeseburger in Paradise hit song. Concluding a wonderful day, Friday evening the group assembled for a cocktail party at Marker 158, sponsored

by FPC member Cliff Anderson, to enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow club members and boating friends. The waterfront restaurant was conveniently located alongside the Wharf Marina, with scenic views overlooking the intracoastal waterway.(Continue to page 10)

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 9

STU & JACKIE JONES

Stu & Jackie Jones | FL | Team TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130 | 38' Cigarette Saturday morning commenced with a second captains’ breakfast and safety meeting at 8:30 AM, where plans were outlined for a shorter, westbound poker run course at about 65 miles in length, in comparison to the 110-mile course from Friday. After getting another poker card a from the FPC girls, teams took the ICW (Portage Creek) to Bon Secour Bay, and continued westbound to Mobile Bay, passing massive oil platforms along the way before turning offshore at Fort Morgan.

Remembering the sea conditions of a day earlier, most teams opted to take a full 180-degree course change, returning to Orange Beach along the ICW from Mobile Bay. Still, small number of about six teams, continued along the coastal waters, braving the choppy 3-5 foot seas, which were substantially better conditions than a day earlier.

By 12:30… most of the Poker run teams had made it to one of six popular lunch stop locations that were offered on the course map,

while the Favre family hosted their invitational sponsor lunch - for about 10 poker run teams and 60 guests. FPC Organizers promise plans for a new Saturday lunch format in 2024, seeking a waterfront location for the entire group along the north shore of Mobile Bay. By late Saturday, The Orange Beach event culminated with a dinner function at Dicks Last Resort- the largest restaurant on site at the Wharf, with about 160 guests in attendance.

The venue, formerly managed as The Port and rented out for special events, was now open to the public and had undergone extensive renovation since the club’s last visit, two years earlier. The dinner buffet was complimented with a full open bar to all attendees, which came with a significant increase in the catering budget. Thankfully, five generous FPC attendees willingly shared in the added cost, by contributing $1,000 each, illustrating the ongoing commitment of so many FPC members to keep the party alive and give everyone a first-class poker run experience! (Continue to page 12)

RUM RUNNER Crew

Daryl Turner | TX | Team RUM RUNNER | 46' Cigarette SPECIAL OPS Crew

Gary Lickle | FL | Team SPECIAL OPS | 39' MTI

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Devin Wozencraft | CA | Team WOZENCRAFT | 30' Skater

After a series of sponsor presentations and Presidents Choice awards, the three poker run teams were awarded, with Jack Stewart owner of a 32-foot Doug Wright cat winning top honors! The repeat attendee who hails from Panama City Beach, won the best poker hand with four of a kind, taking home half of the $5,000 prize purse.

FPC thanks all participants and sponsors for joining us at this festive Orange Beach Powerboat Week event, presented by The Wharf. We look forward to an exciting 5th Annual presentation of this event on May 9-12, 2024. Please stay tuned to the FPC website for updated event details at www.flpowerboat.com

Jack & Kay Stewart | FL | Team BLUE BAYOU | 32' Doug Wright Chris Jarreau | LA | Team SHAKE N BAKE | 38' Fountain

MTI Crew

Keith Rockman | FL | Team MTI | 42' MTI

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Roger & Pam Anderson | TX | Team WILD HORSES | 39' Nor-Tech

Ricardo Chaves | AL | Team TEAM IN DEBT | 34' Fountain

John & Connie Fahmy | GA | Team SOUTHERN YANKEE | 34' Sunsation

LICKALONAPUS Crew

Mark & Lona Albert | TX | Team LICKALONAPUS | 35' Fountain

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James Leger | TX | Team HEART ON | 51' Outerlimits

EZ MONEY Crew

Ken Milstead | TX | Team EZ MONEY | 38' Statement!

INTO THE MYSTIC Crew

Ryan & Rachael Garnett | TX | Team INTO THE MYSTIC | 38' Mystic

Keith Johnston | LA | Team WHISKEY BUSINESS | 42' Outerlimits

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A-MUSE-D Crew Charles Clark | TX | Team WE B TRIP'N | 36' Deep Impact

Mike Muse | TX | Team A-MUSE-D | 37' Axopar

GOING DEEP Crew

Vince & Rachael Oddo | TX | Team LOADED GUN | 38' Cigarette

Sean Porter | TX | Team GOING DEEP | 36' Deep Impact

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 17

Scott Favre | LA | Team THE WHARF | 36' Wright Performance Scott Favre & FPC Girls

FPC Girls Lauren &Sage

Octavio & Karen Valdivia | GA | Team AWESOME ONE | 44' Concept

FPC Girls

Stephen Dummer | MS | Team LOOSE CANNON | 38' Cigarette

AIR SIGN Crew

Cliff & Mellissa Anderson | AZ | Team AIR SIGN | 34' MTI

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Miss Powerboat Week 2023 Staged at the Sand Shaker located at The Wharf, Orange Beach

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Paul Bertucci | MS | Team BEER MONEY TOO | 39' Deep Impact Kyle Fowler | GA | Team SMOKIN' 420 | 42' Wright Performance FPC Girl Sage

STRIP IT DOWN Crew

SHARK RIDER Crew

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Kyle Horton | TX | Team STRIP IT DOWN | 38' Formula

Frank Bulte | FL | Team SHARK RIDER | 44' MTI

Steve Rabalais | LA | Team HEY BAE | 40' Sunsation

FPC Girl Jazzmyn

Lloyd Thornton | TX | Team PACHANGA | 36' Concept

Clint Hayes | TN | Team KISS THE PAPER | 42' Fountain

Jeff Trimble | TX | Team MAVRIK | 32' Skater

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Saturday Night Awards

Sponsor Award - RoMix Roger & Pam Anderson

Sponsor Award - Uni-Tech & Concept Boats - Octavio & Karen Valdivia

Fartherst Traveled - Frank Bulte

Most Enthusiastic Team - Mike Muse

1st Place Winner - Jack & Kay Stewart Team BLUE BAYOU

Sponsor Award - Team BEER MONEY Paul Bertucci

Farthest Trailered - Stephen Miles

Best Catamaran - Kyle Fowler

Sponsor Award - TOPPS Clear Lake Sean Porter

Best Team Name - Mark & Lona Albert

Best Performance V-Bottom

James Leger

2nd Place Winner - Rick & Lynn Rose Team MORE COWBELL

Volunteer Award - Nichalos Ringel

Best Dressed Team - Wes Harlow

Best Paint & Graphics

Daryl Turner

3rd Place Winner - Steve Rabalais

Team HEY BAE

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 25

IslandsOf Advent ure 32 nd Bahamas Poker Run - June 7-12, 2023 Bimini, Chub Cay, Nassau, Spanish Wells The longest running FPC event followed a traditional format of packing as many islands as possible into a six day agenda. Even when mother nature stirred things up with some rough seas, FPC members rallied six hundred miles, to reach their intended targets of Bimini, Chub Cay, Paradise Island and Spanish Wells.

Story: Stu Jones | Photos by: Jerry Wyszatycki and Stu Jones

T

he Florida Powerboat Club’s annual Bahamas Poker Run remains as the club’s longest running event, getting its start in May 1992 with an excursion of cruising-style boats from Sunny Isles Marina, which at the time was the largest dry-storage marina in Miami-Dade county. What may be surprising is that the average boat attending back then was between 23 and 34 feet, had single or twin-engines, and it was not very common to take a performance boat to the Bahamas because there was little reliability, and most law enforcement agencies would assume it was a drug smuggling boat. Fast forward thirty years, and it is truly amazing to see how our recreational performance marine industry has evolved, and the beautiful fleet of high-performance hardware departing from Port Everglades on this June morning would illustrate that perfectly. The 16-boat roster featured eleven manufacturers, with Nor-Tech at three, followed by Deep Impact, Fountain, and Adrenaline at two apiece, leaving seven builders with one boat represented. Probably the most astonishing statistic was that only one cruiser, one catamaran and one performance V-bottom registered for the run, compared to the strong presence of thirteen multi-engine center console models.

A closer look at our teams, revealed that the variety of homeports for our attendees was equally diverse, with five teams from

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Florida, two each from Georgia, Ohio, and Tennessee, while IL, KS, LA, SC, and TX each had a poker run team on the entry roster.

With Fort Lauderdale’s Bahia Mar Yachting Center and onsite Doubletree Hotel as the starting point, the fleet got off to any early Wednesday morning start, with beautiful weather conditions. The ride got a little bumpy into the midway point crossing the gulf stream, but most teams fared well, and were settled in at the Big Game Club right on schedule, for customs and immigration clearance. After a raft-up party and stingray feeding experience at Honeymoon Harbour south of Bimini, our final destination was the Resorts World Bimini Hilton which provides well-maintained floating docks, a modern hotel with rates still under $ 300 per night, plus dining and a casino on site. FPC has made a new practice of only visiting RWB Hilton for mid-week stays, due to the mass weekend invasion

by South Florida boaters and ferry boat passengers, which overpopulates the resort and local boating attractions. This was evident as the FPC crew departed Bimini on Friday morning, passing a solid parade of incoming boats arriving in Bimini, as we said farewell.

Royal Island sandbar near Spanish Wells is always a fun stopover!

Next stop on the Bahamas Poker Run Tour was Chub Cay, about 100 miles further to the east, in the heart of the Berry Islands. The ride began with a smooth romp across the Bahama Bank, until seas kicked up after passing the Northwest Shoals, where the shallow bank drops off to deep Atlantic waters, often reaching over 5,000 feet in depth. Upon arrival at Chub Cay, most found this to be a pleasant stopover, as the dining staff were prepared for the pre-planned lunch at the Chub Cay Club House, followed by a swim in their magnificent pool that overlooks the ocean.

For the remainder of the afternoon, the winds and seas took a dramatic turn for the worse, forcing an unscheduled Plan B, which

required crews to scramble for every available form of lodging available, including villas, hotel rooms, crew quarters on work boats, and for others, it was the comfort of their onboard cabins.

