Powerboating in Paradise vol15#2 by STU JONES

VOL 15 #2

A MAGAZINE SHOWCASING THE FLORIDA POWERBOAT CLUB LIFESTYLE

Key West 2015 Program Inside!

TAMPA BAY RAYS! Lots of Big Power...No April Shower!

HIGH STAKES INSmokin’ BILOXI! the Sound Gets a Big Boost!

WINGS WHEELS & WAVES! Key West Air Land Sea Poker Run Highlights.

USA SUMMER POKER RUN TOUR! 10,000 Miles Five states Six Poker Runs

PARADISE IN

THE PANHANDLE! Sun-Drenched Fun at the Emerald Coast Poker Run.

Plus... FOR SCOUTING EUROPE THE ULTIMATE

VACATION ADVENTURE! WWW.FLPOWERBOAT.COM

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A Magazine Showcasing The Florida Powerboat Club Lifestyle FALL/WINTER 2015 Vol. 15#2

EDITOR/PUBLISHER Stu Jones stu@flpowerboat.com

OFFICE MANAGER

Tracey Gutierrez admin@flpowerboat.com

ART DIRECTOR

Juan Carlos Grisales fpcmag@gmail.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Juan Grisales John Potter Juli Weber

PHOTOGRAPHY

Stu Jones Ryan McCoy Jerry Wyszatycki

EVENT MANAGEMENT

CONTENTS 4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

The latest from President Stu Jones who shines a light on how captains meetings are important for more than just safety, and updates us on the latest political arena in the Florida Keys, as the club prepares for the 23rd annual Key West Poker Run.

6 TAMPA BAY POKER RUN 2015 Big Fun on the small bay! This April spring fling gave out-of-state Powerboaters a fun way to end their Florida season before migrating home for the summer. If it Flies, Floats or is Fun to drive, it’s eligible for this May poker run event. See how these teams enjoyed a weekend of horsepower in paradise.

30 SMOKIN’ THE SOUND POKER RUN: “SOUND DECISION” This annual Biloxi blow-out took on new dates, a sizable jump in participation, and a high-stakes sponsor that ponied up a $ 25,000 prize purse!

36 FPC SUMMER POKER RUN TOUR:

David Steel Ryan McCoy

52 Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015:

With summer vacation for the kids Stu and Jackie Jones loaded up the famTV & VIDEO PRODUCTION ily and traveled to a half-dozen major poker run events in Texas, Michigan, Georgia and Tennessee! Stu Jones The Big One returned for its 23rd consecutive year, giving boaters in the DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES TO Florida Panhandle a week-long agenda of festive parties, awesome powerFlorida Powerboat Club boating and sandy beaches...all for a great youth charities! 1214 SW 6th St.

30 36

80 ESCAPE TO EUROPE:

From cruising the coast of Mallorca in the Mediterranean, to driving a Porsche at 150mph on the German Autobahn, Stu Jones provides a detailed review of this incredible 10 day adventure....and reveals plans for the 1st FPC Europe POMPANO OFFICE HOURS Poker Run for 2016. Monday - Friday 10 AM - 5 PM

20 KEY WEST AIR-LAND-SEA POKER RUN:

Jackie Jones jackie@flpowerboat.com

Pompano Beach, FL 33069 Tel: 954.545-1414 Fax: 954.782-2452 www.FLPOWERBOAT.com

87 KEY WEST POKER RUN 2015 PROGRAM

See the entire participant list along with our fabulous lineup of feature sponors, plus a complete visual diagram of our 2015 Key West Poker Run Village. (content and lists current as of 10/21/15- Some additions may have occurred

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

ON THE COVER: Mike Ciasuli from NJ and his crew in Mikes’s 388 Skater, on the 2014 Key West Poker Run. Skater Powerboats is a Florida Powerboat Club 2015 sponsor! MODEL: Arianne made her FPC poker run debut on the Tampa Bay Poker Run. This mother of two had plenty of charm and loved dealing the poker cards! You’ll see Arianne and many more pretty FPC Girls on upcoming 2016 poker runs!

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

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

WINTER 2015

Letter from the

PRESIDENT The customary night-before gathering at the hotel for all FPC poker run events satisfies the obvious need to check-in all of the poker run teams, distribute the captains goody bags, tees, function passes and conduct the important safety meeting. This process remains an integral part of the event management, and I feel it’s time to remind our participants and other poker run organizers around the country, to stress the significance of this single hour of quality time together. Most importantly, I would like to emphasize to our members, that the formal captains meeting, isn’t just a meeting, and shouldn’t be viewed as a routine or uneventful part of the process. On the contrary, it’s more of a membership get-together, where we can properly address not only poker run safety, but also meet and welcome our newest FPC members, and provide a casual, open discussion forum on a wide range of boating topics that concern all of us. Where else on ANY poker run, can you get everyone into one comfortable, air conditioned room, for GOT A this type of posienjoyable COMMENT tive, setting, engaging FOR ME? in dialogue that E-MAIL ME AT is not drowned STU@FLPOWERBOAT.COM out by loud music, the dull roar of a random chit-chat , or a windblown tent that provides a makeshift meeting place. The answer is, nowhere really. That’s why FPC invests time and money, to ensure that we have the right setting, for a comfortable, productive function, and we go to great lengths, often with multiple meeting times and venues, to ensure all participants share that experience. So I invite all captains, along with their spouses, and first mates, to be a bigger part of this process whenever possible…and let’s make the best of that “group setting”, that we all seem to enjoy so much. Okay,

let’s clarify a few things, as I recall a few frustrating encounters in the recent past. We’re not suggesting you crowd into the room with a half-lit happy hour crew..those guys will likely be double-fisted with cocktails for the next four days! Let them stay in the lounge and keep the bartenders happy! But for you the Captain, we’ll leave it to your discretion as to which members of your crew might appreciate a wellpresented captains meeting, along with the social aspects of meeting fellow FPC members in a civilized, not-bar setting. Trust me when I say, that after twenty-five years of staging poker runs, some of the most positive results, and downright comical moments, have occurred in this very setting. We can accomplish a lot of great things in these captains meetings, and yes indeed, they can also be a lot of fun! The launch of this issue of Powerboating in Paradise Magazine, comes alongside the 56th Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and our FPC 23rd Annual Key West Poker Run. It’s been a year of mostly highs, and fortunately very little to report on the lows. In the Highs column, at the very top would be our 10,000 mile United States poker run tour, which took us to a half-dozen poker run events around the country. While half of this travel was air miles, the other 5,000 miles were with the Jones family in our motorhome, and it was the perfect platform in so many ways. I share with our readers some of the highlights of that tour on page 36 of this issue, so I hope you enjoy my report. As for another podiumworthy 2015 High, it appears that the national poker run scene may have made it through 2015 without any major incidents, accidents or event-related fatalities. High fives across the country to all of you poker runners and organizers, because this is truly an impressive statistic, which should be repeated

Stu & Jackie Jones, Mallorca, Spain. every year. As for the lows of 2015, the Florida Keys political scene has continued on a downward spiral, as one powerboat-hating National refuge official, along with a select few citizens and members of the Monroe County Commission, have continued their assault on FPC and powerboating public. Their influence has filtered all the way to the Monroe County DACS, the local funding boards where the decisions are made to provide tourism grants to event organizations like FPC.

BOCA GRANDE NOV/2011

The result is that FPC has unofficially been de-railed from the process, and we were essentially “sent packing” by three of the four districts that received our applications. Only one, District III in Marathon, was kind enough to award funding for a January 2016 event...but this grant has yet to be ratified by the county commission. We’re not holding our breath. Meanwhile, for the November Key West run, it’s probably throwing gasoline on a smouldering fire to plan a Boca Grande Rendezvous, so we’ll take the high-road, and make alternate plans. Let’s have a safe Key West Poker Run, and we wish you all the best over the holiday season!

Stu Jones

President & Founder, FPC

HOLDING ON TO A ROSTER OF FORTY-PLUS POKER RUN TEAMS, AND ATTRACTING 150+ VISITORS TO ST.PETERSURG FOR ITS 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, THE TAMPA BAY POKER RUN PROVIDED THE IDEAL SPRING FLING FOR POWERBOAT ENTHUSIASTS BEFORE HEADING HOME FOR THE SUMMER SEASON. ost would agree, that little is required to Teams from as far away as Canada, Europe, and improve the marine facilities, luxurious from a dozen states, began arriving early Thursday, accommodations, bustling St. Pete nightlife, giving participants plenty of time to explore the St. and the calm bay waters of Tampa Bay, which are Petersburg waterfront, a pleasant and foot-friendly six the key ingredients of FPC’s annual Tampa Bay Poker block stretch of upscale shops, restaurants, saloons and Run. After all, having the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & even a boutique hotel with a trendy rooftop terrace. Marina home-base for the event, provides a touch- Aesthetically pleasing to the eye, Beach Street is of-class, that may only be enjoyed at an elegant hotel adjacent to expansive parks and a first class marina, all that was carved out of roaring twenties, an era where meticulously maintained by the City of St. Petersburg style and grace was a top priority for architects and Parks Department. This of course is by design, because builders that yearned for approval of the American St. Petersburg city officials place a high priority on public. Like many hotels that were of this era, the special events, making full use of the community’s Renaissance Vinoy Resort has certainly weathered lush parks, and hosting upwards of twenty or more a tumultuous, storybook history, but we’ll leave that special events on any given weekend. It’s that forward research to those inquisitive Googlers out there who thinking and event-oriented focus, that has made have some free time. The point really, is that having a St. Pete’s waterfront the home of popular musical nice hotel and marina is the platform for a great poker concerts, plus cultural and sporting events, including run, and albeit the room and slip inventory allocated the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, a world-class Indy-Car for this event is far less than the organizer wishes for, event that has spanned two decades and garnered occasionally, Less is More. global recognition.

6 | 6

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Poker Run lunch stop at The Getaway a popular St Pete lunch spot for boaters. Story: Stu Jones Along with these land-based attributes of attending the Tampa Bay Poker Run, the waterborne playground provides a perfect mix of lunch-by-boat destinations, scenic cruising grounds, and calm bay waters, all of which combine to balance the event’s land and sea elements. After all, if you don’t have a great day on the water, you probably won’t be in the mood to get out and have fun later that evening, after the boats have been docked. What makes Tampa Bay a great place to boat, begins with geography 101. It appears at first glance, to be a huge endless body of water, with its 400 square miles of surface area, a shoreline that spans three Florida counties, and a surrounding metropolitan population that exceeds four million. That said, with today’s powerboat cruising speeds that average sixty miles per hour and ultra-performance boats that make triple digit speeds their “comfort zone”, it doesn’t take long to cover all four corners of Tampa Bay, in halfa-Saturday. With that in mind, the poker run course has been carefully mapped out into bite-size pieces for the weekend agenda, including a Friday fun run format, which allows participants to explore beyond Tampa Bay’s southern boundary, for a short romp in

Photography: Jerry Wyszatycki, Stu Jones the Gulf of Mexico and a scenic cruise up the Manatee River. Destination Bradenton, where the Tarpon Grille Restaurant & Tiki has provided the perfect setting for our Friday afternoon getaway, two years in a row. Enough said about why Tampa Poker Run is such a great poker run! Let’s recap some of the highlights of our 2015 event! Kicking off on Friday at about 12 noon, twenty powerboat teams, representing half the registered poker run fleet, enjoyed a high-speed ride on calm bay waters, for little-more than thirty minutes dockto-dock, arriving at Tarpon Grille, where the staff was ready and prepared to entertain! The rustic, Keys-like atmosphere and Caribbean-inspired décor, quickly cast a relaxed spell on attendees, much like one might expect in a more southern latitude like Key Largo. Just a few hours later, as the remaining participants settled in at the Vinoy Basin, the poker run check-in process got underway in the bustling Vinoy Resort lobby, where weddings, conferences and spring tourism combined for a sellout weekend, producing a high-energy mix of hotel guests that for the most part, seemed to gravitate to the hotel lobby bar. Continued on Next Page POWERBOATING IN PARADISE POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 77

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN

Jim & Lynn Archambault (GA) with guests John & Kelly Rodda

Bobby Harness and his lady Amanda Johnson (TX) Team PHANTOM

Mike Ciasulli (NJ) 388 Skater, Team MAXON AUTO GROUP

Hmmmm, has anyone studied those human behavioral patterns, or is it just a coincidence that we are all extremely thirsty at the very same time?