The Bahamas Poker Run continued to Nassau on the following day, and even with the limited 2-night stay, the spirited teams were still thumbs up for the daytrip to Spanish Wells. Thanks to everyone who attended, and we highly recommend the FPC YOUTUBE channel for complete live video coverage of this exciting Bahamas 2023 adventure.

Stu Jones

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 27

WILD HORSES Crew - 1st Place Winners Roger & Pam Anderson | TX | Team WILD HORSES | 39' Nor-Tech

Doug Bryant | TN | Team 420 WRIGHT PERFORMANCE | 42' Wright Performance

Ivan Lopez | LA | Team NAVIVAN | 39' Nor-Tech SWEETWATER LANDING Crew

Brandon Mayer | FL | Team SWEETWATER LANDING | 40' Mystic

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SPEED AND LUXURY

Powered by

BigThunderMarine.com 3401 Bagnell Dam Blvd Lake Ozark, MO 65049 573-365-4001

106309 Overseas Hwy Key Largo, FL 33037 305-964-8961

2359 PGA Blvd. Suite 100 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 561-345-3998

Daniel Dickert | FL | Team HIGHWAY | 42' Freeman

Anthony & Jamie Sasso | FL | Team REAPER 3 | 47' Adrenaline

Mike & Carlene Leardi | KS | Team NAUTI FEVER | 38' Fountain

Dominick & Christy Boscaglia | SC | Team CHUMLORD | 38' Scout

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Simon Williams | FL | Team FOUNTAIN | 38' Fountain

BAD REPUTATION Crew Jason & Shanna Tolliver | OH | Team BAD REPUTATION | 40' Sunsation

Mike & Robin Layton | GA | Team ADRENALINE POWERBOATS | 47' Adrenaline

Joe & Jen Greulich | OH | Team ENDLESS SUMMER | 39' Nor-Tech

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 31

BAD CHOICES Crew Mike & Olivia Lopez | IL | Team BAD CHOICES | 42' MTI

Eddie Collier | TN | Team RIGHT NOW | 39' Deep Impact LA MEXICANA Crew

James & Sonia Redding | GA | Team LA MEXICANA | 39' Deep Impact

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4400' THE FUN STARTS HERE WWW.CONCEPTBOATS.COM

Bimini offers several area attactions including the concrete shipwreck Sapona the beaches of North Bimini. But the crowd favorite is always Honeymoon Harbour, where the controlled stingray feed was a great first-time experience for many attendees.

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Several teams joined in for the fun run to Spanish Wells.

First stop was the Royal Island sandbar, which has become a popular stopover during low tide. The swings are always a big hit and the area stingrays always stop by for a visit.

The ladies of Team BAD CHOICES

Nor-Tech's Geoff Tomlinson made this a Daddy-daughter work-and-play trip!

It was family cruise for Bryant's from Tennessee

Two new Adrenalines were dressed to impress.

Team LAMEXICANA at Royal Island sand bar

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FROM T HE PAST

BAHAMAS SUMMER BLAST 2023 | August 9-14, 2023 West End, Grand Bahama- Hopetown, Abacos

The Bahamas Summer Blast took a new course to the Northern Bahamas, a destination that had been off limits to FPC after Hurricane Dorian's path of destruction back in 2019. But as the more marinas and resorts are now open for business, this August return created new experiences and brought back fond memories of the past.

Story by Stu Jones

F

lorida Powerboat Club’s long-awaited return to the Northern Bahamas may be summed up as being a bittersweet occasion, after a five-year hiatus from staging any events to this Northern family of islands. It was on September 1st, 2019, that the powerful category 5 Hurricane Dorian pounded the Northwest Bahamas, causing death and tremendous destruction throughout Grand Bahamas Island and the chain of Abaco Islands to the east.

Directly impacted were popular FPC destinations including West End, Port Lucaya, Treasure Cay, Great Guana, Green Turtle Cay along with the quaint harbor community named Hopetown on Elbow Cay. While rebuilding, the Covid pandemic swept through the Bahamas several months later, causing further tragedy and shattering the hopes of so many, who were fully engaged in the process of getting their lives back to normal. While some property and business owners endured the hardship and secured the financial resources to repair and recover, there were still many villages and communities that to this day, remain damaged beyond repair. While it is painful to imagine the hardship these Bahamians faced, it was truly humbling to be back visiting these distant and beautiful islands, while experiencing the warmth and charm of the resilient Bahamian people.

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The Bahamas Summer Blast launched from Fort Lauderdale, shortly after 7am on a pleasant summer morning…as twelve crews turned northbound from Port Everglades, to be joined by the FPC chopper along the Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach shoreline. The light winds provided ideal conditions for the 75mile gulf stream crossing to Old Bahama Bay at West End, which would serve as our first stopover for the next two days. The resort appears to have weathered reasonably well over the last five years, and the staff there was friendly and eager to serve. Day two provided a nice opportunity for a daytrip to Port Lucaya, where the fallout from the 2019 storm was still quite evident, but we somehow managed to land at a few open docks although Port Lucaya Marina had long been closed and boarded up. There were still signs of retail activity in the Port Lucaya Marketplace, and we managed to find a few open bars and restaurants that surprisingly provided excellent food and hospitality! The fun run continued with a scenic ride through the very storied Lucayan Waterway, where more images of Dorian’s destruction were revealed with damaged homes that had been evacuated.

Photos by: Jerry Wyszatycki and Stu Jones

Eric & Ivy Ducrou | FL | Team BAD DOG | 39' Nor-Tech Day three took the fleet further eastbound through the Sea of Abaco, making a stop at Spanish Cay Resort & Marina for lunch, where some of the boats were boarded by a new waterborne Bahamian Government Task Force, who happened to be visiting the resort as we arrived. No harm, no incidents, no tickets -but it was surprising to see this squad of uniformed and fully armed guards roaming the waterways- something many of us have never experienced in the Bahamas. Next stop was Hopetown Inn & Marina, located at Elbow Key, just a quarter mile from the landmark Hopetown Lighthouse, which is still fully operational.

This charming and well-managed resort is by far the nicest destination for boaters in the immediate area, and one of the few properties that sustained considerably less damage during Hurricane Dorian than some of its less fortunate neighbors. From this location we navigated local boating daytrips to popular hotspots like Pete’s Pub at Little Harbour, Green Turtle Cay and Great Guana…. each offering plenty of docking in a protected harbor, great food & beverage options, and a unique pleasant vibe that makes you want to stay just a little longer. But like every & Ivy Ducrou BADhome DOG | 39' Nor-Tech vacation in paradise, sadlyEric we’ve all got| FLto| Team come sometime!

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 37

Dawn & Donald Hadden | SC | Team DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS | 44' Concept

Robert & Angie Nelson | AZ | Team HELIOS | 43' Midnight Express

Simon Williams | FL | Team MAG BAY | 43' Mag Bay

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MAG BAY Crew

Hays & Karlyn Wilson | FL | Team VELOCITY | 39' Nor-Tech

Roger & Pam Anderson | TX | Team WILD HORSES | 39' Nor-Tech

Steve & Christy Lee Carter | SC | Team SIDE PIECE | 38' Fountain

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 39

Cliff Anderson | FL | Team AIR SIGN | 34' MTI

Mark & Eileen Fischer | FL | Team BLACKWATER | 43' Blackwater

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The Bell Channel provides boating access from the ocean to protected canals and backwaters of Port Lucaya.

PORT LUCAYA FUN RUN After arriving in West End, day two was reserved for an 80-mile roundtrip cruise to Port Lucaya for lunch, followed by a scenic ride through the Lucayan Waterway. It was disappointing to see the closed Port Lucaya Marina, but somehow the group found docks and enjoyed lunch at Port Lucaya Marketplace.

Our FPC paceboat, 43 MagBay piloted by Simon Williams.

Old Bahama Bay Marina provided safe harbor for our participants, and cozy villas surrounding the marina and on the beachfront.

Although Port Lucaya Marina remains closed, a few of the old docks were accessible for a short visit.

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Continuing to the Abacos, the Hopetown Inn & Marina provided a fantastic resort as for our 3-day stay. Docks were in excellent condition, several rooms and villas had been remodeled, and the restaurant offered great food and friendly service.

Team Dirty Little Secrets, 44 Concept, docked in front of their two-story villa

Eric & Ivy Ducrou, with Hays & Karlyn Wilson at Firefly Restaurant

Enjoying the beach at No Name Cay, home of the friendly beach pigs.

The Jones boys with Team BAM at Pete's Pub, Little Harbour

Relaxing on the beach at No Name Cay

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Eight Is Enough!

2023 FPC NATIONWIDE SUMMER TOUR

Story by Stu Jones

I

have chosen to write the feature in the “first-person” reference, primarily due to the very personal experiences that I encountered throughout this adventurous 2023 FPC summer tour, which commenced early May in Alabama, and concluded with in Destin Florida in late September. Quite remarkably, this aggressive eightevent poker run tour came to together like a well-oiled machine, logging over 8,000 highway miles for the Cigarette Top Gun Flight 1130, and substantially more “air-miles” as Jackie and I travelled extensively throughout the summer months to many destinations.

To clarify, this tour consisted of eight poker run events, with FPC bookend-events, our annual May Orange Beach Powerboat Week to kick things off, and the 31st Annual Emerald Coast Powerboat Week in late September, our eighth and final event. Since this issue of Powerboating in Paradise Magazine features extensive coverage of these FPC Gulf coast events, this summer tour feature will focus on the six non-FPC events that we set our sights on for an exciting summer adventure. So here we go!

Borden Light Marina

Tyler Jones at Boden Light Mairna Parked and ready to roll from Watertown Airport to Maryland, with Palmetto Yacht Transport taking over!

Jackie & Stu - 1st PL Lake Cumberland

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Jackie Jones at PBC Jeff & Brittany Miller joined in for the run.