Variety of performance cats and center consoles made for a colorful fleet

8 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Saturday morning arrived, with perfect sunny conditions and it appeared that the winds had picked up substantially over the previous day. This brings me back to the point I was making earlier, about the benefits of staging the poker run within the boundaries of Tampa Bay. With its north-south orientation, and relatively short span from the eastern to western shoreline of just fifteen miles at its widest point, the bay waters remain relatively calm, even during double-digit winds. This was clearly illustrated, after the first card was handed off in the Vinoy Basin, and the wave of forty-plus boats got off to a roaring start towards the Sunshine Skyway, only to be met by rough, choppy seas in the Gulf waters. While this certainly made the boat-to-boat poker card hand off from Jeff Joynerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 31 Cabo a little tricky, it was just a five minute bee-line back to the safer, calm waters of Tampa Bay. Continued on Next Page

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN

Tom Abraham (NY) usually joins poker runs in his MTI cat... but for Tampa he broke out his 40' center console.

Jeffrey Bognolo (FL) on far right with poker runners at the Sat night party.

Greg & Racquel Tolson (FL) 32' Sunsation Team ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR making waves. (Where's Racquel?)

Arianne headed up the poker card tables at SIP Lounge

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN

Ladies of LADY LISA, the 80 Nor-Tech owned by Red Reynolds

Arianna & Kayla, FPC card girls

Little was required to modify Saturday’s poker run course from the previous year, recognizing a simple doctrine that many can identify with, “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!” With a fabulous lunch stop at the area’s newest boating hotspot, The Getaway, followed by checkpoints at Tampa Harbour Yacht Club and Jackson’s Bistro in the heart of downtown Tampa, the 100+ mile course offered a nearperfect day of boating, on a near-perfect day!

Red Reynolds (FL) 80' Nor-Tech Roadster LADY LISA, Biggest baddest a boat gets!!

Red with half of his lovely crew at Jacksons Bistro chech point in Tampa.

If there was a Poker Run organizer’s handbook, it would clearly state that it’s mandatory to follow a fun day of boating with a festive awards dinner party. By early Saturday evening, spirited teams gathered at SIP nightclub for the poker run awards, which later transformed from banquet tables to the chic vibe that has earned SIP the honor of being one of St. Pete’s hottest clubs. Congratulations to all the recipients of the highly coveted Peoples’ Choice Awards, and to our First Place winners Jim & Lynn Archambault from Georgia, who attended in their 34 Sunsation Center Console, Team Still Keepin’ It Reel. On that note, we’d like to thank all the participants and sponsors for attending the Tampa Bay Poker Run, and above all, for Keepin’ it Safe! SJ FloridaPowerboatClubreturnstoSt.Petersburgin2016withnewdates, April1-3,2016.Onceagain,aslimitedaccommodationsanddockagecontinue tolimitregistrationtoabout40pokerrunteams,pleasebesuretoregisterwellin advance.Seetheclubscheduleforupdates,atwww.flpowerboat.com

Richard Gerth & Rich Stone idle out from the lunch stop.

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN

Tov Vestgaarden with Brandon Webner

Norwegian Tov Vestgaarden: 39 Nor-Tech Supervee, Team QUICK TICKET

After passing under the Sunset Skyway into the Gulf of Mexico, teams received a poker card from Jeff Joyner's crew on REAL ESTATE, a 31' Cabo

Keith Slagle (FL) and Julie Jennison- 38 Cigarette Top Gun, Team PANTY DROPPER

fpc_PIP_vol15-issue2-OL.indd 1

10/15/2015 11:17:09 AM

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN

Bill Pyburn Jr. (FL) 388 Skater Team PURE PLATINUM

Above: Girls of Team Pure Platinum, Bill Pyburn's 388 Skater. Ella , Heidi & Fallon. Below: Girls of Team Phantom, Kenny Armstrong's 48 MTI. Chelsea, Jenna, Rachael & Amanda.

Statement's Todd Werner with guest at SIP.

Buddy Thomas (NH) with lady Nina

Ken Armstrong (TX) 48 MTI, Team PHANTOM

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN

Gary Goodell (FL) 38 Cigarette Team GEICO- "Caveman"

Simon & Kathryn Williams (FL) 42 Cigarette Team GO-GPS

Bronze center console Nick Buis (FL) Statement 38 Center Console- Team STATEMENT

Don & Alice Lightfoot (TX) 52 Nor-Tech Roadster, Team FOOTLOOSE TOO

TAMPA BAY POKER RUN 2015

PART TWO-

Next Issue!

We simply ran out of room to feature complete coverage of the Tampa Bay Poker Run in this issue of the magazine. We apologize to our club members who did not get photos published, but we will allocate another 8-10 pages of great coverage in our next issue.

- here’s a motor-head in all of us, and it’s common knowledge that most performance boating enthusiasts also have a garage full of land-based toys, from exotic imports to pimped tow vehicles, American muscle classics, custom choppers, touring bikes, and pretty much anything that connects horsepower to a set of wheels. Then there’s the winged variety. Yes indeed, more and more FPC members are taking their passion to the air, adding a pilot’s license to their resume and investing in private aircraft on every level, from small fourseat Cessna’s to private jets. In recognition of this romance with horsepower and motorized mayhem, we decided to create the Key West Air-Land & Sea Poker Run, which pays tribute to wildest and most amazing toys, while giving their owners an exciting rally format, a poker run tour from Miami to Key West.

The 2nd Annual Air Land Sea Poker Run got off the ground, literally, as two small SeaRey amphibious aircraft, along with a high-performance Piper Saratoga took flight from

20 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Miami, while a handful of exotic cars and powerboats set their sights from Miami, to Key Largo. With the continued sponsorship support from OffleaseOnly, which offers an extensive lineup of high-line vehicles, Mark Fischer provided a Ferrari California Convertible and a Rolls Royce Ghost, to spice up the vehicle entry roster. Of course, it was an uncontested decision by Jackie Jones, to jump on that Ferrari, while Pompano Beach couple James & Tobi Aycock, were passing the Grey Poupon from the Ghost! At Grove Harbour Marina, the designated starting point for the boats and cars, weather was poker run perfect, with light winds and calm Biscayne Bay waters, as the small fleet of powerboats fired their supercharged V8’s and headed out for the 165 mile scenic ride. Almost immediately, two SeaRey aircraft, piloted by Luis Sotero and Phil Mendelson, dropped down from the sky, to join the powerboat formation across Biscayne Bay, making for an exciting Air-Sea formation, yielding a high score for showmanship and worthy of feature billing at any national air show. Unfortunately, in the middle of Biscayne Bay on

Phil Mendelson (white aircraft) along with Luis Sotero (red aircraft) enjoyed great flying conditions in their amphibious SeaRey experimental planes, as they flew alongside the 7 Mile bridge in Marathon.

a Friday morning, only the FPC members and a flock of Florida cormorants had a front row seat. (Editor’s note: no birds or natural wildlife were harmed in the making of this TV production, which aired on Sunsports July 2015) The first rendezvous in Key Largo gathered all but one team, Jim & Lynn Archambault from Georgia, who would be hard-pressed to find a suitable runway for their 180 knot Piper Saratoga. However, in fairness, they did get to sleep in this morning, then chart their mere 30-minute flight-plan from Miami to Marathon, where they’d later meet the gang for lunch. Meanwhile, at Gilberts, it was impressive to see two amphibious aircraft resting peacefully along the sandy beach, while a colorful lineup of exotic and classic cars made for an equally attractive photo-op. Not to be outdone, the colorful powerboat fleet, which consisted of brand names from DCB, Cigarette Racing and Nor-Tech Hi Performance, made the Gilberts dock the third stop for the photo-crazed spectators, and cameras and mobile phones

were out in full force. Continuing the scenic ride through the Upper Florida Keys, cars, boats and planes made Marathon the next stopover, where the Island Fish Company hosted a pleasant lunch, overlooking the bay waters. Located just one mile from the Marathon airport, it was a hop-skip & a jump for the poker run flyers, and soon the entire group of registered teams united in this casual setting. After lunch, with 56 miles to Key West it was time to schedule the “money shot” using a helicopter and the 7-Mile Bridge as the backdrop. There’s no better place, or landmark, to photograph and videotape the unique flavor of this multi-mode rally event, and off we went with a mentally choreographed plan in motion. With one more roadside stop along the way at the Boon Docks Grille in Ramrod Key, the group re-united by daysend, at the Conch Republic Seafood Company, FPC’s official Key West headquarters.

Continued on Next Page POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 21

Chantal and Silvain Oligney enjoying Sat night dinner at Conch Republic.

Mark & Eileen Fischer (FL) Nor-Tech 52, WHERE'S EILEEN NOW?

A Key West favorite!

Paul Bertucci (MS) with gal Trish

Sylvain & Chantal Oligney (Canada) 35' DCB Team ST. MICHEL

22 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Jackie Jones enjoyed the ride in an OffleaseOnly sponsored Ferrari California.

The Oligny couple won 1st Place, Sea class.

Enjoying the bars and clubs along Duval St.

Rich Antonucci's Lamborghini Gallardo was a sharp contrast to this Key West cyclist.

24 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Powerboat teams from the "Sea class" gathered at Grove Harbour Marina for departure.

Saturday served up beautiful weather for the second day in a row, and the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities focused on a slow-but-scenic car rally through Old Towne, passing the Southernmost Point statue, then heading to the Key West Harbour Yacht Club, where the powerboat teams had already arrived. In The Club lounge and on the scenic outdoor deck, our teams enjoyed lunch, beverages and aerobatic stunts provided by a unique mix of pelicans, seagulls, and US Navy F-18â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, as they performed take-off and landing maneuvers at the adjacent Naval Air Station Key West on Boca Chica Key. Special thanks to the gang at Key West Harbour Yacht Club, for continuing to welcome the Florida Powerboat Club, since the marina opened for business several years earlier. (This first class, private facility welcomes FPC participants during the November Key West Poker Run... Reservations are required- Ask FPC management for details. )

Key West "card girls" kept the guys entertained at Island Fish Co.

The "Land" fleet featured a mix of custom classics and exotic imports.

26 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

The Saturday evening festivities included a fabulous Cuban-inspired menu offered by the Conch Republic Seafood Company, as guests dined in the open air tent, providing scenic vistas of the Historic Seaport. Poker cards were played out in Land, Sea and Air categories, and winners awarded in each of these classes. Congratulations to all the winners and we thank everyone for attending this unique event, which returns to the FPC event lineup in 2016! SJ

Timing was no accident....as cars, boats and planes crossed the 7-mile bridge simultaneously!

Rich Antonucci ( FL) Lamborghini Gallardo with Heffner Twin Turbo- 1500 HP!

Lynn Archambault admired the OffleaseOnly Rolls Royce Ghost.

Benny D'Angelo's 38 Cigarette TEAM HOUDINI at Island Fish Co., Marathon

Jim & Lynn Archambault (GA) winners of the Air Class, in their Piper Saratoga.

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 28

and their planning committee, decided that the poker run might have a better future, by being pushed to a later date, and as for the offshore race, well it just hadn’t pulled its weight or attracted enough of the big names in the sport, so it was time to say farewell.

During these years, “Smokin-the-Sound” has been an event name that labeled an eventful powerboating doubleheader weekend, which combined sanctioned Offshore Powerboat Racing with a recreational poker run event, a formula that was well-received by all who attended. But 2015 took an amazing turn, as the poker run organizers

But in 2014 a silent suitor emerged, and after many talks with organizers, a new program was solidified, and albeit this group requested anonymity, a sizable financial boost to the event ensured that organizers could advertise an attractive grand prize purse, totaling $ 25,000 to be spread over the top three poker run hands. Not bad, in comparison to other poker runs across the nation, and along with a four week date push, to not conflict with a popular Louisiana poker run, the new end of May format was the logical choice. The final condition laid on the table, was that fund-raising activities would be held in conjunction with the Smokin the Sound Poker Run, on

Story & Photos: Stu Jones

estled along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and rising out of the dark stormy shadow of Hurricane Katrina which leveled the gulf coast just ten years earlier, Biloxi Mississippi’s economy has been reborn, re-vitalized, and energized with the big names along its popular casino row. Landmark casinos that include the Beau Rivage, Hard Rock, the IP, the Palace and more recently Golden Nugget Resort & Casino, have poured millions into their properties, and more specifically, have rolled out warm welcome mats to the poker runners and offshore powerboat racers over the last six years.

30 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Bay St. Louis provided a new lunch stop location, with a large protected harbor and plenty of dockage for the much larger poker run fleet.

Co-organizer and sponsor, Paul Bertucci and crew, aboard Paul's 43 Nor-tech, Beer Money.