Annual CIGARETTE RENDEZVOUS – Lake of the Ozarks Presented by: Performance Boat Center | June 16-19, 2023

F

or any owner or enthusiast who is passionate about the iconic Cigarette Racing brand, this event ranks high as a must-do summer event. We were fortunate to have Kyle Hensley on our logistics team, who hauled the Cigarette from Alabama to Performance Boat Center’s landmark marina and home of the Red Head Yacht Club, one of the most popular waterfront hot spots on LOTO. Within a few miles of PBC there were several lodging options for hotels and upscale VRBO rentals, but with just two of us traveling we opted for the nearby Margaritaville Resort which offered well-priced lakeview cabin villas and covered-slip transient docking for just $1.00/ft. Sublime!

The June Missouri weather was fantastic for the two primary event days, Friday and Saturday, which focused on visiting various waterfront pool bars with vast floating dock marinas that were well-staffed with pleasant, energetic summer students, most

often in bikinis! But the real eye candy was the amazing variety of Cigarette models spanning five or more decades, many that would be considered vintage classics from as ar back as the 1970’s! With the fresh- water environment and short season, it is apparent that the majority these proud owners have maintained their toys with expertise and an open checkbook, illustrated by the dozens of twenty- and thirty-year-old Cigarettes that had showroom-new appearance!

With that said, it was the hospitality of the entire team at Performance Boat Center, lead by owner-enthusiasts Mark Waddington and Brett Manire and the professional PBC staff, that made this a fun and memorable occasion for everyone attending.

We would look forward to returning one day soon, and highly recommend this to every Cigarette enthusiast!

Having fun at the THE CAVE

Kyle Hensley helped with the driving

Outstanding fleet of unique Cigarettes

Todd & Danielle Fountain in new Cig

Coconuts pool bar with huge marina!

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 45

1000 ISLAND CHARITY POKER RUN - CLAYTON, NEW YORK | July 14-16, 2023

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e had this event on our tour list as far back as 2020 when the global pandemic ramped up and we had to put this poker run on the back burner for the next couple of years. We finally made it to the quaint little town of Clayton New York situated along the shoreline if the St. Lawrence River. This mighty river provides an abundant fresh-water playground and serves as the USA-Canada border, with Lake Ontario just twenty miles to the west and Montreal just 140 miles eastbound, which is downriver towards the Atlantic Ocean.

This charity-driven poker run is well-organized by a team of dedicated volunteers and supported by many local business entrepreneurs who donate time, money, and auction items for the fund-raising activities. Hosted at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel which features a large floating dock marina, this venue provides a

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scenic backdrop and is walking distance to many local restaurants and boutiques along Riverside Drive, which was closed for a fun street party on Thursday evening for the kickoff festivities. Friday offered a casual format giving out-of-town boaters a chance to explore local waters, followed by a more structured poker run format for Saturday, taking the teams to various stopovers on the scenic St. Lawrence River, including Alexandria Bay, which was the designated lunch stop. Later that evening, the Saturday dinner took place under a massive event tent, where guests enjoyed a nicely presented buffet dinner and all were invited to take part in a live auction, featuring dozens of fantastic offerings.

Special thanks to FPC members Curt & Regina Walkins for joining us for the weekend, along with event organizer Bobby Cantwell and his team for extending a very warm welcome to all of us!

19 th Annual THUNDER IN THE CITY Poker Run Chesapeake City, Maryland | July 21-23, 2023

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hunder in the City is an annual poker run event staged by a veteran organizer Victor DiMarco, who operates a performance marine business in Maryland, and has been engaged in poker runs for over two decades. We had the opportunity to join this event back in 2016, during a Jones family summer poker run tour, running our 33’ Ocean Hawk center console. After flying out of Clayton NY the weekend earlier, Jackie and I enjoyed an exciting visit with Curt & Regina Watkins in Cape Cod, touring the local area on their 39 Nor-Tech, while Palmetto Yacht Transport handled the logistics of getting the 38’ Cigarette to a storage compound near Chesapeake City. Friday morning, we joined a group of participants, launching our boats at Anchor Marina, and then took a scenic ride to the Chesapeake Inn, our event headquarters.

There are a handful of charming B&B’s located within walking distance of the host facility, and we were lucky enough to secure a room at the BLUE MAX, just a short five-minute walk from the boats. Friday night offered a casual format as poker run teams enjoyed the festive vibe at Chesapeake Inn, which features several dining options both inside and out, as hundreds of participants and spectators walked the docks to check out the cool boats.

Saturday morning began with a formal captains meeting as teams enjoyed breakfast, followed by a robust 100+ mile run on the Chesapeake Bay waters, to a variety of poker run checkpoints, including the very popular Tiki Lee’s Dock Bar at Sparrow’s Point where owner David Carey personally delivered a tray of lunches to our table! The Saturday evening party was well organized with a lavish buffet and awards presentations in many categories, and it was certainly a highlight for the Jones Team to receive the Furthest Traveled Award!

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Blue Max Inn-B&B

Stu's favorite place Hitting the checkpoints

David Carey serving us lunch at Tiki Lee's

The Ackermans -39 MTI

Spirited checkpoint team

Our dock neighbor- 39 Top Gun

23 rd Annual

BORDEN LIGHT CHARITY POKER RUN Presented by Cigarette Racing Team Fall River Mass. Aug 4-6, 2023

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ith two weeks between events, we managed to fly home to Pompano Beach while John Wittenberger handled the logistics of storing and transporting the FPC 38 Cigarette to Fall River, Mass. We flew into Providence, Rhode Island on Thursday, and headed for Borden Light Marina, which was poker run headquarters, and were soon whisked off by marina owner Mike Lund, who had arranged for an authentic Portuguese dinner at a popular Fall River restaurant. Joining us was FPC member George Polillio, who coincidently is the seller of our 2000 Cigarette Top Gun back in 2017, which now carries the name Top Gun Flight 1130.

Top Gun Flight 1130- A Homecoming to these waters!

FPC Member Craig Lascola -46 Outerlimits

FPC member Buddy Thomas - 46 Outerlimits

Since there were no boating activities planned for Friday, we took an opportunity to explore the local sites, squeezing in a visit to Dan Kleitz at the Outerlimits factory in Bristol, followed by a lobster lunch on Bowen’s Wharf in Newport Harbor.

Later Friday, we returned to discover our boat was launched and tied at the dock, courtesy of the Borden Light Marina team, who went out of their way to make visitors feel very welcome! After dinner at the casual but upscale Pier 52 Restaurant on site, most of the evening was spent meeting new boating friends and enjoying cocktails at the floating Tipsy Seagull Restaurant, a popular attraction for poker run teams and local town folks alike.

The Saturday program began with a breakfast and captains meeting at the Pier 52, followed by a 12 Noon roaring start beneath the Braga Bridge, as the sixty-plus fleet headed out on a 67-mile poker run course that included multiple stops on very scenic waterways. The fun continued later at Pier 52, with poker run awards and charity fund-raising for the MakeA-Wish Foundation. I was pleased that we stuck around on Sunday for a small fun run to Block Island on Long Island Sound, a side-trip that completed the adventure for our firstever visit to these local New England waters. After arriving home Monday, we had one day to re-pack and head for the Bahamas with FPC. Let the adventure continue!

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Organizers Mike & Nicole Lund

Sunday fun run destination: Block Island Old Harbor

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Writer’s Note Lake Champlain Poker Run Burlington Vermont- Aug 11-13 We had every intention of adding this event to our Summer Tour 2023 agenda, but a sudden death in the family forced us to cancel these plans.

That said, the organizers including FPC member Bryan Hoar, Chris Fisher and Jeremy Dewyea made every effort to get us there, by transporting the FPC 38’ Top Gun to the event.

We never made it, but the boat did, and we hope to make it back here on another summer tour soon!

Lake Cumberland Poker Run

State Dock, Jamestown, KY – Sept 8-10, 2023

Falls- a scenic cove and popular anchor spot.

Jackie & Stu

I

t’s a long haul from Burlington VT to Lake Cumberland KY, so we left the thousandmile journey to Palmetto Yacht Transport to manage the logistics hurdle, and we flew into Nashville TN on Sept 7th where we met our driver and finished the 150mile drive to State Dock in Jamestown KY. Although we had visited this poker run in the past, it was the first time we attended with our own boat and were amazed at the scenic beauty of this massive Army-Corp reservoir. State Dock Marina is now operated by Suntex Marinas, and the unique poker run format allowed participants to create their own agenda over Friday and Saturday, gathering eight checkpoint stamps using the plastic lanyard given to each team. There were no timed group starts, no organized lunch stops, and not really any structure to the poker run, other than small groups teaming up and running the course together. We were in the water early Friday and decided to hit as many checkpoints as possible on the first day, which yielded seven stamps on the voucher, leaving only one for Saturday. With spare time to play, we headed for the big raftup party at Harmon Creek, where hundreds, (perhaps thousands) of houseboats, pontoons, and powerboats full of weekend warriors were revved up for a wild party! Running the Gauntlet down the center of the action provided big fun and great photo ops, unlike anything we had seen in a very long time.

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A full house wins the run!

Later that evening, there was plenty of fun at State Dock, especially on houseboat row, where we ran into dozens of FPC powerboating friends. With only one more checkpoint to visit, Saturday was a more relaxed day as we teamed up with a small group of boating friends for a lunch run, and eventually made our final stop. Lady Luck was riding with us, as Jackie pulled a Full House of Jacks over Sixes, winning the Grand Prize $ 5000! Of course, in the spirit of giving, we donated half of the prize winnings to Folds of Honor and gave Suntex Marina their choice of a local Childrens charity for the balance! This event was big fun, and we recommend it to everyone!