The Saturday poker run commenced with a high-speed parade through Biloxi Sound, with the massive casino row and thousands of spectators along its shoreline.

behalf of www.Infinitelovebenefit.com, a foundation which was created to support the children of the late Carey Downs and Jeremie Floyd, two close boating friends who had perished a tragic 2014 accident. That was an easy decision on both sides of the planning table, and the (new) Smokin’ The Sound Poker run emerged. And they came. Rarely does any poker run see such a remarkable increase in participation over one year, but taking the roster of boats from 33 teams to 54 registered poker run teams, represents about a 60% increase in attendance…in just one year!! Poker Run Festivities were focused at the new Golden Nugget Resort & Casino, which had been open for barely a year, and provided the perfect venue. With first class accommodations, multiple amenities and a chic, Vegasstyle pool, plus a huge marina right on property, the resort certainly catered to the poker run guests in every way. Even a selection of well-constructed boat ramps were less than mile from the resort, so logistics and staging presented no challenges for any size boat!

The poker run took a similar course to the 2014 program, combining a morning romp in open Gulf waters, with an afternoon smooth-cruise on the protected bayous that connect Biloxi and its neighboring city of Gulfport. The new lunch stop at Bay St. Louis was the biggest change on the poker run agenda, and most would agree it was a welcome change to the routine at Shaggy’s where dockage was somewhat limited. Saturday evening, the cards were played out poolside at the Golden Nugget, with $ 12,000, $ 8,000 and $ 5,000 payouts to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively. Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to our mystery sponsors, from the state just north of Texas. But we don’t want to give away too many clues. FPC would like to personally thank organizers Woody Bailey, Rusty David, Myles Holcomb and a special thanks to FPC member Paul Bertucci, for providing the sponsorship funding that permitted the aerial photography and video production for the event. In closing, on behalf of the STS organizers we thank all the attendees for believing in this event, and helping to achieve the best attendance ever. More importantly, the generosity of sponsors and poker run attendees, helped the Infinitelovebenefit.com to achieve a great result for its first poker run benefit, raising several thousands of dollars for the Downs/Floyd childrens trust! The 2016 Smokin the Sound event returns with tentative dates of May 28-29th, so start planning! SJ

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 31

Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Sound Poker Run 2015

BILL ROBBINS (TX) launched his new Cigarette TopFish, Center of Attention

Jonathan & Tracy Saucier (LA) with Tom Roper (TX)

Several single engine boats including this 25 Baja owned by DJ Smith, enjoyed the light winds and calm Gulf waters.

Greg Connell and Casey Freeman of Legend Marine in Texas ran their 39 Cigarette center console demo.

32 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Poker card girls Anna and Sarah

Smokinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Sound Poker Run 2015

Derek Wachob (OK) 42 Cigarette Huntress PLAN B Dolph & Kim Williams (LA) 38 Donzi, VIPERS & VIXENS

Robinson R44 -Jesuit Bend Heli from Louisiana. Jorge Arellano from Ocala FL ran his 35 DCB Ă&#x2021;at

Bay St. Louis provided a new lunch stop location, with a large protected harbor and plenty of dockage for the much larger poker run fleet. Spectators lined the dock as this was the first time the poker run had visited the small community.

34 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

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USA Summer Poker Tour

ith over eighty percent of the Florida Powerboat Club membership hailing from out of state home-ports, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always enjoyed getting away in the summer months to visit our boating friends in their own back yards, and take part in a one or two non-Florida Powerboat Club events. But in the last decade, more and more summer poker run events across the continent from Arizona to Ontario have emerged from small weekend fun runs, to full-scale poker runs with registered charities, small

36 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

armies of staff and volunteers, and more often well over 100+ boats on event rosters that feature some impressive high-performance hardware! All the while, the Jones family was improving its appetite for summer travel adventures, after acquiring their first dieselpowered motorhome in 2012, and making it the getaway platform for summer road-trips from Florida to Canada for three consecutive years. Looking at the summer 2015 poker run schedule for Florida Powerboat Club, it seemed

Hundreds of boats idle through the small town of Lake Charlevoix to Lake Michigan on the Boyne Thunder Poker Run.

that the late August Emerald Coast Poker Run would be the only big event that required a substantial planning effort on the part of the FPC staff, and with two competent staffers to manage the fort, we packed our summer calendar with an ambitious agenda. Technically, the summer tour actually started in late Spring with our return to Biloxi, Mississippi, for the 6th Annual Smokin’ the Sound Poker Run during the last weekend of May, a new date that clearly gave this event a better chance at joining the major league of poker runs, with a High Stake purse of $25,000 up for

grabs and a 54-boat roster that took this event from puberty to young manhood. Just three weeks later, it was wheels-up from Fort Lauderdale Executive, as Jackie and I joined Mark & Eileen Fischer, along with Mike & Maggie Sanz, for an enjoyable flight over the scenic Gulf of Mexico. Destination… Galveston & Kemah, for the annual Texas Outlaw Challenge where a 160+ boat lineup and a three day agenda of boating on Galveston Bay and Clear Lake, along with some wet n’ wild pool parties, provided a fun weekend and some serious high performance toys and eye candy for the weekend warriors in attendance. Home to Pompano Beach meant unpacking, and repacking, as the adventure turned international, and within just four days of our Texas return, Jackie and I were bouncing atop waves on a choppy gulf stream crossing, aboard Luis Sotero’s 38 Cigarette Top Gun….with sights locked on Bimini. With other boats joining in, the outing was all part of FPC’s annual pilgrimage to the Bahamas, albeit with just five boats registered, this may have been the smallest of its kind. Nonetheless, the extended trip took Mark & Eileen Fisher (39 Contender) and Mike & Maggie Sanz (39 Cigarette) along with a dozen or so in the crew, to the farthest of destinations in recent years, the Island of Eleuthera. By now you may be wondering, how could Jackie and Stu possibly be parenting their two boys Tyler (11) and Maxwell (9) while jetting off to poker runs every other weekend? The answer, in a word… Grandparents! Indeed Jackie and I are blessed with healthy and giving parents, David & Joanne Jones, had offered to take the two boys on an exciting grandparent/grand-kid educational experience called Roads Scholars, located in Upstate New York, followed by two weeks at the Jones family cottage in Haliburton, Ontario. Somehow, everyone benefitted in this long-planned exchange, but by the end of June, three weeks into the separation, Jackie and I were really starting to miss the little guys! With two tickets on Silver Airways from Governors Harbour in Eleuthera, we waved farewell to our boating comrades and landed in Fort Lauderdale. Within 24 hours, we were repacked and northbound on I-95, aboard LandYacht, a 68 foot combo of fiberglass and metal, fully equipped with every toy imaginable, a grocery-stuffed pantry, umpteen boxes of FPC magazines in storage, and a GPS locked down on what would clock in at a 5,200 mile summer adventure. First stop, CANADA. I hope you enjoy the following pages, which feature some of the highlights from our most adventurous FPC summer tour ever, where we visited our closest boating friends, attended exciting poker run events, and toured more of this beautiful continent than ever before. The best part for us, the Jones family spent an entire summer together, and that alone, was worth the drive. SJ

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 37

Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

Kemah, TEXAS Other than Floridians, Texas powerboaters claim the largest registration base of active members on the Florida Powerboat Club roster, a statistic which has endured more than a decade. The sheer numbers of Texans who have embraced the poker run lifestyle, often trailering there boats in excess of a thousand miles to attend a weekend event, is truly outstanding. In spite of the fact that Texas claims 367 miles of Gulf Coast shoreline and countless inland lakes and waterways that are among the nation’s top weekend hotbeds of recreational boating, it appears that Texas boaters just can’t seem to get enough of this favorite past-time. The Texas Outlaw Challenge is a testament to this claim, as close to two hundred poker run teams converge on Clear Lake and Galveston Bay for this annual June event. Created less than ten years ago by thenperformance engine builder Paul Robinson, the event began with an offshore shoot-out format, but quickly rose to the top when organizers placed more focus on the poker run agenda. Among the weekend’s notable highlights, is Ken Armstrong’s Friday all-day pool party at his estate-like home, which features a massive raft-up of nearly 150 powerboats along an enormous dock, free food and drink for all, and a swimwear fashion show to crown the poker run queen! Saturday’s poker run cruises local waters on Clear Lake and Galveston Bay, with festivities later hosted at the Kemah Boardwalk, a popular entertainment and retail complex with multiple restaurants and saloons, plus hotel and marina. With a nearby boat ramp, many of the visiting poker runners appreciated the convenience of having everything right on their doorstep. SJ

Max & Deanna Alaniz (TX) 39 Nor-Tech KING OF CLUBS

Well managed marina with floating docks at Kemah Boardwalk.

Miss Outlaw Challenge contest at Kenny Armstrong's Friday party.

Performance boats and center consoles made up a huge poker run fleet.

Priscilla and Nick Buis(FL) representing Team STATEMENT

John Ballard (TX) 43 Nor-Tech BUSTED

Plenty of pretty ladies at the Outlaw Challenge!

Contestant #2 had our vote..but settled for 1st runner up.

Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

Boyne City, Michigan In its twelfth year, Boyne Thunder has the distinction of being a “sold-out” poker run, making it a difficult ticket to acquire for many of the more recent newcomers, who miss the registration cutoff earlier in the year. What began as a local summer event to boost tourism in the area, the poker run was created and managed by the small town of Boyne City, which ironically has barely any hotels. With the exception of a few small local inns, the only major hotel on the outskirts of town is the Boyne Mountain Resort, which always manages to fill the lodging void with excellent accommodations and adequate parking for trucks and trailers. It was the third time that the Jones family had attended, and with assistance from poker run committee member Mike Knoblock, we spent the weekend in the motorhome, in the heart of the poker run village. Mark & Eileen Fischer had their 52 Nor-Tech transported to the event, and Where’s Eileen Now became the perfect platform for our 12-person poker run team. Boyne Thunder is headquartered on Lake Charlevoix, which can only be described as beautiful-beyond-words. The crystal clear waters and scenic, heavily forested shoreline, is populated with palatial cottages and homes, many owned by Michigan’s elite. Although the event begins and ends in this calm protected lake, about 80% of the poker run course takes place on the open waters of Lake Michigan, where participants rendezvous with poker run card boats and visit assorted yacht clubs, then enjoy a hearty lunch served up by charity volunteers in the charming town of Charlevoix. This is a fun event with a friendly vibe, and a must-do for anyone that hasn’t yet experienced the beauty of Northern Michigan. SJ

Dave Burgess is a Boyne Thunder veteran, attending in his 46 Outerlimits

Joel Christensen provided his Searay cruiser for the Elk Rapids card stop.

Ryan Ward, 46 Black Thunder with big 1000SC motors. Vinnie & Kim Diorio & crew, Outerlimits SL41, waiting for the start.

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Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

On board the Fischers 52' Nor-Tech, passing through Charlevoix to Lake Michigan

Bill & Lori Lemanske, 39' Nor-Tech center console with triple Merc Verados

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Curt Watkins shipped his 52 Skater from Florida back to Michigan for the summer.

Co-organizer Tracy Nemechek with wife Connie. Editors Note: Tracy was the first to tell Stu about Boyne Thunder Poker Run eleven years earlier.

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Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

Pirates of

LANIER Lake Lanier, GORGIA The Buford Dam was completed in 1956, and is among America’s many wonders of modern-day engineering, holding back billions of gallons of water that flow southbound on the Chattahoochee River through Georgia, creating what is known as Lake Sidney Lanier. The significance that this engineering marvel was created for water management purposes and essentially supplies millions of citizens in Georgia with fresh water for drinking and everyday life, may be lost on the thousands of recreational revelers, who invade Lake Lanier every weekend in the summer, to enjoy its 59 square mile playground of waterborne fun. Boating poker runs have come and gone over the last two or three decades, but none have every achieved the magnitude and sheer size of the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run, now in its 7th year. Measured in entries, the event caps out at close to three hundred boats, with a vast array of pontoons, cruisers, runabouts and of course, offshore powerboats that bear registration decals and homeports from over twenty states. But trumping its very own entry list, is this event’s ability to raise some serious dough for its local charities, which are primarily focused on chronically-ill children. FPC member John Woodruff, along with first-mate Nancy and a poker run committee that is staffed with the movers-and-shakers of this Lake Lanier boating-centric community, roll out the red carpet to entertain all of their fellow boaters. The team works feverishly every year on attracting a stellar roster of poker run participants, who always find some way to reach down deep into their pockets, motivated by the power of a great cause.

Poker card greeters were into the spirit with they pirate garb!

John Woodruff provided entertainment with his 500HP bar stool!

Lake Lanier Islands Resort & Marina is home this event every year, and you’d be hard pressed to find better or more complete venue to host any poker run. SJ

Chris Cox brought his 50 Mystic showstopper, Team ENVY

Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

Joe Calvanese & Dan DeSantis ran their 45 Skater, Team DECAL

Tiffiney Renfroe & Kim Lee at the poker tables.

Mark Godsey, Clayton Emsminger and Justin Lucas, PROJECT MAYHEM

Arrrrrrrrrrrrr...If you don't play by the rules, this motley crew will make you walk the plank!

Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

Nashville, TENNESSEE Most Americans would characterize Tennessee as a land with a rural landscape of rolling hills, small towns, abundant farmlands and birthplace of country music, and the least likely place that a powerboat poker run would expected to be staged. Until now. With a growing core of horsepower-passionate boaters in the Volunteer State, fueled by the more recent creation of the Tennessee Powerboat Club by Nashville native Chad Collier, the Old Hickory Fun Run has emerged as a river rally like no other. Two weeks after Pirates of Lanier Poker Run, the Jones clan rendezvoused with John Woodruff in Atlanta, and hit the interstate for the 225-mile, two-bus and one MTI convoy to Nashville. Arriving at the Turtle Bay Marina on Old Hickory Lake, just 15 miles northeast of downtown Nashville, we discovered a massive marina with cruisers, houseboats, and go-fast boats galore, along with a bustling restaurant with great entertainment. Every square foot of itâ&#x20AC;Śfloating! Chad & Heather Collier hosted the event, along with a staff of friendly, helpful volunteers, all of whom made us feel very welcome.

Stefanie, Nancy and Kelly trying out the new mat!

Friday afternoon featured a raft party at a shallow anchorage, followed by evening activities that revolved around a street party in downtown Nashville, where powerboats on trailers stole the show. The Saturday poker run provided a fun day on the water, although the course had to be shortened due to the presence of floating debris from recent storms. The after-party got into full swing as the boats returned to Blue Turtle Marina, where poker runners were treated Tennessee BBQ, live music and a festive evening among friends. Chad later reported that their charities would receive substantial donations due the generosity of the poker run attendees. SJ

Organizer Chad Collier cranked up the speed on his Mystic 50.

Summer 2015 Poker Run

Ladies of Old Hickory: Nancy, Heather, Brittany, Angela & Laura, aboard the Collier's family SeaRay.

Catchin Air on the Friday fun run!

Mark Godsey (TN) with spirited crew abourd his 40' MTI.

8 Poker Card checkpoint #1 on Old Hickory Lake. OMG that's a Crew!

Summer 2015 Poker Run

Fast and furious on Lake Pickwick!

Pickwick, TENNESSEE After the completion of the Old Hickory Fun Run it might have been logical to point the motorhome southbound and make tracks for Destin, where the Emerald Coast Poker Run was shaping up for its late August date. But we had one important stop on our summer poker run bucket list, a Pickwick TN fund-raiser, benefitting the families of the late Carey Downs and Jeremie Floyd. It was almost a year since the two had perished in a tragic boating accident on the Tennessee River, leaving four young children fatherless. Many concerned friends and boaters close to the families, took the initiative to stage fund-raising efforts for a children’s trust, and after the first charity benefit at Biloxi, MS in late May, the Pickwick event was now up to bat, and poised for a Grand Slam. Powerboaters across the nation are one big family of generous humanitarians when it comes to supporting great causes, and poker runs have become powerful fund-raising platforms. Having a duo of respected promoters serve’s to increase the awareness of the “cause” and attract strong participation, so when Tennessee’s very own country music star Darryl Worley joined forces with David Woods, founder of Pier 57 Marine and successful Pickwick entrepreneur, the formula generated magical results. With Marsha Floyd acting as lodging coordinator, fund-raising activist, registration secretary, and red carpet greeter, it was possibly the warmest and most cordial greeting the Jones crew could ever have imagined, as we rolled into town. The event’s guest list read like the who’s who of the national boating scene, including boat builders, boat dealers, event organizers and poker run teams from across the nation. One common thread was heard over and over by dozens of visitors, and it went something like this. “I’ve known David forever and always wanted to visit Pickwick TN for years. But this time, the cause was so important, and I’m just glad I finally made it here to share in the memory of Carey and Jeremie, and help out the kids.” Enough said. Let’s never forget these lost friends, and more importantly, let’s always look out for their families. Amen.

Powerboats, pontoons or cruisers....everyone's welcome!

Derek Wachob (OK) Cigarette Huntress PLAN B, with (5) Mercury 400's!!

Summer 2015 Poker Run Tour

Poker run volunteers at Freddy T's poker run party.

Chad & Heather Collier, Mystic 50, enjoying the day.

Cruisers and runabouts made up a large portion of the entry list.

John Woodruff (GA) provided his Bell Long Ranger WINDSHIP for the aerial photos.

Country singer Darryle Worley performed on this houseboat/ dkfjsldkjsldkfjslkdfjsldkfjslkdjslkdfjslxczxcczxbarge combo for thousands of spectators on boats.

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015

WITH WITH TWO TWO PARTICIPATING PARTICIPATING CLASSES CLASSES OFFERED OFFERED FOR FOR THE THE SECOND SECOND YEAR YEAR IN IN AA ROW, ROW, THE THE EMERALD EMERALD COAST COAST POKER POKER RUN’S RUN’S LOCAL LOCAL RUBY RUBY CLASS CLASS BOATERS, BOATERS, COMBINED COMBINED WITH WITH THE THE EMERALD EMERALD CLASS CLASS PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE BOATS, BOATS, TO TO CELEBRATE CELEBRATE THE THE BOATING BOATING LIFESTYLE LIFESTYLE AND AND RAKE RAKE IN IN SOME SOME HIGH HIGH STAKES STAKES CHARITY CHARITY PROCEEDS PROCEEDS FOR FOR THE THE 23RD 23RD RUNNING RUNNING OF OF THIS THIS SUMMER SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER. BLOCKBUSTER. Story: Stu Jones

he many factors that make Emerald Coast vastly different than so many other coastal regions throughout Florida, continue to play a vital role in why Emerald Coast Poker Run is remarkably different than so many other poker run events not only in Florida, but around the nation. It begins with the striking and unique ﬂavor of the geography alone, where miles upon miles of sandy shoreline are appealing to the eye, soft on the feet, and ready to welcome any anchor. More importantly, a large percentage of that shoreline is free and public domain, Mostly government land and remains free for the public to en52

joy, and there’s no federal refuge ofﬁcers waving their magic wand of selective enforcement, telling locals “they” can stay, and sending powerboaters along on their way. No, in the Emerald Coast, unlike Boca Grande near Key West, powerboaters are loved and treated with respect. In addition to excellent beaches and pristine anchorages, the waterways are equally superb. Long stretches of open bay waters and protected sounds connect masterfully from Sandestin to Pensacola Beach along a ﬁfty-three mile east-west corridor, and when combined with more northerly checkpoints in the small towns of Shalimar and Niceville, add up to a

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

near-perfect, 120-mile poker run course that is manageable by virtually any waterborne craft with a fast spinning propeller carefully positioned in the water, preferably near the ﬂat end of the boat. From a small outboard bow rider that squeezes our 36 mph on its best day, to the thundering offshore dream machine that guzzles the average American’s weekly take-home pay at a single fuel stop, the Emerald Coast Poker Run has consistently and quite remarkably delivered that perfect, end-of-summer blowout that tens of thousands have enjoyed for twenty three years running.

THE THE AND THIS

The calm waters near Santa Rosa sound give Emerald Coast Poker Run participants an ideal 120 mile course that is well-suited to any size boat.

Photography: Jerry Wyszatycki & Stu Jones Then of course, on another playing ﬁeld altogether, there’s the Emerald Coast boating culture that makes this summer poker run event so incredible. Unlike the South Florida, which typically sees lower tourism numbers throughout the summer months, more than six hundred miles to the north, beyond the state capital and a good hour west of Spring Break Capital of the world Panama City Beach, the Emerald Coast is wide open, full throttle, party-on fun. Right in the dead of summer. Yes indeed, it is the one rare location in Florida, where mid-summer means it is Season here, and unlike its tourism partners east of the Panhandle, this little

beach gem is 99.9% packed with Americans on vacation… locked and loaded for some Southern-fried-fun! The only difference is, for this particular poker run weekend in late August, most of them ﬁgured out a way to bring their boat!! For the Jones family, arriving in Fort Walton Beach every summer means two things. One, assuming we arrive at least a week before he poker run, is that we get to hang out with the kids, rent a pontoon boat, bask in the sun at Crab Island, hit the waterparks spend far too much time trying to reach the bottom of the jumbo seafood bucket at AJ’s.. (It really is bottomless. There’s no hope until the

boys are at least teens that we will ever ﬁnish that last shrimp!) The second thing that eventually sinks in, is the reality that Jackie and Stu eventually have to go to work and run this darn poker run. But this year, we cut our travel schedule pretty tight, and as you may have seen in an earlier editorial of this issue of Powerboating in Paradise, we had clocked close to 5,000 miles and visited a half dozen poker runs around the country, in the two months leading up to the Emerald Coast Poker Run. In fact, we hadn’t been home in Pompano Beach since June, and after rolling over the Florida state line from Alabama on Sunday evening, after

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 1.

Kim Smith

LICKETY SPLIT

40’

Skater

Curtis Spurlock

WEAK MOMENT

35’

Cigarette

Jim Stockton

SOME LIKE IT ROUGH

32’

Fountain

Bill Dahl

NAS-T

39’

Sutphen

Larry Montelaro, Jr.

SMOKE SHOWIN

33’

Fountain

Scott Rufus

FREAK II

38’

Baja

attending Pickwick’s Tennessee River Memorial Poker Run, it seemed like we were just one step closer to home. And rightfully so. If there ever was a true homeaway-from home for our family, it would be easy to say the Emerald Coast. Call it Destin, call it Fort Walton Beach, but truly for me, it’s all the same because over the last seventeen years of attending and more recently managing the poker run, I’ve spent an equal amount of time in both places. We rolled into the Destin West RV Resort on Okaloosa Island in the late hours Sunday evening and it was a bittersweet arrival. After opening the slide and connecting our water and electric, I couldn’t help noticing what a beautiful night it was, then looked around at all the impressive motorhomes and travel trailers, with visitors from far-off places, enjoying a cold drink and watching their patio RV TV’s. It was then that I sadly realized, our schedule over the next nine days would never allow us to wander over and engage in that campground chit chat. 54

Zipping past Okaloosa Island

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Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015

4 1.

Don and Alice Lightfoot

FOOTLOOSE TOO

52’

Nor-Tech

Amos & Deborah Lisenby

KNOTY - KNOTY

42’

Fountain

Larry Spruell

SCARED MONEY

38’

Hustler

Brian Manning

WILD THING

42’

Outerlimits

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

We were here to manage a poker run and our schedule was mapped out entirely. Not to mention, we’d be checking into Emerald Grande in less than 24 hours, and it would be powerboaters, not campers, that that would be our social setting for the duration of our stay. Hell ya, boaters are more fun! Monday morning at 0900, it was time for me to throw the flip flops in the closet, put on a shirt with an actual collar and snap into my Serious Stu mode, then drive about three miles down Hwy 98 to USCG Station Destin. It was here that a whole room full of uniformed guys wearing shiny badges and sportin’ big holsters, (not the kind of holsters that hold pens and Swiss army knives), would gather at a huge cafeteria table and exchange ideas on how we will oversee a safe poker run once again. Along with the USCG staff, in attendance were Okaloosa County Sheriff ’s dept, Florida FWC officers, and fire rescue personnel from more than five area fire departments, including Destin,

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Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 Niceville, Okaloosa Island, Navarre and Midway. If it sounds a bit over the top, believe me, it’s still never enough. Just three years ago a spectator powerboat with an unskilled driver got into the mix with the poker run late Saturday, and after a high-speed rollover near Crab Island, the four person crew, none of them on the poker run, and none wearing pfd’s, were all pitched into Choctawhatchee Bay at a high rate of speed. Tragically, this resulted in the loss of a young 42-year old father of two. Very sad indeed, and that’s why we recruit every available law enforcement patrol boat we can, along with volunteer boats, to patrol the poker run course, and ensure that we have highly trained, paid-duty rescue divers in the event of any emergency. When we factor these needs into coverage of a 120-mile poker run course, it becomes evident that the two dozen boats and ﬁfty or more safety personnel that make up our 2015 Emerald Coast Safety Management Team, are a critical component to the continued success of this event.

Destin and The Emerald Grande Harborwalk Village

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MAXBIDDER

40’

Profile

Lance Panepinto

FLYING HIGH

30’

Baja

Brad Marcotte

TOPLESS

35’

Motion

FULL BOAT

32’

Sunsation

36’

Eliminator

Chris Gilmer

Robert Keyes

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Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015

4 1.