Stopping by Wolf Creek Dam

Entering the gauntlet at Harmon Creek

Ron Paul- 39 Nor-Tech

Running with Devin Wozencraft and Jeff Helmkamp

The Haddens- 44 Concept

Joe & Jen Greulich- 39 Nor-Tech- Endless Summer

Chris & Shelby Mattingly- 43 Midnight at Harmon Creek

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 53

PIRATES OF LANIER POKER RUN Lake Lanier Islands Legacy Lodge - Lake Lanier, GA Sept 8-10, 2023

Arriving at the Port Royale Marina checkpoint on Lake Lanier

John Woodruff made his grand entrance as always, in his Bell Helicopter "Windship"

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ith Lake Cumberland and the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run running back-to-back weekends, we had some time to make our way from Kentucky to Georgia and decided to spend some leisure time with FPC members Octavio and Karen Valdivia in Atlanta. By Thursday we arrived at Lanier Islands Resort and got checked in to our cozy cabin in the woods, overlooking the harbor where the poker run boats were beginning to arrive. It was soon apparent that there was going to be a good turnout, and we applaud organizer Sheridan Renfroe and her team for really putting a ton of effort into getting this event back on the national poker run calendar. The Pirates of Lanier Poker Run had its early beginnings more than a decade earlier but suffered some setbacks with the local community after a tragic boating accident in 2016 which was then followed by the global pandemic in 2020. But it was time to move on and breathe new life into this run, and by Friday afternoon there were more than a hundred powerboats lining the docks for the Cheeseburger in Paradise Fun Run. Later Friday the evening festivities took place under a huge event tent, which was surrounded by boat displays and vendors

of all sorts, creating an upbeat vibe that that gave organizers a rambunctious crowd for the Friday night fund-raising activities. A special appearance was made by the event’s original organizer John Woodruff, who was joined by his family to make some generous donations to the event beneficiaries.

By Saturday morning, the boats were making their way around the Lake Lanier course, which offered a variety of well-staffed checkpoints that made this a fun event for all participants! Poker cards were later played at the Margaritaville Landshark Landing, followed by awards and magnificent fireworks show! It was a fantastic return to the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run, and we are very happy we made this our last stop on our 2023 Summer Tour!

John Woodruff & family made generous charity donations We were joined by Octavio & Karen Valdivia for the poker run

FPC Member Tom Menshouse, 37 Midnight Express

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Congrats to Josh & Colleen Kirkland Poker Run winners!

Tom Menshouse & Don Doty with their hobby horses!

EMERALD COAST POWERBOAT WEEK - SEPT 20-23, 2023 Destin-Fort Walton Beach- Florida Panhandle

Since 1993 the Emerald Coast has welcomed out of town boaters to enjoy a weekend of horsepower in paradise with a poker run that has something for everyone. With Destin and Fort Walton Beach playing home base for this annual event, every boater agrees that the emerald green waters and endless white sandy beaches keep them coming back every year.

Story by Stu Jones

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or the Florida Powerboat Club fall season opener, the attendees who participated in the 31st Emerald Coast powerboat week enjoyed four fantastic days of powerboating in paradise in the heart of the Florida panhandle, with amazing weather and ideal boating conditions. A fleet of just under 100 registered poker run teams travelled from all over the United States, Canada and as far away as Europe to attend this annual event, which has stood the test of time due to its popularity for offering miles of sandy beaches and protected waters by day, and a fun itinerary of evening parties and special events.

A very diverse roster of the usual players, were joined by more than thirty new teams that that enjoyed the event for their first time, proving that the Emerald Coast still has a strong allure for powerboaters who don’t mind driving several hundred miles to get on the fun, and experience the unique backdrop of Florida’s Emerald Coast. As always, FPC’s top sponsors were present to partake, with factory representatives on hand from the leading builders including Deep Impact, Concept Boats, Midnight Express, and GSX Powerboats- offering new models on display at the A J’s Oyster Bar sponsor dock on Destin Harbor.

For 2023, organizers made only a few minor changes to the agenda which had proven to work quite well in previous years,

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kicking off the festivities with a Thursday “Shake Down” Fun Run, followed by the Miss Powerboat Week contest Thursday evening. Then on Friday, after a mandatory captains meeting at the event headquarters Emerald Grande, the Friday Fun Run to the very popular Juanas Pagodas in Navarre Beach provided some great photo and video ops, as more than 100 powerboats lined the sandy beaches!

Later Friday, the AJ‘s Friday Night Captains Party rocked Destin Harbor, where more than twenty powerboats packed into the docks with colorful cockpit and underwater LED’s beaming, lighting up the docks and putting on a spectacular show for hundreds of visitors and participants.

Saturday’s Poker Run was supported with an unprecedented amount of safety patrols from local first responders and law-enforcement agencies, with no less than six local fire departments present that provided safety patrols, and possibly the largest number of qualified paramedics, ready to respond to any potential incidents on the course from Sandestin to Pensacola Beach. Organizers also took notice that there was an increased use of PFD‘s by attendees and a strong presence of captains who were abiding by safety guidelines that were outlined in the safety meeting prior to the event. One example was widespread compliance of the extended slow speed

Photos by: Pete Boden, James Stewart, Stu Jones and Tyler Jones zone along the intracoastal east of the Brooks Bridge, which now puts the Marler Park boat ramp in the slow speed zone, making it easier for recreational boaters to launch and load their boats safely, without having to deal with large wakes.

Adding more structure to the weekend, the poker run Saturday covered a 120-mile course, which continues to be the ideal distance for most teams, whether running 50 mph in the Sportboat class or triple-digit speeds in the Hi-Performance class. The course is laid out nicely, for poker run teams to get their first card in Destin Harbor, then work around the Choctawhatchee Bay area to gather up a series of card vouchers from a total of five checkpoint in the morning hours. It was a nice addition to this year’s yacht checkpoint at Sandestin, to see Legendary Marina and Emerald Grande founder/developer Peter Bos on board the Emerald Grande yacht, joined by his wife Terri and management team from Emerald Grande & Harborwalk Village.

The checkpoints on the north side of the bay area once again included Wharf 850, which doubled as an official lunch stop, and Two Georges Marina in Shalimar, a repeat checkpoint sponsor for the last five years. The fifth checkpoint at Brooks Bridge completed the morning run for most teams, before tackling

the westbound leg of the course. Checkpoint six returned to the residence of John Reinhold, one of original co-founders of the Emerald Coast Poker Run, who is no longer involved in the event from a management perspective but has always assisted FPC whenever possible and has been an avid supporter of the new event format.

The final two stops included Juana’s Pagodas in Navarre, and the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, where two restaurants Felix’s Oyster Bar and Flounders Chowder House acted as official lunch stop locations for the poker run teams. The perfect September weather made for a great day of boating, with no reported incidents on the water. Later that evening, the teams gathered at Margaritaville in Harborwalk Village, for a fun evening of great food, cold drinks, music and special awards, along with the chance to play out their poker cards. The Emerald Coast Poker Run is the only event on the FPC roster that takes the top nine poker hand winners to the final table and auctions off a 10th seat, putting ten players face-to-face for a final round of straight, 5-card poker. Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner Ricardo Chaves from Orange Beach Alabama, who attended the run with his crew in his 34’ Fountain center console! (Continue to page 60)

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 57

MISS Powerboat Week

Chanel - Winner Miss Powerboat Week

For 2023 The Miss Emerald Coast Powerboat Week contest moved to Margaritaville at Harbourwalk Village.This proved to be the ideal venue move, giving participants more dining tables and great views of Destin Harbor. Special thanks to Amber Contant contest organizer for doing a great job and FPC congratulates the Winners!

Shelby 1st Runner up

Sage 2nd Runner up

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Official rigging shop for the

TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130

Steven Fernandez 954-655-6498 Braden Verkaik 954-651-8535

Stu & Jackie Jones | FL | Team TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130 | 38' Cigarette Florida Powerboat Club thanks all our participants and sponsors for their continued support and would like to also recognize our marina partners involved with the Emerald Coast Powerboat Week, including Legendary Marina in Destin, and Brooks Bridge Marina in Fort Walton Beach. Together, these facilities took the initiative to be well-staffed and provided the much-needed boat launching and transient docking facilities, allowing out-of-town visitors to take part in the poker run, without worrying about the troubling logistics of launching boats and

finding safe parking for their truck and trailer rigs. Many guests also took advantage of the FPC mini-bus shuttle service, which provided transportation between Emerald Grande and Legendary Marina, giving attendees that extra level of convenience to manage the logistics of getting their crew members back and forth to the boats. Organizers are very happy to see the event numbers back to 100 registered teams and are expecting this event to maintain strong registration in 2024 and beyond! SJ

Stephen & Kelly Marino | AL | Team LITTLE BLUE | 40' Pursuit

FPC Girl Sandra

Eric Avila | AL | Team CONCEPT | 44' Concept

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DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS Crew

Dawn & Donald Hadden | SC | Team DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS | 44' Concept

FPC Girl Jazzmyn

Joe Dethloff | FL | Team FAST BREAK | 39' Nor-Tech

Brant Fuhs | IA | Team LIT FUHS II | 32' Sunsation

Mark & Lona Albert | TX | Team LICKALONAPUS | 35' Fountain

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 61

ADRENALINE POWERBOATS Crew

Mike & Robin Layton | GA | Team ADRENALINE POWERBOATS | 47' Adrenaline

Chad Havens | TX | Team SAVAGE | 40' Skater TBC Crew

Dennis Phillips | FL | Team CLEAN MONEY | 44' MTI

Guy Wilson | VA | Team NOTHING BUT TIME | 39' Nor-Tech

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Dan Kurzejewski | FL | Team TBC | 39' Nor-Tech

AMG CIGARETTE Crew

Jerry Swanson | MS | Team AMG CIGARETTE | 42' Cigarette

FPC Girl Shelby

John VanDyck | TX | Team GRASSYASS 2 | 35' Fountain

Julian Colson | FL | Team PECKER HEADS TREE SERVICE | 38' Donzi

Vince Rachael Oddo | TX | Team LIGHT'EM UP | 42' Cigarette

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 63

Chad & Nadya VanTilburg | FL | Team HIGH LIMIT | 44' Concept

FPC Girl Sage

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M

Y

CM

Joe Sabo | NJ | Team TIMESTREAM | 39' MTI

MY

CY

CMY

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Steven & Marina Johnson | FL | Team CONCEPT | 32' Concept

HALF COCKED Crew

Chad & Natalie Opaleski | FL | Team HALF COCKED | 35' Fountain

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FEBRUARY 14-18 • MIAMIBOATSHOW.COM

Jackie Jones helping out with the poker cards at checkpoint #1

Tom Menshouse | FL | Team SIGN'D OUT | 43' Midnight Expres

Daryl Turner | TX | Team RUM RUNNER | 46' Cigarette

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Hagen Glaser - MIDNIGHT EXPRESS Crew

Eric & Hagen Glaser | FL | Team MIDNIGHT EXPRESS | 52' Midnight Express

FPC Girl Daijah

Kruis Retherford | AL | Team GSX POWERBOATS | 36' GSX

FLIGHT 311 Crew Bentley Thompson | SC | Team PROP-ERLY INSHORED | 39' Cigarette

Ryan & Rachel Garnett | TX | Team FLIGHT 311 | 39' MTI

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 67

Frank Bulte | FL | Team SHARK RIDER | 44' MTI

SHARK RIDER Crew

GAME CHANGER Crew David & Jenny Landsman | MD | Team GAME CHANGER | 42' MTI

Wess Harlow -Team IN 2 DEEP

Robert( Skip) Cripps | SC | Team SMFC | 42' Mystic

Stephen Dummer | MS | Team LOOSE CANNON | 38' Cigarette

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Weston Harlow | FL | Team IN 2 DEEP | 35' DCB FLOOR DA WORLD Crew

Christopher Radley | TX | Team REEL RAD | 35' Statement!

FOUNTAIN Crew

Neal Inman | AL | Team FOUNTAIN | 32' Fountain CUT THE CHECK Crew

Cameron Bailey | TN | Team CUT THE CHECK | 39' Nor-Tech

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 69

FPC Girl Daijah

Even our model coordinator Amber gets to have a little fun!

FPC Girls Shelby & Jazzmyn This image illustrates the big surge towards outboard power, with just two sterndrive boats pictured among the 17+ in this photo from Juanas

Juanas Pagodas in Navarre once again hosted the Friday Fun Run, with a great lunch for participants, sponsored by Alacomp Insurance. Thanks to our lovely FPC girls for having a little barefoot fun to keep us entertained!

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FPC Girl Daijah Michael & Neve McClallen | IL | Team WILD TRIPS | 50' Hustler Steven & Casey Head | AL | Team TUTZ | 35' Formula

WILD HORSES Crew SMOKIN' 420 Crew

Roger & Pam Anderson | TX | Team WILD HORSES | 39' Nor-Tech

Kyle Fowler | GA | Team SMOKIN' 420 | 42' Wright Performance

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 71

Mark & Diana Santos | TX | Team TRIBUTE | 38' Skater

FPC Girl Sage

Michael Bull | GA | Team ALL SYSTEMS GO | 30' Eliminator

Michael Fitzpatrick | FL | Team THROWIN-FITZ | 35' Statement!

John & Connie Fahmy | GA | Team SOUTHERN YANKEE | 34' Sunsation

Brentley Woods | TX | 47' FOUNTAIN

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Dennis Delatorre | FL | Team PLANTATION BOAT MART | 39' Deep Impact HOT WATER Crew

Chris Blackwell | TX | Team HOT WATER | 38' Formula

CATS ASS Crew

James & Sonia Redding | GA | Team LA MEXICANA | 39' Deep Impact

Devin Wozencraft | CA | Team WOZENCRAFT | 34' Victory

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 73

COASTAL THERAPY Crew

Peter & Terri Bos- Emerald Grande Roscioli Yacht- Checkpoint #2

George Villarreal | TX | Team CHANGE ORDERS | 28' Cobalt R8

Jack & Kay Stewart | FL | Team BLUE BAYOU | 32' Doug Wright

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Ivan & Kyle Lopez | LA | Team NAVIVAN | 39' Nor-Tech

PILINI Crew

Andy Eck | MO | Team PILINI | 37' Pilini

FPC Girl Shelby

Greg Collinson | ON | Team BAD INFLUENCE | 35' Statement!

Skip & Jessica Magee | FL | Team QUARANTINED | 39' Nor-Tech

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FPC Girl Daijah

Aaron Swafford | FL | Team FOUR PLAY | 38' Fountain

Cliff Anderson | FL | Team AIR SIGN | 34' MTI

GRASSYASS 2 Crew

Kevin Kurkowski | TX | Team GRASSYASS 2 | 35' Fountain

Karsten Melcher | GE | Team GERMANY I | 38' Donzi

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 77

Derek Wachob and Team Black Diamond are always the Showstopper at Emerald Coast. The Oklahoma native spends much of his family time in Destin, where he keeps most of the fleet. One of the highlights of the show was the Friday night display at the AJ's Sponsor dock, with the boats and Bell helicopter 2-Carat, on its floating helipad, complete with Mercury outboards.

The Fleet from Top: 2 Carat: Bell 429 Global Ranger Black Diamond- 52 MTI Black Diamond Express-34 MTI 6 Carat- 59 Cigarette Tirranna

Alan Holley | LA | Team GOOD GRACIOUS | 38' Scarab

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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 PLUS: • Second membership for spouse/partner included • Premium mens OGIO Club Polo Shirt.

• Premium womens OGIO Ladies Tank Top

$399.00/year*

STANDARD MEMBERSHIP

COMMERCIAL MEMBERSHIP

Membership Includes: • Discounted rates on FPC Magazine advertising • Discounted rates on all web advertising/banner programs.

• 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: • 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.

Membership Includes: • Club T-shirt in your choice of colors.

• Powerboating in Paradise Magazine subscription.

• Access to FPC parties • Discounted Boat Show tickets.

$299.00/year*

$99.00/year*

*Overseas and international memberships will have a slightly higher rate to compensate for mailing/shipping costs.

954-545-1414 | FLPOWERBOAT.COM | ADMIN@FLPOWERBOAT.COM

FPC Girl Sandra

Brad Hancock | FL | Team ALL HAIL | 43' Midnight Express

Wayne Perkins | TX | Team TEAM SAVAGE | 35' Statement!

Zach Martin | GA | Team FABRICATED REALITY | 32' Sunsation

John & Cher Floyd | TX | Team INXS | 45' Fountain

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Taylor & Payton Doctorman | OK | Team DIRTY MONEY | 29' Baha Outlaw FPC Girls Shelby & Jazzmyn

Bruce & Andrea Mullins | FL | Team COASTAL THERAPY | 35' Statement!

Hays & Karlyn Wilson | FL | Team VELOCITY | 39' Nor-Tech

Mike Boyle | FL | Team EZBOATFENDERS.COM | 39' MTI

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 81

David Simpson | FL | Team ITS NOT THAT BAAD | 30' Chaparal

FPC Girl Amber

Thomas & Susan Klein | FL | Team NOR-TECH | 39' Nor-Tech

Russell & Christina Kirkland | GA | Team FLOOR DA WORLD | 34' Sunsation

Brox & Bree Baxley | SC | Team IMPROMPTU | 39' Nor-Tech

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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.

Join us in RECOGNIZING these FLORIDA POWERBOAT CLUB COMMERCIAL MEMBERS: RICHARD GARCIA

Boat Depot | 305-587-3094 boatdepotonline.com | boatdepot@live.com 101500 Overseas HWY | Key Largo | FL 33037

JEFF JOHNSON

DCB Performance Boats | 619-442-0300 dcbperformanceboats.com | jeff@DCBracing.com 1468 N. Magnolia Ave., El Cajon, CA 92020

JON BELLEMARE

Dynamic Boats | 305-518-7338 dynamicboats.us | jon@dynamicboats.us 4238 NW 37th Ave| Miami | FL 33142

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 www.hitechmarine.com | hitechmarine1@gmail.com 2023 River Road | Baltimore | MD 21221

JORDAN LAMPKIN

Lampkin Marine Services | 242-376-3066 lampkinmarine.com | jordan@lampkinmarine.com 1323 SE 17th st | Fort Lauderdale | FL 33316

GREG & JENNIFER CONNELL

LES & KAYLA VOUDRIE

Precision paint worx | 618-972-3513 macgyver2491@gmail.com 1074 Armory Dr | Osage Beach| MO 65065

ST. LAWRENCE RENEE

SKYDEX Technologies, Inc. | 866-732-7462 skydex.com | rstlawrence@skydex.com 246 Moreau Ct. | Severna Park | MD 21146

CONRAD KRAY

Sportboats Marine | 239-770-2744 sportboats.com | conrad@sportboats.com 8500 Colony Trace Drive | Ft Myers | FL 33908

STEPHEN MILES

Stephen Miles Design | 270-570-4442 stephenmilesdesign.com | propainter7970@yahoo.com 3854 Griffin Ave | Owensboro | KY 42301

BRANDON MAYER

Sweetwater Landing Marina | 270-570-4442 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

JOSEPH LABON

Legend Marine Group | 214-676-6885 legendmarinegroup.com | greg@ legendmarinegroup.com

Ultimate Marine | 407-276-5800 ultimatemarine.com | zoie@ultimatemarine.com

1835 Forms Dr #100 | Carrollton | TX 75006

3419 WD Judge Dr #150 | Orlando | FL 32808

ALBERT FRANKO

DAVID DELEZENNE

Marine Connection | 646-785-0125

marineconnection.com | albert@marineconnection.com

Unique Custom Marine | 954-980-4887 ucmarinevault.com | uniquecustommarine@gmail.com

1410 W 24th Street | Miami Beach | FL 33140

2044 NW 25th Ave | Pompano Beach | FL 33069

ANDY IMHOF

OCTAVIO & KAREN VALDIVIA

Maryland Offshore Marine | 301-294-5936 mdoffshore.com | info@mdoffshore.com

UNITECH Paint& Body | 770-907-1499 ucmarinevault.com | ojv1966@gmail.com

235-A Derwood Cir | Rockville | MD 20850

5835 Riverdale Road | College Park | GA 30349

REESE BROWN

MARK / KATE WILSON

Miramont Interests | 832-691-1581 reese@mt-tx.com

Wilson Custom Marine | 772-287-8755 wilsoncustommarine.com | wilsoncustommarine1@yahoo.com

9595 Six Pines Dr Ste. 8210 | The Woodlands | TX 77380

3250 Saint Lucie Blvd Suite A | Fort Pierce | FL 34946

ANDREW POKORNY

Powerstroke Performance | 239-910-4169

powerstrokeperformancespecialties.com | andrew.pokorny@gmail.com

5660 Division Drive | Fort Myers | FL 33905

Membership Info: 954-545-1414 POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 83

SWEET HEAT Crew Al Jr & Liz Copeland | LA | Team SWEET HEAT | 39' Nor-Tech

IN DEBT Crew

Ricardo Chaves | AL | Team TEAM IN DEBT | 34' Fountain

GOTTA BE TRIPPIN Crew

Allyn Watkins | TX | Team GOTTA BE TRIPPIN | 38' Statement!