John Livingston

OUTLAW

32’

Baja

Ron Virden

AAA88

29’

Baja

Hugh Patroni Sr

STAY-N-COOL

35’

Fountain

Cliff Anderson

PAPER CHASER

36’

Eliminator

Scott & Monica James

SLIPPERY WHEN WET

35’

Fountain

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Without them, quite simply, there would be no poker run. While I doubt than many of our L.E. officials and fire-rescue teams will ever read these words, I will say emphatically, that I am incredibly appreciative of all that these guys (and gals) do to keep our waterways safe and I commend all them for the EXTRA effort that they all make during the Emerald Coast Poker Run. Monday slid by, then Tuesday kicked off our Boat Week celebrations with the Fat Tuesday Poker Run parade at Harborwalk Village. If you get into town early, and your boat is still on its trailer, there is no better way to jumpstart your poker run week than to pull it through the shortest, and most fun parade you may ever attend! Trust me, it’s an absolute riot and the Emerald Grande staff provide all the beads, so all you have to do is show up with a fun crew, throw beads to thousands of kids, and enjoy the ride! Yes, you become a bona fide rock star!

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Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015

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From that point forward, the Emerald Coast Poker Run shifts into cruise control, as a pattern of nightly parties and fundraising activities continue Wednesday through the weekend, giving participants a continuous agenda of fun, where they can meet new boating friends and support the event’s beneﬁciary, the Emerald Coast Foundation. There are plenty of editorial side-bars contained within the pages of this magazine feature, that highlight the various day-to-day events that make up Emerald Coast Boat Week. As for the on-water excitement, it goes without saying, the incredible photos contained within this spread, will leave no doubt that this stop on the summer poker run calendar, is a must-do for all boaters, whether you’re from the local area, or traveling hundreds of miles to attend. With ﬁrst class hotels, incredible waterways, vibrant nightlife and a giant welcome mat extended to all, this event just keeps on delivering, year after year!

Card Stop

John & Connie Fahmy

TEAM EVERDRY

38’

Baja

Vu Nguyen

SEE VU PLAY

38’

Donzi

Jerry Swanson

TERRIBLE TWO

50’

Skater

Joe & Vickie Amodio

FORGET ABOUT IT

46’

Cigarette

Gary Atz

FOR SALE

38’

Cigarette

Jerry Swanson

TERRIBLE

46’

Skater

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015

Destin and The Emerald Grande Harborwalk Village

2 1.

SWAMP CHOMP II LIV4 TODAY

Brian D. Shelton

Frankie Tubbs

Steven Peterson

3 Donald Braddy

TEAM SHALIMAR

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

In closing, I feel compelled to remind all, that aside from providing a summer blockbuster boating event hosted in a beautiful destination, the underlying cause of the Emerald Coast Poker Run is to continue raising thousands of dollars for less fortunate kids in Okaloosa County! Driving that cause are the many volunteers and board members from the Emerald Coast Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity, that was formed ten years ago, when the Emerald Coast Poker Run started bumping the 200boat mark. The partnership between Florida Powerboat Club and the Emerald Coast Foundation, has yielded tremendous results in the last decade, as measured by average annual charity proceeds of about $ 150,000. After the culmination of the 2015 event, we bid farewell to the longest-running ECF president, Chris Sehman, who has done a remarkable job at putting the “party” in the poker run, while never losing sight of the Foundations objectives, to achieve the best result for the kids. We welcome incoming president, Mr. Lynn Dominique, and look forward to many more great years of returning to favorite summer paradise, Florida’s Emerald Coast.

35’

Everglades

40’

MTI

38’

Fountain

26’

Avenger

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 Tuesday: Fat Tuesday/Boat Parade With the Emerald Grande Resort taking on the distinction of being our Destin headquarters for the Emerald Coast Poker Run, it only made sense to engage in poker run cross-promotions with Harborwalk Village, the resort’s highly acclaimed waterfront retail complex. The ideal venue, was the weekly Pardi Gras parade, which placed New Orleans style floats, with festive party revelers aboard, to toss bundles of beads to families and children that line the short parade course. A few years back, Emerald Grande’s Jamie Hall suggested that poker run boats would make great parade floats, and the rest is history. Now dubbed the Fat Tuesday Poker Run Parade, the Tuesday evening event fit nicely into the time-slot, as the first activity on the Emerald Coast Boat Week agenda. Poker runners who arrive early in town are the idea candidates to participate. Some size constraints limit the oversized loads, but so far a 36 Skater and a 46 Cigarette have cleared the course easily. The Harborwalk Village promotions staff provide a secure staging area, and bags of beads for your crew to throw out to thousands of energized spectators along the short parade course. It’s about as much fun as you can possibly have on a boat, that’s still on a trailer. SJ

3 1.

6 SHOOTER

42’

Cigarette

Danny Barnett

LONGSHOT

38’

Fountain

Ron & Joyce Paul

WAR EAGLE

46’

Outerlimits

Erik Sedgwick

TRIPLE CHECKED

34’

Nor-Tech

Lunch Stop

Mark Campbell

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Wednesday: Helen Back CaféLadies Night Party The Helen Back Café is a waterfront sports-bar restaurant that has won countless local awards for having the best pizza in town. But it’s more than the pizza that makes Helen Back a fun party venue. Live musical entertainment inside, and a huge outdoor patio, combine to provide a festive vibe that makes this a fun poker run party to entertain boat week participants and sponsors. Although the number of slips are limited, you can expect at least a few cool performance boats to have their engine hatches open and LED lights activated to provide a great dockside show. An entire room in the bar is dedicated to casino gaming, where a few games of black jack or a spin of the roulette wheel, gets the participants in the mood for the poker run, while raising funds for the Emerald Coast Foundation. And if any of that isn’t enough to peek the interests of would be poker runners, Wednesday at Helen Back is the best ladies night in town, so the single guys can be sure to have plenty of opportunities to make a few friends, and work on the crew for the Saturday poker run!

Roger & Pam Anderson

EASY MONEY

42’

Fountain

Michael & Veronica Voudouris

CLEAN SWEEP

39’

Nor-Tech

Johnie Weems

THOR

42’

Cigarette

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 Thursday: The SwampMiss Boat Week Contest

6 4.

Bill Robbins

CENTER OF ATTENTION

39’

Cigarette

Chris Daggs

HELEN BACK

35’

Fountain

Ray Andrus

RELENTLESS

42’

Cigarette

Chris Bowers

LIGHT EM UP

43’

Fountain

If the Rose Festival has a Rose Queen, the high school prom has the Prom Queen, and NASCAR Racing has a Miss Sprint Cup, it only makes sense that Emerald Coast Poker Run has its designated beauty! In honor of that tradition, the Miss Boat Week contest is staged every year, on the Thursday prior to the poker run, at the Swamp Nightclub, an open air entertainment complex located at the beachfront Boardwalk in Fort Walton Beach. With high stakes cash, plenty of prizes and the coveted title of Miss Boat Week up for grabs, the event consistently draws some of the finest ladies in the Florida Panhandle, who compete with fitness routines, dance moves and witty charm, that is often coaxed out of these beauties by a comical pageant MC. Congratulations to the winners, who are generally obligated to attend the Saturday poker run, and pose for our event photographers. Judging these gals to determine the winners is a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it! SJ

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Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 Friday: AJ’s Rock the Dock, Captains Party Since day one of this 23-year event, as far back as 1993, AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar has played a big role in the Emerald Coast Poker Run. Few remember from that far back, that AJ’s owner Alan Laird, is actually one of the original co-founders of the event, which is why he has continued to support the poker run in every way. In more recent years, Alan and his staff have really stepped up their sponsorship program, with fabulous food for poker run attendees, designated dockage for poker run sponsors and VIPs, and a donation check to the Emerald Coast Foundation at the Saturday night poker run party. Located on Destin Harbor, AJ’s faces the sandy dunes of Noriega Point, and from high on the upper deck, it’s a front row seat to the steady parade of powerboats, cruisers, sport fishing charters and tour boats, cruising to and from the harbor. For the 2015 Friday night party, FPC extends a very special thank you to Alan and his staff, for providing a structured VIP docking program and a private floating VIP lounge for our poker run staff, sponsors, and Emerald Coast Foundation committee volunteers. Hundreds were in attendance at the party. What a fantastic venue to celebrate the poker run, year after year!

Legendary Marine in Fort Walton Beach

Hall Bohlinger

REHAB

74’

Viking

David & Jenny Landsman

GOLDDIGGER

50’

Outerlimits

Jorge & Ann Arellano

OGP

35’

DCB

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Saturday: Poker Run & Awards Party Few participants remember the old days, when hundreds of poker run guests stood shoulder to shoulder in the local Elks Club Lodge, to enjoy food from local restaurants and play out their poker cards. The a/c system was on overloaded and could not keep pace, the bathrooms had line ups, and the parking lot was jammed. Then, like a miracle, along came the all-new Emerald Coast Convention Center with fantastic accommodations. The Saturday night party has since lived up to its reputation as being a big, over the top bash, with great entertainment, silent auction, and well-stocked buffet tables with something for every taste. At the peak of the evening it’s possible there are 1,200 or more people in attendance. This amazing venue provides a great party. The final table often goes until almost midnight! The 2015 event was no different, as three Texans (the usual suspects), Cher Floyd, Bill Robbins and Ken Armstrong squared off in the final round of high stakes poker. When the dust settled, Ken Armstrong somehow muscled his way (with a thick wallet) all the way to top, winning not only the 1st place Ford F150, but also the 2nd place Harley Davidson motorcycle. Don’t ask, I was there, and still can’t figure out what happened, but the Emerald Coast Foundation may have set an all-time record, for fund-raising at the final table.

Derek Wachob

BLACK DIAMOND

52’

MTI

Preston Collins

NO CENTS

26’

Velocity

Derek Wachob

PLAN B

42’

Cigarette

The Emerald Grande Harborwalk Village

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 Sunday: Crab Island Party Every great party must come to an end, and there’s no better way to wrap up the Emerald Coast Poker Run, than to just throw an anchor in the soft sand of Crab Island, and enjoy the party. Located just inside Destin’s East Pass, hundreds of boats gather here every summer weekend, and as the outgoing tide lowers the water level, a knee-deep sandbar emerges, creating a natural waterpark. With boats rafted, anchored crews ready for fun, the inflatable toys, paddle boards, oversized coolers, and transom mounted BBQ’s perform their weekend duties. For a little grownup fun, the Helen Back houseboat provides raw entertainment, indigenous to Crab Island only, with an energized chicken fight tournament followed by a highly-sophisticated contest among female contestants, where a skimpy tee shirt and cold bucket…..well, you get the picture. The Emerald Coast has come a long way since I started visiting over seventeen years ago, and I guess there are still a few traces of Redneck in this little Riviera. But that may very well be, what makes it so perfect. SJ

Partiers at AJ’s

2 1.

Weston and Sara Harlow

FEELING KNOTTY

31’

Formula

Weston Bass

CHANGE ORDER

39’

Cigarette

Richard & Melissa Prince

DICTATOR

44’

MTI

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Richie Barr

Simon & Kathryn Williams FL

WIRED UP

36’

Eliminator

GOGPS

42’

Cigarette

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 1.

William “Tim” Bell

ALL IN

35’

Everglades

Wayne Wilkerson

SUPER BEAST

40’

Nor-Tech

Scott & Allison Stinson

POKER FACE

41’

Liquid Glass

3 2

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Vince Oddo

BULLET

30’

Cigarette

Cass Shewbart

LIQUID PROZAC

38’

Cigarette

Keith Rehder

MOTHER DOG

29’

Wellcraft

Buddy Thomas

ALL SET

46’

Outerlimits

Mark & Eileen Fischer

WHERE’S EILEEN NOW?

52’

Nor-Tech

Okaloosa Island

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015 6.

Chris Shipp

FIREWATER

30’

Baja

Leon Daggs

DAG GONE

47’

Riviera

Jim & Lynne Archambault

STILL KEEPIN’ IT REAL

34’

Sunsation

Rich Stone

STILL SMOKIN

38’

Cigarette

10.