Jeff & Judy Thompson | AL| Team MTI | 39' MTI

84 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

TRIPLE J's Crew

Isaac & Camille Burgos | FL| Team I KNOW | 44' Concept

FPC Girl Shelby

Jeff & Brenda Jacobs | MD | Team TRIPLE J's | 39' Cigarette

David & Brenda Giles | FL | Team SPECIAL K | 39' Nor-Tech

WALL NUTS Crew

Dan & Nancy Wall | NC | Team WALL NUTS | 38' Fountain

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 85

FPC Girl Jazzmyn Octavio & Karen Valdivia | GA | Team AWESOME ONE | 44' Concept

Bret & Alli Laso | SC | Team NAUTI BEAST | 40' Mystic

UNDOMESTICATED Crew

Lary & Heather Montelarro Jr. | LA | Team FULLY INVOLVED | 34' MTI

John & Tracy Saucier | LA | Team UNDOMESTICATED | 43' Nor-Tech

86 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

SEEKING FRACTIONAL OWNER / PARTNER

SUNSEEKER SUPERHAWK

A CLASSICC PERFORMANCE CRUISER WITH A UNIQUE OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY!

This a great opportunity to own a luxurious performance cruiser at a fraction of the cost!

This Sunseeker Superhawk was purchased as a low-hour fresh water boat from Michigan and completely refit in 2022 with new components and systems: • New diesel generator, • New bow thruster, • New trim tabs, • New Dolphin battery charger, • New JL Audio System

• Completely updated helm: • New shifters, • New gauges • New electronics.

The entire boat was refinished in 3M vinyl by Boatwraps, and outfitted with new canvas and extended bimini top to cover the helm, then finished with extensive U-Dek flooring over the entire deck, cockpit, cabin and swim platform.

This triple 502Efi Sunseeker is maintained by FPC marine partners and stored at Jones residence in Pompano Beach on a 40k hydraulic boat lift.

$139,000 half interest | Ownership through a registered Florida LLC corporation.

Annual maintenance, insurance and storage budget of $ 30,000 is split 50/50 with a low cost of $ 1,250/month. * The boat is privately owned and no longer offered for charter.

Fractional partnerships are the smart way to own and operate a powerboat, aircraft or yacht! Call Stu Jones 954-684-9333

Saturday Night

Awards Party Amy, Brad, Stu, Jackie

Ten players at final table!

The FPC Team - At Your service!

The Saturday Night awards party returned to Margaritaville at Harborwalk Village, which was the perfect venue for the 300+ in attendance! With poker cards being played on the outside deck, and award presentations in the center of the main dining room, it was a fun evening with fellow FPC members and new boating friends after a fantastic three days of powerboating fun! The open-air restaurant provided great views of Destin Harbor and Norriego Point, Special thanks to party sponsors Chad Havens from Team Savage, who got a little more attention than the rest of us, when he arrived with the Demon Bikini Team crew, who decided to just leave their matching boating bikinis on for the Saturday party. Well then, perhaps this is this a new theme that we should continue at all FPC events?

After the poker cards were played out, ten winners with the top hands met at the final table, which is a traditional only offered at the Emerald Coast event. It was an exciting round right to the finish, and we congratulate all the winners! It was a spirited evening with the cold drinks flowing thanks to Stephen & Kelly Marino from Alacomp for sponsoring a onehour open bar!

Member Appreciatio Award - Team ALL SIGN’D UP

Most Enthusias Team - Team: GSX Powerboats

Good Samaritan Award: Will Koufas

Best Classic Boat - Allen Holley 1988 SCARAB

Sponsor Award - FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS

88 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Sponsor Award - Stephen & Kelly Marino AlaComp Insurance

Poker Run Winners: 1st Place -Team IN DEBT, 2nd Place-Team ALL HAIL 3rd Place-Team CUT THE CHECK

Best Performance Vee Team WILD TRIPS

Sponsor Award - NOR-TECH

Best Sterndrive Cat - Team GAME CHANGER

Best Center Console Team MIDNIGHT EXPRESS

Broken Propeller Award

Best Paint & Graphics - Team DEEP IMPACT – Dennis Delatorre & Brianna Special Thanks - Team BEER MONEY - Tee Land & Paul Bertucci

Best Outboard Cat - Team FLIGHT 311

Best Team Name - Team CUT THE CHECK

Daijah and Sandra ready to Deal!

Hagan Glaser with the Demon Bikini Team

Special Thanks - Chad Havens & Demon Bikini Team

Farthest Traveled - Team GERMANY

Sponsor Award - Eric & Hagan Glaser MIDNIGHT EXPRESS

Best Dressed Crew - Team RUMRUNNER

Sponsor Award - Eric Avila CONCEPT BOATS

Sponsor Award - Dennis Delatorre DEEP IMPACT

Tyler Jones , Jazzmyn & Shelby

Broken Propeller Award - Daryl Turner

Broken Propeller Award - Aaron Swafford

FPC crew: Jazzmyn, Shelby, Sage, Daijah, Sandra

Natalie Lynn and Rachael Garnett Amy Plumstead, Jackie Jones

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 89

KEY WEST POKER RUN 2023 PARTICIPANT LIST *This participant list is current as of 10/19/2023 Michael Layton | GA | 47' Adrenaline | ADRENALINE POWERBOATS

Bill Hendrix | KS | 42' Cigarette | CHICKEN X

Howard Hefner | GA | 30' Adrenaline | V30

Joshua Ballon | MA | 39' Cigarette | ALWAYS SOMETHIN'

Scott Pollio | NJ | 41' Apache | THE CHIEF

Joey Vittorio | IL | 39' Cigarette | STAY LOADED

Anthony Caruso | NY | 28' Baja | BAJA

Nicholas Oughton | MO | 39' Cigarette | NWO'S

Eric Wex | CA | 42' Chief | MISS WEX

Tory Robson | MN | 39' Cigarette | BE FIRST

Derek Wacho | OK | 59' Cigarette | 6 CARAT

Stu & Jackie Jones | FL | 38' Cigarette | TOP GUN FLIGHT 1130

Gabby Pacheco | FL | 51' | Cigarette SD MARINE GROUP

Gavin Jaffarian | MA | 38' Cigarette | SALT SHAKER

Kim Sewell | FL | 51' Cigarette

Alan Lima | FL | 38' Cigarette | GROVE HARBOUR MARINA

Bill Nohle | MD | 50' Cigarette | THUNDERSTRUCK

Frederic Puren | FL | 36' Cigarette | GLADIATOR

Anthony Piraino | NJ | 50' Cigarette | ALL IN

Kevin Siurek | MO | 35' Cigarette | MIS BEHAVIN

Denny & Alana Leek | OH | 42' Cigarette TILL DAWN

Dawn & Donald Hadden | SC | 44' Concept | DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS

Paul Ison | KY | 42' Cigarette | LIQUID ASSETS

Isaac Burgos | FL | 44' Concept | I KNOW

Joseph & Karen Bresnahan | NH | 42' Cigarette | CHAIN SMOKIN'

Eric Avila | FL | 44' Concept | CONCEPT

Stephen Barker | NY | 42' Cigarette | X-FACTOR

John VanDyck | MI | 30' Concept | REHAB

Mark Stoddart | ON | 42' Cigarette | HUNTRESS

Grant Bernardy | MN | 37' DCB | WAVEMAKER X3

Rick Riggle | OH | 42' Cigarette | SMOKIN

Frankie Salvatore | CA | 37' DCB | WAVEMAKER

Gregory Moppert | DE | 41' Cigarette | HAVE MURCI

James Redding | GA | 39' Deep Impact | LA MEXICANA

Katherine McCormick | FL | 41' Cigarette | MISS BEHAVIN'

Michael Internoscia | FL | 39' Deep Impact | REPOSSESED

Todd Fountain | MI | 41' Cigarette | FIRE ESCAPE

Dennis Delatorre | FL | 39' Deep Impact | PLANTATION BOAT MART

90 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Mark & Eileen Fischer | FL | 36' Deep Impact | DEEP IMPACT

Mike Francisco | IL | 38' Formula | THUNDER STRUCK FORMULA

Brett Halper | NY | 39' Deep Impact | RESURRECTION

David Tievy | MD | 48' Fountain | SPEC-OPS IV

Brian & Kelly Schatzberg | FL | 39' Deep Impact | DEEP IMPACT

Mat C. Raymond III | NC | 48' Fountain | MISS GRACE

Ray Aquit | FL | 39' Deep Impact | HAMMERTIME

Ben Robertson | SC | 42' Fountain | TEAM YAZZ

David Sacher | IL | 36' Deep Impact | LEO IV

Brant & Jamie Daniels | KS | 38' Fountain | TEAM KANSAS

Paddy Sullivan | MD | 38' Donzi | CODE BLUE

Mike Riggs | NC | 38' Fountain | NSF

Seth Therrien | FL | 38' Donzi | DONZI 38ZR

Chris Dittrich | MA | 38' Fountain | DADDY'S GIRLS

Karsten Melcher | GE | 38' Donzi | GERMANY I

Robert Rauch | FL | 38' Fountain | FOUNTAIN 38

Scott Hebert | ME | 38' Donzi | BAD HABIT

Simon Williams | FL | 38' Fountain | FOUNTAIN

Kurt Binkley | NC | 35' Donzi | FUN SMUGGLER

Shad Vera | FL | 38' Fountain | BIG THUNDER MARINE

Ryan Harris | FL | 35' Donzi | DISPATCHED

Mat Raymond IV | NC | 34' Fountain | SANDERS FORD

Ted Hosmer | NY | 33' Donzi | SNO PROBLEM

Ricardo Chaves | AL | 34 Fountain | IN DEBT

Ricky Alvarez | FL | 36' Doug Wright

Michael Ciasulli | NJ | 38' Galeon | MAXON AUTO GROUP

Hugo Marcelo Prigue | FL | 36' Doug Wright | XPRINTX

Kruis Rutherford | AL | 36' GSX | GSX

Laurent Besnier | FL | 32' Doug Wright | GROS COCHONS

Dave & Karen Peterson | FL | 53' HCB | SD MARINE

Connor & Allye Toomey | MD | 32' Doug Wright | ALLYE KAT

Chris Smith | PA | 39' Hustler | HUSTLER

Michael & Sara Howe | FL | 52' DSK Marine | DSK MARINE

Mark Palanchian | FL | 115' Leopard | NEXTERA ENERGY MARKETING

Chris Hanna | SC | 43' Everglades | PALMETTO YACHT TRANSPORT

Bryan Mullinax | GA | 32' Metal Shark | OXE MARINE

Matthew Lasinski | MD | 40' Formula | BIG CHIEF

Rick Townsend | FL | 52' Midnight Express | DUCHESS

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 91

KEY WEST POKER RUN 2023 PARTICIPANT LIST

Mike Smith | FL | 43' Midnight Express | TEAM SMITH RACING

Zane & Amanda Mead | TX | 50' MTI | HER WAY

Robert Nelson | AR | 43' Midnight Express | HELIOS

Bob Ladas | MA | 50' MTI | MTI V 50

Chris & Shelby Mattingly | KY | 43' Midnight Express | I GOT 5 ON IT

Peter & Carolyn Fink | NE | 50' MTI | MTI 50

Deris Ceresa | FL | 43' Midnight Express | PHANTOM BLACK

Randy Scism | MO | 50' MTI | MTI

David & Jenny Landsman | MD | 43' Midnight Express | GAME CHANGER

Ken Armstrong | TX | 48' MTI | PHANTOM

Eric & Hagen Glaser | FL | 43' Midnight Express | MIDNIGHT EXPRESS

Matt Gabriel | NJ | 48' MTI | RAGING BULL

Brad Hancock | FL | 43' Midnight Express | ALL HAIL

Brett & Sharon Spraggins | CA | 48' MTI | 3X BOUGIE AF

Christian & Andrea McCauley | FL | 43' Midnight Express | NEXT EPISODE

Dennis Phillips | FL | 44' MTI | CLEAN MONEY

Nicholas & Heather Mitchell | MA | 39' Midnight Express | MOWMONEY

Michael Tandoi | NY | 44' MTI | SPEED RACER

Michel Lacasse | NH | 37' Midnight Express | TOO MUCH BABY

Taylor Scism | MO | 44' MTI | MTI

Darren Spradling | CO | 37' Midnight Express | MIDNIGHT EXPRESS

Chris Sticha | NV | 43' MTI | DIRTY MONEY

Randy Cochran | SC | 52' MTI | PURE BADNESS

Roger & Lazara Ors | FL | 42' MTI | CHAMPAGNE MAMI

Derek Wachob | OK | 52' MTI | BLACK DIAMOND

Ray Kowalik | MO | 42' MTI | BIKINI BOTTOM II

Zach Polsky | NJ | 50' MTI | MEGA FLEXIN

Thomas G. Toto | NJ | 42' MTI | ALL IN…AGAIN

Austin Carver | CA | 50' MTI | MTI50v

Frank Esposito | NJ | 42' MTI | TODAY'S FOR SHORE

Sam Gabriel | NJ | 50' MTI | RAGING BULL SUPPORT

Glenn Moss | CA | 42' MTI | UNO MOSS

Bryan Houtchens | CA | 50' MTI | MEANT TO IMPRESS

Fred & Judy Reavis | SC | 42' MTI | BLEW BY U

Lane Christianson | TX | 50' MTI | FAST LANE JR

Tom & Rachel Regan | TX | 40' MTI | WHINE THERAPY

Scott Rosenbach | IL | 50' MTI | BCI

Craig Millett | FL | 39' MTI | WRIGHT TIME

92 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Ryan & Rachael Garnett | TX | 39' MTI | FLIGHT 311

James Johnson III | NJ | 50' Nor-Tech | BACKUP

Keith Mirchandani | FL | 39' MTI | BOSSY PANTS

Cody & Veronica Lovins | TX | 50' Nor-Tech | BILLY BAROO

Jim Wiley | FL | 39' MTI | BAD ALTITUDE

Trond Schou | FL | 40' Nor-Tech | FACTORY TEAM

Jeff Thompson | AL | 39' MTI | MTI

Jerry & Barbara Herson | FL | 46' Nor-Tech | PURELY PLEASURE

Mike Boyle | FL | 39' MTI | EZBOATFENDERS.COM

Guy Wilson | OK | 45' Nor-Tech | STEEL HOOKIN

Andrew Rocco | NH | 39' MTI | TIME CONSCIOUS

Ed & Jacquie Rachel | FL | 40' Nor-Tech | JAQUED UP

Gilbert Anuez Jr | FL | 39' MTI | EL GATO

Robert McAtee | OK | 40' Nor-Tech | ROBALDO

Mike Dewitt | IN | 39' MTI | FORT MYERS INVESTMENTS

Garry & Nancy Robertson | ME | 40' Nor-Tech | MY DIAMOND

Steven Fernandez | FL | 39' MTI | TNT MARINE

Thomas Cox | FL | 40' Nor-Tech | ST THOMAS

Cliff Anderson | FL | 34' MTI | AIR SIGN

Raymond /Peter Roberts | ON | 40' Nor-Tech | DOUBLE R

Derek Wachob | OK | 34' MTI | BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS

Ivan Lopez | LA | 39' Nor-Tech | NAVIVAN

Stephen Miles | IN | 34' MTI | NEVER SAY NEVER

Joe Greulich | OH | 39' Nor-Tech | ENDLESS SUMMER

Christopher Richards | NY | 44' Mystic | ANGLE OF ATTACK

Roger & Pam Anderson | TX | 39' Nor-Tech | WILD HORSES

Bret & Alli Laso | SC | 40' Mystic | NAUTI BEAST

Guy Wilson | VA | 39' Nor-Tech | NOTHING BUT TIME

Robert "Skip" Cripps | SC | 42' Mystic | SMFC

Chad Kohmescher | OK | 39' Nor-Tech | NORTECH

Neil & Cindy Campbell | FL | 42' Mystic | BODACIOUS!

Skip Magee | FL | 39' Nor-Tech | QUARANTINED

Michael Carravetta | FL | 40' Mystic | MYSTIC

Jimmie Harrison | FL | 39' | Nor-Tech | FJ PROPELLER

Anthony Bertozzi | VA | 38' Mystic | ELIZA JANE

Travis Musgrave | KY | 39' Nor-Tech | NORTECH

Joseph Letteratis | NJ | 42' Nordic | NORDIC INFERNO

Curtis Watkins | FL | 39' Nor-Tech | EVIL WOMAN

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 93

KEY WEST POKER RUN 2023 PARTICIPANT LIST

Jack & Jennifer Couto | MD | 39' Nor-Tech | TRIMMED OUT

Peter Burke | MA | 41' Outerlimits | TRIGGER B

Frank (Shorty) Schultz | PA | 39' Nor-Tech | NOR-TECH

Jeffrey Angst | WI | 39' Outerlimits | NAKED FEET

Frank Scheelen | FL | 39' Nor-Tech | TOP FUN

Donald & Cara MacLeod | IN | 37' Outerlimits | LIL CAT

Michael Mantegna | DE | 39' Nor-Tech | SIDE CHICK

Shane & Vicki Franks | MI | 37 Outerlimits | GOOD BOY VODKA

John Stella | NY | 39' Nor-Tech | PERFECT PRESCRIPTION

Tim Burnell | NH | 37' Outerlimits | BLUE COLLAR DOLLAR

Greg & Jennifer Connell | TX | 39' Nor-Tech | LEGEND MARINE GROUP

Brad Ekstam | MO | 42' Performance Cat | PERFORMANCE BOATS

Ron & Jeanette Forbus FL | 39' Nor-Tech | MISS BEHAVIN'