Tom & Rachel Regan

ALL IN

40’

Nor-Tech

The Emerald Grande and Norriego Point

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Emerald Coast Poker Run 2015

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

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European Tour 2015 Story & Photos:

Stu Jones

While scenic North American highways and an aggressive poker run agenda provided the ideal platform for the Jones family summer tour, European travel opportunities had beckoned the couple with the prospect of a no-kid vacation in September. Just one week after the start of school, Grandma B. moved into the guest room, and Jackie and Stu boarded a flight to Stuttgart, Germany. 80 | Powerboating in paradise

3 1 SPAIN | EUROPE TOUR 2015 1- The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, more commonly referred to as La Seu. 2- Rolf Hoelger & Petra Thonemann at the helm of their Sunseeker Caresse. 3- A scenic cruise along the rocky shoreline of Mallorca. 4- Petra, Stu & Jackii enjoying a night out in Palma city center.

anaging Florida Powerboat Club as our main business would not qualify as a legitimate barrier to taking an extended overseas vacation, but certainly marriage and raising a family over the last eleven years has posed a major roadblock for a Mom & Dad getaway. Nonetheless, it had been exactly fifteen years since either Jackie or I had traveled trans-Atlantic on a European vacation, and it seemed like 2015 was shaping up better than ever. What we never imagined, was just how well this amazing adventure would unfold, making it one of the most memorable vacation experiences we’ve shared, since we married in 2005. It started in 2014 when a pleasant German woman named Petra Thonemann contacted Florida Powerboat Club by email, asking how she could purchase a Key West Poker Run passenger ticket as a birthday gift for her boyfriend Rolf Hoelger. I explained that paid rides were not available for legal reasons, but suggested that they could become FPC members, and enter into a boating vacation exchange with a registered Key West participant. I then found a

4 willing couple, Simon & Kathryn Williams from Bradenton Florida, who were registered for the Key West poker run in their 42 Cigarette. The exchange: a Key West Poker Run weekend, traded for a weekend of cruising with Rolf and Petra, aboard their 43 Sunseeker, in the waters of Mallorca on the Mediterranean coast. It turns out the German couple recently moved to Mallorca, where they are able to pursue their passion for cruising throughout the Balearic Island chain off the coast of Spain. Ibiza of course, being the most popular destination. After developing a friendly relationship with Rolf and Petra, the same William’s invitation was also extended to Jackie and I as an open date. Very, very tempting indeed. It wasn’t until this past May, when we met new FPC member Sven Teuber from Fast Lane Travel that a second piece of the Europe puzzle landed on the pile. (It’s only a three piece puzzle, so stay with me on this). Sven had expressed an interest in sponsoring Florida Powerboat Club events, with the intention of attracting FPC clientele to their European driving tours, which are highlighted by continued on page 84

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE | 81

2016 Florida Powerboat Club

Europe Poker Run Wednesday, April 20 - Friday, April 29, 2016

Join the excitement of a Poker Run in Europe while driving a NEW PORSCHE! Join your Florida Powerboat Club friends for a fun PORSCHE tour and Poker Run to the Swiss Alps and Italian Lakes. This all-inclusive tour begins and ends in Stuttgart, Germany (the home of PORSCHE). You’ll drive through Switzerland to gorgeous Lake Como in northern Italy for 3 nights and then across Alpine passes to scenic St. Moritz for 2 nights.

• All-inclusive – 5-star accommodations, meals, drinks, PORSCHE rental, taxes and gratuities • Transfer services to/from Stuttgart airport • Six days of driving new model PORSCHE of choice • Fun “James Bond” Poker Run in Northern Italy plus Poker Run Dinner with valuable prizes • Accompanying truck to transport luggage from hotel to hotel • Special dinners and wine tastings • Dinner at Locanda dell’Isola Comacina, on an island in Lake Como • Driving on the Autobahn, winding country roads and Alpine passes • Fun evening at the Frühlingsfest – it’s Oktoberfest in the spring • Escorted by bi-lingual drive guides connected by walkie-talkies • Membership in Fast Lane Travel’s prestigious 150mph Club • Special shirts, caps, flight bags and more Wednesday, April 20th – Friday, April 29th 2016 $11,569 per person, based on two persons per room and PORSCHE For information and reservations:

Fast Lane Travel • 813.343.3001 • Sven@FastLaneTravel.com

Visit our booth at the 2015 Key West Poker Run!

Sponsored by

SPAIN| EUROPE TOUR 2015

150 mph romps in Porsches on the Autobahn and scenic touring of the European countryside, all the while staying in luxurious hotels and dining in castles like King Henry VIII. Sven suggested that he and Peter Sontag, Fast Lane Travel’s owner & founder, might step up their sponsorship with FPC, but felt that is was important for Jackie and I to experience a small sampling of FLT’s many tours, recommending the September Fall Treffen. This event featured a six day experience which stages from Stuttgart Germany, arguably a hotbed for both the Mercedes and Porsche marques, and equally one of Germany’s most historic and splendid travel destinations. Ok Sven, you had my attention at, “I have a good idea, Stu.” Fast forward to September 2015, and after confirming the third piece of the puzzle...i.e. getting Grandma B to agree to move into the Jones residence and take care of the Jones boys… we were on our way to Europe on Sept 2nd, the Wednesday before Labor Day weekend. Day one was spent in Stuttgart, where we caught the tail end of the summer Wine & Food Festival, dining family-style under massive event tents, and enjoying German specialties like pig’s cheek and venison, while sipping Riesling from the local region. Day two, commenced with a two hour Air Berlin flight to Palma de Mallorca, where Rolf & Petra greeted us like royalty, and quickly whisked us off to the small boating village, Port d´Andratx. Our hotel and all of our dining experiences over the next three days in Mallorca were absolutely superb, much to the credit of Rolf & Petra, who were incredibly versed in all aspects of the touring the area, providing the ultimate travel experience for Jackie and I. The real bonus, was the blending of both land and sea. Day three featured a boating excursion on their 43 Sunseeker, along the southern shoreline of Mallorca to a remote cove, surrounded by rocky bluffs that shot hundreds of feet into the blue skies. A dinghy appeared, for the short ride to shore, and we climbed a primitive stone path to a quaint open air restaurant, where made-to-order paella was prepared on open wood burning grills. Day four, the ladies went shopping, while Rolf treated me to a motorcycle touring day around Mallorca on brand new Harleys. From winding country farm roads, to narrow cobblestone streets in six hundred year old villages, and zig-zagging up steep mountain bluffs, this 225 Km daytrip left no doubt in my mind, that Mallorca is perhaps one of the most beautiful places on mother earth.

3 1- Tim’s Lounge, Port of Andraxt, was the local hotspot for drinks and a harbor view. 2- Jackie, Rolf and Petra ready to climb a small mountain for lunch. 3- Club de Vela at Port of Andraxt, is homeport for Rolf & Petra’s Sunseeker. 4- Small coastal beach towns provide great harbors and cruising and motorcycle lunch stops. 5- The narrow streets of the small town of Petra, Southern Mallorca.

4 5

Stu rode a HD Heritage Softail Deluxe, Rolf tried the new 2015 Streetbob.

Day five was another travel day, as we bid farewell to Rolf & Petra, and returned on a direct flight to Stuttgart, flying high above the Alps on a clear, beautiful day that provided a window to Spain, Switzerland and Austria along the way. Our Fast Lane Travel greeter, as promised, was on hand at the airport to take us straight to our hotel, the Graff Zeppelin, located in downtown Stuttgart, in the heart of this bustling German city of just over 600,000 residents. continued on page

84 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

EUROPE TOUR 2015 | GERMANY

We would progressively tour the Greater Metropolitan Stuttgart area in the coming days, dine at the finest restaurants, visit the worldfamous Mercedes Benz Museum, tour the Porsche factory as VIP guests, and of course, drive band new Porsches on the European equivalent of a Cannonball run…And, it was 100% legal. Joining us at the half-way point of our adventure were Mark & Eileen Fischer, our longtime FPC boating friends and owners of OffleaseOnly, which sells highline vehicles and stocks as many as fifty late model Porsches at a time. The significance of that car dealership connection would be realized later in the Treffen, when after driving a Porsche 911 CS4 at 150 mph, Mark admittedly gained a much higher level of respect for the craftsmanship and performance of these Stuttgart-manufactured sports cars. Tuesday in Stuttgart was prep day for the driving adventure of the Fall Treffen, and began with serious business of learning the ropes of driving at 150 mph safely on Germany’s Autobahn. Without getting into too much detail, let it be known that Sven Teuber and his staff cover every aspect of importance, and put the drivers at ease, with the program. By Wednesday, we were in our cars, driving in groups of a half dozen cars, with full car-to-car radio contact at all times. We quickly got into driving situations to that took our cars, Porsche 911 CS4, and GTS models in coupe and cabriolet body styles, to speeds approaching 250 km per hour. (I’ll save you the conversion tables, but it’s over a Buck-Fifty!) Destinations included a few notable attractions like the Neuschwanstein castle, and the small town of Lindau where we stayed in an elegant Hotel Bayerischer Hof on Lake Constance. Cruising on the no- speed-limit Autobahn was complemented by continued on next page

85 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

GERMANY| EUROPE TOUR 2015 the equally enjoyable farm country cruising, where the handling of these over-engineered machines could be appreciated on the winding roadways and rolling hills. We never got lost, never had any incidents, and our tour guide always had an escape path in the event of traffic delay. The final driving destination before arriving back to Stuttgart, was the historic village of Rothenberg, where the motorcade travelled through the ancient city gate to the interior of this completely walled city center. It was here that we enjoyed lunch in a historic Inn, and had time to explore the sights of this thousand year old town. The trip back on country roads, was among the highlights of the tour! In a few words, I would say that this was just one of the most exciting driving experiences I have ever had, which by comparison, is ranked against track days at Palm Beach Raceway in a Porsche 911 Turbo, or driving the super-speedway at Homestead in an Indy car at over 170mph. I attribute this mostly to the fact that this adrenalinecharged driving experience is combined with traveling to exciting historic destinations, and combines five-star dining, luxurious hotels and of course, and the social setting of meeting new friends to share the experience with. After returning to Stuttgart and checking back into the Graff Zeppelin Hotel for the remaining days, the agenda still included plenty of great activities, including the VIP factory tour of Porsche’s Stuttgart Manufacturing Facility, and a lavish dinner at the famed castle on the outskirts of town. Everywhere we ventured, Fast Lane Travel staff members, both American and European, would share with us their unique stories and historical facts about our destinations. It was always just enough of the “good info” to enhance our experience, but not so much as to make us feel like we were back in a high-school history class. The best part…no tests! From scenic cruising along the Mediterranean shores of Mallorca, to touring the Spanish island on a Harley Davidson, followed by German castle-hopping at 150 mph on the world famous Autobahn, our summer of 2015 air, land and sea-inspired European adventure may well have been the perfect 10th anniversary vacation. Thank god my wife lets me do all the travel plans! SJ

1 2

3 1- Dining in Stuttgart with Eileen & Mark Fischer. 2- Arriving in style in Lindau, on scenic Lake Constance. 3- Winding country roads were a sharp contrast to the 150 mph Autobahn. 4- Passing through the castle gates into historic Rothenberg. 5- Jackie caught this photo at 235kmh= 147 mph!

Meet the Fast Lane Travel staff at the Key West Poker Run Village, Nov 11-14, 2015. Sven Teuber will be on hand to provide full details about the exciting FPC Europe Poker Run , a 9-day adventure planned for April 2016, which includes multiple touring days through Germany, Austria and Italy, an overnight stay on Lake Como, boating dinner cruise, and incredible driving though famous passes in the Alps. See ad on page XX this issue.

The historic Beilstein castle, where music and dinner was truly medieval.