Brett Manire | MO | 42' Performance Cat | FIRST BORN

Ryan Morrell | ME | 34' Nor-Tech | NORTECH

Gerard Ruffenach | PA | 38' Pursuit | ELEANOR-CATHERINE

Greg & Racquel Tolson | FL | 34' Nor-Tech | POWER TRIPS

Daniel Cates | GA | 38' Renagade | NAUTI NAUTI

Tom Conlan | NC | 34' Nor-Tech | T/T TOP GUN

Stephen Madaffari | FL | 38' Renegade | LET'S GEAUX

Mark & Eileen Fischer | FL | 120' Ocean Alexander | EILEENS WAY

Rick & Nikki Boehmer | MO | 38' Renegade | FREE SPIRIT

Piers Buck | HK | 52' Outerlimits | ORIENT EXPRESS

Travis Gearig | GA | 33' Renegade | DIRTY DAWG

Brian Forehand | NC | 50' Outerlimits | B FORE U

Steven Dowding | IL | 32' Saxdor | SAXDOR

Todd & Lynnell Guthrie | IL | 46' Outerlimits | SHOOT TO THRILL

Brentley Woods | TX | 33' Scarab | iSCREAM

Craig LaScola | MA | 46' Outerlimits | ROLLING THE DICE

Stephen Clarke | FL | 42' Scout | VIVIAMO

Nick Hogan | OH | 44' Outerlimits | OUTERLIMITS

Mark Westlake | MI | 32' Sea Fox | JUSTIFIED

Shane Jespersen | MD | 42' Outerlimits | CANCEL THIS

Justin Wagner | MI | 50' Skater | WAVES & WHEELS

Michael Lawrence | CT | 42' Outerlimits | FUBAR

Dan Desantis | MA | 42' Skater | PHUCNA SKATER

Jeb & Stephanie Bradshaw | NC | 42' Outerlimits | STACKIN RACKS

Joe Erickson | MD | 40' Skater | ORANGE CRUSH

94 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Jeff Trimble | TX | 40' Skater | WIDOW MAKER

Travis Weeks | NC | 36' Statement! | TEAM PERFORMANCE EAST

Chad Havens | TX |40' Skater | SAVAGE

Teddy Stygler | OH | 36' Statement! | NOT YOURS

Shawn & Shelby Aksamit | AZ | 38' Skater | INSTAGATOR

Mark Fitzgerald | MD | 36' Statement! | STATEMENT MARINE

Joseph Castellana | NY | 38' Skater | AWESOME

Nick Buis | FL | 36' Statement! | STATEMENT!

Andy Imhof | MD | 36' Skater | TEASERS

Greg Collinson | ON | 35' Statement! BAD INFLUENCE

Chris LaMorte | NJ | 36' Skater | SKATER 36

Craig Blankenship | MI | 35' Statement! | STATEMENT

Curtis Morris | TX | 36' Skater | YAHOO

Wayne Perkins | TX | 35' Statement! | TEAM SAVAGE

James Patti | NJ | 36' Skater | INVICTUS

David LaVie | LA | 35' Statement! | REEL ESCAPE 2

John Coe | MI | 36' Skater | DOCTORS ORDERS

Bill Munholland | FL | 40' Sunsation | BODACIOUS

Dan & Nancy Wall | NC | 36' Skater | WALL NUTS

Russell & Christina Kirkland | GA | 34' Sunsation | FLOOR DA WORLD

Thaddeus Findley | AZ | 32' Skater | RAGA MUFFIN

Matt Berman | AZ | 32' Sunsation | SHE GONE

Michael Alexander | NY | 32' Skater | TJA MOTORSPORTS

Greg Dutka | TX | 32' Sunsation | KEKOA

Patrick Clarke | NY | 28' Skater | SKATER

Zach Martin | GA | 32' Sunsation | FABRICATED REALITY

Joe DeFusco | FL | 30' Sonic | SONIC 30SS

Dave Delezenne | FL | 32' Sunsation | JOANSEA

Chris Miller | OK | 30' Spectre | NEVER ENOUGH

Scott Harnois | MA | 30' Superboat | HER OFFSHORE ACCOUNT

Tom Gourzis | PA | 42' Statement! | OPTIONS

Jorge Arellano | FL | 45' Victory | ORANGE CRUSH

Jerry & Susan Hartman | PA | 38' Statement! | H.U.S

Devin Wozencraft | CA | 34' Victory | WOZENCRAFT

Bruce & Tracy Kruglick | FL | 38' Statement! | BAD DOG 3.0

Kyle Fowler | GA | 42' Wright Performance | SMOKIN' 420

Nick & Christi Evans | IN | 38' Statement! | RECOVERED MONEY

Mark Tuck | VA | 36' Wright Performance | TIMBERCAT

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 95

THANKS TO OUR 2023 KEY WEST POKER RUN SPONSORS!

ADRENALINE POWERBOATS

FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS DEALER

706-359-6899 | adrenalinepowerboats.com 1110 Commerce Dr. | Lincolnton, GA 30817

Cortez Cove Marina 941-761-4554 | cortezcove.com 4522 121st West | Cortez | FL 34215

BIG THUNDER MARINE

GLASSTREAM POWERBOATS

573-365-4001| bigthundermarine.com 3401 Bagnell Dam Blvd| Lake Ozark MO 65049

850-873-6205 | glasstream.com 3122 Oxmoor Ind Blvd | Dothan | AL 36303

CIGARETTE RACING TEAM

GROVE HARBOUR

305-931-4564 | cigaretteracing.com 4355 NW 128th St | Opa-locka | FL 33054

305-854-6444 | groveharbourmarina.com 2640 S Bayshore Dr | Coconut Grove FL 33133

CONCEPT BOATS

HYATT CENTRIC KEY WEST RESORT & SPA

305-635-8712 | conceptboats.com 2410 NW 147th St | Opa-locka | FL 33054

305-809-1234 | hyatt.com 601 Front St | Key West | FL 33040

DEEP IMPACT CUSTOM BOATS

HYDROTHUNDER

305-852-5424 | deepimpactboats.com 12700 NW 42nd Ave | Opa-locka | FL 33054

305-294-7000 | hydrothunderofkeywest.com 150 Simonton Street | Key West | FL 33040

DIRTY MONEY RACING

LEGEND MARINE GROUP

Hi Performance Service Center 561-383-0629 | www.dirtymoneyracing.com 1260 SW Bluewater Way | Stuart | FL 34997

214-904-0052 | legendmarinegroup.com 3231 Commander Dr | Carrollton | TX 75006

DOUBLE R PERFORMANCE

MERCURY RACING

705-487-7575 | doublerperformance.com 50 Line 9 N, Oro-Medonte | Ontario L0L 1T0

920-921-5330 | www.mercuryracing.com N7480 Cr-uu | Fond Du Lac | Wi 54937

96 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS

REEF RELIEF

954-745-8284 | midnightboats.com 351 NE 185th St | Miami | FL 33179

305-294-3100 | reefrelief.org 631 Greene St | Key West | FL 33040

MTI MARINE TECHNOLOGY

RK MOTORSPORTS; DEALER FOR: RENEGADE POWERBOATS

636-639-1166 | marinetechnologyinc.com 165 Enterprise Dr | Wentzville MO 63385

913-908-7223 | renegadepboats.com Sarasota FL / Lake of the Ozarks MO

NEXTERA ENERGY MARKETING, LLC

SD MARINE GROUP

561-762-8344 | nexteraenergy.com 700 Universe Boulevard Building E Juno Beach | FL 33408

305-440-2685 | sdmarine.com 85500 Overseas Hwy | Islamorada FL 33036

NOR-TECH HI PERFORMANCE BOATS

STATEMENT! MARINE

239-567-5030 | nor-techboats.com 2520 NE 9th Ave | Cape Coral| FL 33909

727-525-5235 | statementmarine.com 3671 131st Ave N | Clearwater | FL 33762

OXE MARINE INC.

SUPERIOR COMMUNICATIONS INC.

888-OXE-6016 | oxemarine.com 14014 Industry Drive | Albany | GA 31707

301-762-7878 | scicommo.com 704 East Gude Drive, Suite B | Rockville MD 20850

PALMETTO YACHT MANAGEMENT

UNIQUE CUSTOM MARINE

843-687-0143 palmettoyachtmanagement.com Fort Pierce FL- Manning SC- Elkton MD

954-980-4887 | ucmarinevault.com 2044 NW 25th Ave | Pompano Beach FL 33069

PERFORMNACE BOAT CENTER

WILSON CUSTOM MARINE

954-237-0332 | performanceboatcenter.com 3115 N 29th Ave | Hollywood | Fl 33020

772-287-8755 | wilsoncustommarine.com 7021 SW 42nd ST | Palm City | FL 34990

WOZENCRAFT INSURANCE & FINANCE

877-477-6517 | wozencraftinsurance.com 660 N. Santiago St | Santa Ana | CA 92701

See these companies on display at the Conch Republic Seafood Company 631 Greene St. Key West in the Historic Seaport. Home of the Key West Poker Run Village. Thursday through Sunday!

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 97

2024 EVENT CALENDAR

JANUARY 26 - 28, 2024

Playa Largo Resort, Key Largo

FEBRUARY 22 - 25, 2024

Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key

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Key West Hyatt & Historic Seaport

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Tampa Convention Center

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Resorts World Bimini, Old Bahama Bay, West End

West End, Spanish Cay, Hopetown -Abacos

Emerald Grande Resort, Destin Harbor

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AO COOLERS..................................................................51 AMERICAN CUSTOM MARINE........................................ 15 BIG THUNDER MARINE.................................................. 29 CIGARETTE RACING TEAM........................................... IBC CONCEPT BOATS.......................................................... 33 CORTEZ COVE YACHT SALES........................................ 13 CMI- CUSTOM MARINE................................................. 47 DEEP IMPACT POWERBOATS........................................ 21 FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS.............................................. 13 FPC 2024 CALENDAR SALE.......................................... 75 FPC MARKET PLACE .................................................... 83 FPC MEMBERSHIP........................................................ 79 FUEL DEPOT................................................................. 55 LIVORSI MARINE ......................................................... 47 MERCURY RACING....................................................IFC-3 MIAMI INT'L BOAT SHOW ............................................. 65 MIDNIGHT EXPRESS BOATS...........................................11 MYCO TRAILERS........................................................... 49 NOR-TECH HI PERFORMANCE BOATS.............................. 4 PERFORMANCE BOAT CENTER...................................... 23 PLANTATION BOAT MART..............................................41 SD MARINE GROUP ........................................................ 7 SUNSEEKER FOR SALE ................................................. 87 TNT CUSTOM MARINE.................................................. 59 WOZENCRAFT FINANCE & INSURANCE......................... 19

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