86 | POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Key West Poker Run 2015

PROGRAM

Contents: Event Participants........ 2-3 Feature Sponsors..........4-8 Poker Run Village: 9-10 Presented by: Grand Prize 2015 Camaro

2015 Participants Tom Abraham ............................ NY 42’ MTI .............................................MTI Max Alaniz................................. TX 39’ Nor-Tech ................... KING OF CLUBS Michael Alexander...................... NY 32’ Skater..................TJA MOTORSPORTS Joseph Amoroso ......................... NY 39’ Outerlimits ......................BADA BING Cliff Anderson ............................ TX 36’ Eliminator.................. PAPER CHASER Ray Aquit ................................... FL 36’ Deep Impact ............................G-SEA Jorge & Ann Arellano ................. FL 39’ MTI .............................. SUPER BEAST George & Shannon Argyros ........ FL 44’ MTI ..................................... MAYHEM Ken Armstrong ........................... TX 48’ MTI ................................... PHANTOM Chris Walker............................... GA Sponsor ......... EXTREME SUPERTRUCK Stephen Barker .......................... NY 43’ Nor-Tech ..................FOR MY GIRLS II Richie Barr ................................. LA 36’ Eliminator....EXCESSIVE MODERATION Ronald Barrette .......................... NY 38’ Fountain .........................MAXED OUT Bob Berg .................................... FL 50’ Nor-Tech ............................. ARTEMIS Bob Berg .................................... FL 97’ Hargrave ....................THE PROGRAM John & Maria Bettencourt ........... MA 47’ Fountain ........................... LAST CALL Jason Bourne ............................. MA 42’ Outerlimits ...BOURNES AUTO CENTER Chris & Sherry Bowers ................ NC 43’ Fountain .......................LIGHT EM UP Chris & Angela Bradley .............. TX 40’ Nor-Tech .........................RAINMAKER Jim Bradley................................ TX 39’ Nor-Tech ...................ROAD WARRIOR Skip Braver ................................ FL 41’ Cigarette..... CIGARETTE RACING TEAM Nick Buis .................................... FL 38’ Statement!..................... STATEMENT! Justin Bultsma ........................... MI 38’ Powerquest ............. ALMOST ILLEGAL Thomas & Eliesha Calabro .......... RI 44’ Outerlimits ..................... ILLUMINATI Jeff Campbell............................. TX 38’ Statement .......CENTER OF ATTENTION Wally Castro ............................... PR 36’ Nor-Tech ........WALLY CASTRO RACING Steve Caudle .............................. AZ 35’ Formula..........................NO REASON Bubba & Laura Chrisco ............... OK 39’ Cigarette......................... WAR PARTY Erik Christiansen ........................ WI Sponsor .................MERCURY RACING Lane Christianson....................... TX 52’ Outerlimits .......................FAST LANE Michael Ciasulli .......................... NJ 38’ Skater.............. MAXON AUTO GROUP Les Collins .................................. OH 46’ Cigarette........................THE LEGEND Devin Conlee .............................. MI 40’ Hustler ..............................BN NAUTI Dan Davies ................................ IL 51’ Outerlimits ............................. 1%’er David DeNicola........................... NJ 39’ Nor-Tech ........................NOR EASTER Dan Desantis.............................. MA 39’ Cigarette..................FRANCK MULLER Dave Dusendang ........................ MI 39’ Cigarette...........................CIGARETTE Dan & Debra Esquivel ................ MI 36’ Skater...........................BLACK PEARL John Fairleigh ............................ KS 48’ MTI ................... RAISING THE STEAKS Mark Fischer .............................. FL 36’ Deep Impact ........ BOATS DIRECT USA Mark & Eileen Fischer................. FL 52’ Nor-Tech ....... WHERE’S EILEEN NOW? Chris Fisher ................................ VT 35’ Donzi.............................TEAM DONZI Diogo & Vera Francisco............... MD 36’ Nor-Tech ..............KNOT WASTIN TIME Alex Fruth .................................. IL 46’ Outerlimits .............. ENOUGH ALREADY Dwayne Fulcher ......................... VA 42’ Fountain .................FEELING FROGGY Buzz Fyhrie ................................ FL Sponsor ... TOTAL DOLLAR INSURANCE Curtis & Debbie Gano ................. MI 38’ Cigarette.................PRIMAL INSTINCT Ed Garcia ................................... FL 41’ Apache ......... APACHE PERFORMANCE Richard Gerth...........................CAN 42’ Outerlimits ...................OUTERLIMITS Eric Glaser.................................. FL 43’ Midnight Express MIDNIGHT EXPRESS Mike & Angela Goldbaugh.......... AL 38’ Donzi................................ LATE FEE$ Steve Gordon ............................. MI 46’ Skater.......................... DEAL WITH IT 88

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Ray Gremaux ............................. NY 33’ Renegade ........................ RENEGADE William “Bill” Grigo ................... NY 35’ Fountain ....................ADJOURNMENT Dr Ino Halegua .......................... FL 38’ Cigarette............. GREECE LIGHTNING Eskil Hansen .............................. FL 50’ Nor-Tech ............ 5000 TBS NOR-TECH Pat & Diane Haughey ................. FL 30’ Active Thunder ........ ACTIVE THUNDER Lawrence and Emily Hill ............. FL 45’ Cigarette............................MAXIMUS Steve Hirsch ............................... NY 38’ Cigarette..........................SEA HORSE Peter Hledin ............................... MI Sponsor ...........SKATER POWERBOATS Tommy & Kate Hofstetter ........... FL Sponsor ........... CHIEF PERFORMANCE Don House ................................. KY 36’ Cigarette..................... HOUSE PARTY Chet & Cindy Huffman ............... CA 43’ Nor-Tech ........................... WAY NUTZ Andy Imhof ................................ MD 36’ Apache ..................... HOLLOW POINT Dr. Michael Janssen.................... CO 53’ Outerlimits SNOWY MOUNTAIN BREWERY Hal & Missy Johnson .................. MI 39 Nor-Tech ...... SOMETHING’S BREWING Michel Karsenti .......................... FL 32’ Doug Wright ............ GROS COCHONS Rick Kirk .................................... OH 39’ Cigarette...........................CIGARETTE Josh Kirkland ............................. GA 42’ Cigarette........................DIRTY DUCK Burton Kirsten ............................ MI 40’ Outerlimits ................................MAX Joe Sgro..................................... RI 43’ Outerlimits ...................OUTERLIMITS Kelly and Anna Kraiss ................ AZ 32’ Skater........................... FULL BLOWN Dan Kurzejewski ........................ PA 38’ Cigarette............................RIDE THIS

Bob Ladas .................................. MA 44’ MTI .............................................MTI David & Jenny Landsman ........... MD 50’ Outerlimits .................. GOLDDIGGER James Lee .................................. KS 46’ Skater.....................DOUBLE TAKE 46 James Leonardo ......................... NY 112’ BAGLIETTO ................ PURE INSANITY Joel Levac .................................. QU 38 Donzi......................................DONZI Alan Lima .................................. FL 84’ Lazzara .... GROVE HARBOUR MARINA Cody & Veronica Lovins .............. TX 42’ Nor-Tech ...........OUT OF COMPLIANCE Larry & Amy Luna ...................... FL 37’ Statement!...CHAMPAGNE STATEMENT Scott Lyons ................................. MO 48’ MTI ....................................MISTRESS Greg & Brenda McCauley............ MO 42’ MTI .......................................... MTI V Keith Merritt............................... OH 48’ Fountain .................MERRITTROPOLIS Nate & Robin Michel................... LA 47’ Outerlimits .............. REMOTE ACCESS Tyler Miller................................. KS 40’ Skater......................TEAM RECOVERY Elmer Morgan ............................ NJ 40’ DOUGLAS SKATER WICKED ADDICTION Roger Neighbors ........................ KS 42’ Fountain ........................BLUE BAYOU John O’Loughlin ......................... NY 48’ MTI ...............................TERMINATOR Antonio Pabon ........................... SJ 39’ Nor-Tech .............................. T/T MIA Mark Palanchian ........................ FL 90’ Yacht ......NEXTERAPOWERMARKETING Troy Paul ................................... OK 52’ MTI ...... PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS Michael & Nicolle Pierce ............. LA 47’ Outerlimits .................................XXX Scott Price .................................. FL Sponsor ...................HARDIN MARINE Kevin Primmer ........................... ON 35’ Donzi......................................DONZI Rusty Rahm................................ KS 52’ MTI/Sponsor...............WAKE EFFECTS Rusty Rahm................................ KS 55’ Meridian .....................WAKE EFFECTS Mat C. & Ann Marie Raymond III NC 48’ Fountain ........................ MISS GRACE Fred Reavis ................................ SC 40’ MTI .................................. BLEW BY U Travis Reed ................................ MO 41’ Apache ................. WHITE LIGHTNING Beau (Robert) Renfroe ............... GA 36’ Skater......................... DIRTY MONEY Mike Riggs ................................. NC 38’ Fountain .....................................NSF Bill Robbins ................................ TX 39 Cigarette.........CENTER OF ATTENTION Matt & Gail Rohl ........................ FL 38’ Fountain ......................HIGH ROHLER Dr. Robert Rosenberg ................. IL 38’ Couger...................LABOR INTENSIVE Kevin Safrance ........................... MI 34’ Sunsation ............ SUNSATION BOATS Wayne / Joe Schaldenbrand ...... MI 36’ Sunsation ............ SUNSATION BOATS Craig Schmitz ............................. MO 46’ Black Thunder ..............AJs BIRTHDAY Brad Schoenwald........................ FL 38’ Cigarette........... POWERBOAT NATION Dave & Dawn Scotto ................... ON 52’ Outerlimits ....................... GOTTA GO Michael Seman .......................... MD 38’ Wellcraft .SCREAMING SEMAN RACING Tom & Cheryl Sharp ................... GA 50’ Cigarette.......................... MILAGROS Cass Shewbart ............................ TX 38’ Cigarette................... LIQUID PROZAC Jim A. Smith .............................. CA 35’ Wellcraft .................. CRESCENDO T/T Terry Sobo ................................. FL 39’ Nor-Tech ........................... NOR-TECH Luis Sotero ................................. FL 38’ Cigarette............ LONG STORY SHORT Ladd Spring ............................... LA 42’ Cigarette................. SPRING BREAK II Chuck & Shannon Stark .............. SC 46’ Cigarette........................LOOSE NUTZ Scott & Allison Stinson ................ GA 43’ Nordic...................... STILL BELIEVING Mark Stoddart ............................ ON 48’ MTI .............................................MTI Rich Stone .................................. GA 38’ Cigarette..................... STILL SMOKIN Scott Struthers............................ CA 45’ Outerlimits ................MISS SONANCE Albert and Jill Teramana ............ OH 42’ Cigarette.......................NASTY HABIT Sven Teuber ............................... FL Sponsor ................FAST LANE TRAVEL Buddy Thomas ........................... MA 46’ Outerlimits ........................... ALL SET

David Tievy ................................ MD 42’ Fountain ......................................SCI David Tievy ................................ MD 48’ Fountain/Sponsor.......... SPEC-OPS IV Greg and Racquel Tolson ............ FL 32’ Sunsation .........ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR Rudy Trevisan...........................CAN 36’ Nor-Tech .....................IT’S ALL GOOD Mark Tuck .................................. VA 44’ Outerlimits ..................PROVOCATIVE Jack Villars................................SUI 44’ MTI ........................................... JACK William Vogel ............................. WI 39’ Cigarette.............................. GOTCHA Derek Wachob ............................ OK 52’ MTI .........................BLACK DIAMOND Derek Wachob ............................ OK 42’ Cigarette............................... PLAN B Mark & Rachel Waddington ........ NE 52’ Outerlimits ................ FAST REDHEAD Mark and Rachel Waddington ..... NE 42’ Cigarette............................ REDHEAD Jeffrey Wechsler ......................... NY 36’ Nor-Tech ............................FEARLESS Kyle Weese................................. OK 42’ Fountain ......................SPLITTIN 10’$ Todd Werner............................... FL 38’ Statement/Sponsor......... STATEMENT Matt & Tara Willman .................. IA 36’ Nor-Tech .................. PERFECT STORM Mark / Kate Wilson.................... FL Sponsor .....WILSON CUSTOM MARINE Scott Witt ................................... VA 38 Fountain ............... TEAM 38 FASTECH John & Nancy Woodruff ............. GA 48’ MTI ...................................WINDSHIP John Young ................................ CA 50’ Outerlimits ..........................OUTLAW

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Active Thunder Boats: Pompano Beach, FL

At Active Thunder our philosophy is to build the best boat possible using the finest materials, hardware, electronics and engines available. Look for our all-new Savage 29, powered by Mercury Verado outboards, at the Key West Poker Run Sponsor dock.

www.ActiveThunderBoats.com BoatsDirect USA: Key Largo, FL

Boatsdirectusa is your connection to new and used boats, and is the factorydirect outlet for Blackwater and Deep Impact Boats. From a small single outboard flats boat to a quad-engine Deep Impact luxury offshore cruiser, BoatsDirectUSA has something for everyone. See our display at the Key West Poker Run Village and Sponsor dock.

www.BoatsDirectUSA.com Chief Performance: Fort Lauderdale, FL

Chief Performance specializes in the fabrication, sales and service of customer performance engines and innovative marine endurance power packages. Visit Chief Performance at the Key West Poker Run Village, where the latest twinturbo charged powerplant will be on display.

www.ChiefEngines.com Cigarette Racing: Miami, FL

Since 1969, Cigarette has continued to maintain its status as world recognized, iconic brand, and continues to evolve with changing times with new models and innovative designs. See new models on display at the Key West Poker Run Village.

www.CigaretteRacing.com 90

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Deep Impact: Miami, FL

Since the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new direction was mapped out in 2014, Deep Impact has focused attention on combining its patented stepped bottom hull and rugged offshore heritage, with new styling that will soon launch a new genre of open cockpit, outboard cruisers. See the latest from Deep Impact at the BoatsdirectUSA display, at the Key West Poker Run Village.

www.DeepImpactBoats.com Fast Lane Travel: Clearwater, FL

For almost forty years, Fast Lane Travel has specialized in European motorsports touring, with a variety of turn-key travel adventures that feature high-speed Autobahn motoring in late model Porsches, combined with five-star accommodations, dining and attractions. Visit company representatives at the Key West Poker Run Village, and ask about Florida Powerboat Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exclusive 2016 Europe Poker Run event.

www.FastLaneTravel.com Grove Harbour Marina: Coconut Grove, FL

Grove Harbour Marina is a full-service facility operated by marine experts, with indoor & outdoor rack storage, plus in water dockage for yachts up to 120 feet. GHM has major expansion and development plans in store for 2016 and beyond.

www.GroveHarbourMarina.com

Hardin Marine: Palm Coast, FL

Hardin Marine remains at the forefront of marine product innovation after over 30 years. We’ve developed the most complete product lines in the performance marine industry, used extensively around the world. Visit Hardin Marine at their fifty foot mobile transport display, in the Key West Poker Run Village.

Nextera Energy Power Marketing: North Palm Beach, FL

NextEra Energy Power Marketing is one of the nation’s leading electricity and natural gas marketers and a key player in energy markets in the United States and Canada. Team NextEra Energy is the largest Key West Poker Run sponsor team in attendance, so be sure to wave to their 45 participants aboard the motoryacht MIA, which returns as a poker run card checkpoint boat on the Thursday run.

www.Hardin-Marine.com www.NextEraEnergyResources.com Liberty Coach of Florida: Stuart, FL

We are a forward thinking company with an eye to the future always in search of the latest and greatest new equipment and designs. Much of our attention is devoted to the engineering of our luxury coaches to maximize the full potential of every component. See a Liberty Coach on display at the Key West Poker Run Village, and experience the Liberty Coach difference.

www.LibertyCoach.com

Nor-Tech Hi Performance Boats: N Fort Myers, FL

Since inception Nor-Tech set out to build exclusive products that were not available from the existing production or custom boat builders. In the early days the company was focused on delivering a handful of highend custom machines. Along with a constantly evolving line of new center consoles and the stylish Monte Carlo Series, Nor-Tech remains true to its performance heritage, by still offering custom built 52 foot v-bottom and catamaran models. Visit Nor-Tech at the Key West Poker Run village, with display boats on-land and in-water.

www.Nor-TechBoats.com

Mercury Racing: Fond-du-Lac, WI

For us, innovation isn’t optional. The minute we finish an engine is the minute we start engineering its replacement. It’s more than tweaking the drive or increasing the horses. It’s about starting a revolution. We don’t just aim to outperform our competitors – we aim to outperform ourselves. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither were our numerous world championships. We’ve learned that the formula for success requires as much patience as it does genius. And because we don’t have to answer to anyone but the finish line, we take our time to perfect everything we make. Visit the Mercury Racing mobile display at the Key West Poker Run Village, and be there for a ground-breaking new product release on Thursday Nov 11th!

www.MercuryRacing.com POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

OffleaseOnly.com: Orlando to Miami, FL With four major Florida locations in Orlando, Lake Worth and Miami, and two more new stores on the way in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, OffleaseOnly has risen to become one of the country’s leading used car dealers,

featuring quality, pre-owned and off-lease, late model cars and trucks that fit every budget! Even high-line cars including Mercedes, Bmw, Porsche, Jaguar, Ferrari, Audi, Rolls Royce and Bentley, can be found in the nearly 4,000 car inventory!

OffleaseOnly returns as the Key West Poker Run Grand Prize sponsor, providing a 2015 low-mile Camaro Convertible, and will display Porsche 911’s at the Fast Lane Travel display, in the Key West Poker Run Village.there for a ground-breaking new product release on Thursday Nov 11th!

www.OffleaseOnly.com Outerlimits Powerboats:

Bristol, RI

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen: “Love that Chicken!”

From the creative mind of the late Mike Fiore, Outerlimits unique design, exclusive technology, perfect craftsmanship and luxurious amenities redefined offshore power boating. As the most desirable high performance boats in the industry, Outerlimits fills a unique niche for those clients who want the best in offshore performance and want it their way. Without compromise, without limits, the extraordinary awaits you. See the world-record 180mph Outerlimits 43 Vee at the Key West Poker Run Sponsor Dock.

Forty years ago in New Orleans, a taste sensation was born. What began with one small restaurant and one big idea turned into a craze that swept the nation – and the world. FPC Member Bob Berg oversees an extensive network of Popeyes Restaurants, supporting FPC television platforms with national ads that feature the feisty and charming Popeyes spokesperson, Annie.

www.OuterlimitsPowerboats.com

www.Popeyes.com

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Snowy Mountain Brewery: Saratoga, WY

Since 1973, SCI has served the Washington D.C. area, developing a national reputation for quality. SCI has engineered, programmed, installed, inspected, and maintained various projects including in-building wireless solutions, paging systems, and web solutions for over 40 years. SCI distributes a full line of Garmin and Icom marine electronics and continues to offer FPC members with attractive discounts as a member benefit. Prizes for the Key West Poker Run event have been donated by SCI.

The Snowy Mountain Brewery is located in the historic little town of Saratoga, Wyoming and the anchor brewpub for the Saratoga Resort and Spa. The microbrewery, which boasts 8-10 different flavors through the season, is one of the fastest growing breweries in Wyoming and surrounding states. Owner Doc Michael Jansen will proudly display his SMBsponsored Outerlimits 53V at the Key West Poker Run sponsor dock. Run Village and Sponsor dock.

www.SciCommo.com

www.SaratogaResortAndSpa.com

SCI-Superior Communications Inc: Annapolis, MD

Statement! Marine: St. Petersburg, FL

Skater Powerboats: Holland, MI

After starting with the Skater 18 in 1974, Douglas Marine owner Peter Hledin now offers more than ten sizes of catamarans in various models for race and pleasure use. No catamaran builder has won more world and national championships in offshore racing or set more kilo speed records than Douglas Marine. Skater was the first builder to perfect the use of vacuum-bagging technology, S-glass, Kevlar, epoxy resins, construction techniques that are used on every boat. More than fifteen Skaters are featured on the Key West Poker Run entry list.

www.SkaterPowerboats.com

Ever since Statement burst onto the scene with the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s firstever simultaneous introduction of entirely new v-bottom and catamaran models, one thing has been clear: This is no ordinary powerboat manufacturer. While others have rested on their laurels, the team at Statement has kept the throttles down, producing a continually evolving and rapidly expanding lineup of extreme high-end, high performance powerboats. Statement will feature its newest 38 SUV at the Key West Poker Run Sponsor dock.

www.StatementMarine.com

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Sunsation Powerboats: Algonac, MI

Building performance boats “worth owning” is the driving force behind every custom hand built powerboat Sunsation creates. Delivering ride, style, innovation, performance and value not easily achieved in the industry today. Our unsurpassed quality and attention to detail earn us what we can’t buy; customers we’re proud to have join our family. See the newest Sunsation 34CCX center console at the Key West Poker Run Sponsor dock.

www.SunsationBoats.com

VisitFlorida: Tallahassee, FL

VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, serves as Florida’s official source for travel planning to visitors across the globe. VISIT FLORIDA is not a government agency, but rather a not-for-profit corporation created as a public/private partnership by the Florida Legislature in 1996. VisitFlorida has provided financial support to assist in the promotion of the Key West Poker Run 2015.

www.VisitFlorida.org www.VisitFlorida.com Wake Effects: Osage Beach, FL

Wake Effects is Lake of the Ozarks’ premier wake board and watersports retail dealer, offering a full line of wake boats, boards, accessories and professional instruction from staff pro-riders. More recently, owner Rusty Rahm ventured towards his true passion for high-performance powerboats, becoming an official dealer for MTI. See the Wake Effects-sponsored 52 MTI at the Key West Poker Run Sponsor Dock.

www.WakeEffects.com WCM Wilson Custom Marine: Stuart, FL

Total Dollar Management (Florida): Ft. Lauderdale, FL

For decades, poker runners have relied on Total Dollar for High Performance insurance covering their V-bottom or catamaran high performance boats. Total Dollar offers competitive rates up to 130mph for v-bottoms, and to 160 mph for cats. Plus, FPC Gold and Platinum members receive attractive discounts. Meet company rep, Buzz Fyhrie at the Key West Poker Run Village, and get a quote!

www.TotalDollarFlorida.com 94

POWERBOATING IN PARADISE

Performance boating enthusiasts and racers from around the globe rely on WCM to provide expert propulsion tuning and set-up to achieve the maximum performance and speed for their craft. From blueprinting propellers and lower units, to applying high-tech coatings, Mark Wilson and his staff are the best in the business. Visit WCM owners & staff at the Key West Poker Run Village.

www.WilsonCustomMarine.com

Xtreme Powerboats: Miami, FL

Xtreme Marine is a dealer for such boats as Motion Marine and Titan Powerboats, including service on OuterLimits, Cigarette, Spectre, etc. We are also dealers for Marine Machine, Livorsi, Cobra Power, and much more. Visit Xtreme Powerboats at the Key West Poker Run Village.

www.XtremePowerboats.com

LOT B

SIMO

NTON

OLD TOWN VILLAS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

L 24

23 20 22

21 7 28

NO ACCESS

MOVE - IN Thurs - NOV 11 6 TO 10 AM BOATS & TRUCKS 10 AM TO 2 PM TENTS & CARS OPENS THURSDAY 2 PM MOVE - OUT SUNDAY - NOV 14 6 PM till midnight ALL EQP OUT BY 8 AM MONDAY

18 19

E GREEN

KEY WEST POKER RUN VILLAGE NOV 11 - 14, 2015

LOT A

18 19

CONCH REPUBLIC SEAFOOD CO. 631 GREENE ST

ROW1

ROW 3

ROW 2

TAX I

Vehicle traffic / fire lan

15 14 13

16 8

10 9

DRO

VEHICLE & PEDESTRIAN ENTRANCE

SPONSOR DOCK

LOT A:

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

FPC HEADQUARTER TENT & TRAILER OFFLEASE ONLY - Grand Prize CAMARO PUBLIC BIKE RACKS BOATSDIRECTUSA.COM CIGARETTE 39’ CC CIGARETTE RACING & APPAREL TLR MERCURY RACING Mobile Display MERCURY RETAIL FASTBOATS STATEMENT 35' 39’ NORTECH CC CHIEF PERFORMANCE 10‘X10’ TOTAL DOLLAR 10‘X10’ WILSON CUSTOM MARINE 10‘X10’ VENDOR

FAST LANE TRAVEL /2 Porsches HARDIN MARINE PBN 53’ HOSPITALITY TRAILER 18 10‘X10’ Vendor 19 10‘X10’ Vendor 20 LIBERTY 45’ COACH 16 17

LOT B: 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

cking

le - no do

Sea Eag

EXTREME MARINE-1 EXTREME MARINE-2 FPC - COACH ABRAHAM- COACH MERRITT - COACH MERRITT - STACKER BRADLEY- STACKER/Truck MGR PARKING PRIVATE DISPLAY

2016 CALENDAR

Ad Index ACTIVE THUNDER .................................... 33 AMERICAN CUSTOM MARINE ...................41 BAM MARINE .......................................... 35 BOATS DIRECT USA ..................................25 BOOST POWER ENGINES ....................... IBC BOOSTANE OCTANE BOOST ....................19 BROWARD TRAILER .................................61 CENTER FOR SPINE & ORTHOPEDICS...... 45 CMI ......................................................... 23 CIGARETTE RACING ...................................9 DOLLER OFFSHORE MARINE ....................17 ELECTRONICS UNLIMITED ...................... 55 ENVUE ..................................................... 77 FAST LANE TRAVEL ........................... 82/83 FORT LAUDERDALE BOAT SHOW ............ 43 FPC MARKET PLACE ............................... 59 GROVE HARBOR MARINA ........................ 29 LEGEND MARINE TX ................................ 63 LIVORSI ....................................................15 MERCURY RACING...................................IFC MIAMI INT’ BOAT SHOW 2016 .................57 NORTECH .................................................13 OCEAN LED ..............................................79 OFFLEASE ONLY.........................................5 OLD TOWN VILLAS ...................................79 PILINI POWERBOATS ..............................11 SCI SUPERIOR COMMUNICATIONS ...........47 SKATER ................................................... 49 SONIC POWERBOATS .............................. 69 SPEEDWEAR ............................................73 SUNCOAST BOAT SHOW ...........................67 TEAGUE CUSTOM MARINE ..................BACK TOTAL DOLLAR INSURANCE.................... 65 WINTER POKER RUN 2016 .......................61

ADVERTISING DEADLINES: NEXT ISSUE VOL16#1 AD MATERIALS: JAN 20TH, 2016

Disclaimer: Please note the the 2016 event planning is a constantly ongoing process, that will most certainly see changes to dates and events along the way. The following calendar includes some (tentative dates) along with new events that are currently in the planning stages with venue hosts and sponsoring organizations. It’s important that you do NOT purchase airplane tickets, book hotels, or make plans to attend, without first confirming with the Florida Powerboat Club office. Most or all of these dates will be confirmed no later than January 1st, 2016. Visit www. flpowerboat.com for updated information.

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