Escape to the Cape

ESCAPE TO the CapeAugust 21-22, 2021 Cape Coral, FL

It started early Saturday morning when a large number of PCA members met at Porsche West Broward. Since I volunteered to take photos of the event, I arrived early to photograph the line-up of the many Porsches ready to “Escape to the Cape.”

The drive across Alligator Alley was easy and everyone kept a respectable pace. We arrived at the first stop, the Boathouse Tiki Bar Restaurant in Fort Myers, where attendees from other regions met us for lunch. The restaurant was open-air and right on the river with beautiful views; it even had a pool. The service and food were top notch. The parking lot was filled with an impressive array of beautiful Porsches. The bright sunny day made all of the colors just pop, perfect for taking a lot of photos.

Then onto the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village to check in and get settled. The resort offered contemporary rooms with sweeping views of the Gulf and the Caloosahatchee River. I took a break from the photography to join the other members cooling off and relaxing in and around the pool with cocktails from the Nauti Mermaid Bar & Grill.

I drove “Shadow,” my 1985 944, and met a young lady from the Citrus Region in Orlando, who brought her red 1987 944. It turns out that it is her first car and she is working on learning how to drive the stick shift. Her father, who drove a red Boxster, and brothers were with her, and we enjoyed talking about the 944s. We also have matching 944 hats and were able to get a photo together the next day at the car show.

That night, we enjoyed a buffet dinner and the camaraderie of fellow Porsche enthusiasts from around the state. I enjoyed visiting with all of the tables and taking photographs. The raffle offered some amazing prizes from car care and cleaning products to two grand prizes for the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta. Congratulations to the lucky winners!

On Sunday morning a number of Porsches lined up in a designated parking area for the Escape Car Show and were parked according to the classes. Porsche of Fort Myers provided two brand new Taycans for display. The judging for the show was laid back and went by PCA touring standards with allowances made for weather and travel at the discretion of the judges. The judges, led by Peter Olliviere, also considered the owner’s passion for their Porsche and involvement in the PCA. I was selected to be a judge and really enjoyed speaking to the owners and learned so much about their enthusiasm for their Porsches. Wow! I had a really difficult decision to make and had to consult with Peter for his advice.

The highlight of the car show was two interesting presentations. The first one was by Shawn from Detail Garage in Ft. Myers. He demonstrated products and techniques for detailing your car using the Taycan provided by Porsche of Fort Myers. I found it helpful to learn that there is a certain technique when polishing the car. I wished he could have used my 944 as the presentation demo! The second presentation was by Bobby Varela from Foreign Affairs Motorwerks in Pompano Beach. For me, the advice he presented was extremely valuable on what to look for when purchasing a preowned vehicle and how to negotiate price. I think it also would help someone who is considering selling their vehicle.

Finally, the car show winners were announced, and the participants dispersed, some staying an extra night, some heading out for lunch together before driving home. The Escape was a terrific event. In these crazy pandemic times, the event name rang true: “escape” is what many of us needed and Cape Coral was the perfect place for a group of Porsche enthusiasts to enjoy a driving experience in order to get away and

come together. Not only was the weather HOT, the Porsches were as well! . . . and so were the participants. :)

Sharing a passion for the 944

August 21-22, 2021 Escape to the Cape

Over 120 Porsches gathered at Porsche Broward to embark on the Gold Coast PCA Escape to the Cape! The Porsches cruised along Alligator Alley to the Boathouse Tiki Bar Restaurant in Fort Myers, for a delicious lunch. The final stop was The Westin Resort Cape Coral at Marina Village!

2021 Escape to the Cape Wrap up…

Another year in the books for the annual PCA migration to the Southwest Florida Coast!

Recapping the weekend events, those of us leaving from West Broward Porsche found a great group of volunteers. Waving everyone in was as Ed Blair; and nobody processes the PCA paperwork better than the amazing team of Dottie & Steve Kidd!

Many shout outs to our leads and sweeps to accompany each group of 15 cars in having a safe and easy two-hour drive over to the Boathouse Tiki Bar Restaurant for lunch. The Boathouse (Kears Restaurant Group, owned by a three-car Porsche enthusiast), had the giant parking lot full of Porsches of all kinds. The lunch at the Boathouse had beautiful views of the Caloosahatchee River with two full-service bars, award winning cuisine, and live music. All while having some of the most stunning scenery in Southwest Florida...

After checking into the wonderful Westin Hotel Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village, many of our PCA Florida regional members enjoyed poolside drinks and relaxed in the pool.

That evening, in a large banquet hall adjacent to the hotel, dinner and a charity raffle were held. Regarding Covid issues, the entire banquet hall was used to make the room extremely spread out so there was no crowding at all. The dinner buffet featured prime rib, chicken, and shrimp; all served by staff behind a window of plexiglass. A brisk sale of raffle tickets was sold by the help of our president Peter Olliviere, Mike Koller, and me. Peter’s wife Laraine helped with ticket separation.

The main event, the raffle, started around 8 p.m. P21s provided samples of their Concours-look Camauba wax for everyone. Griots Garage also got in on the giveaway action by providing samples of BF car wash as well.

Raffle prizes included TouchUp RX, Lithium car care products,passes for PCA October DE event, Autogeeks Wolfgang Concours Kits,BadgeBar, Flashback Diner, Tap 42, Dr Colorchip, just to name just a few. Our entertaining MC of the night was provided by Peter.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the very special THREE GRAND PRIZES donated by Fort Myers Porsche:

Two Tickets to The Porsche Experience Center (PEC) in Atlanta, Georgia (2 Packages Awarded) Won by Jesse Singer and Robert Greene

His and Hers Golf Porsche Golf Accessories Won by Bianka Steinfeldt

Sunday morning, we headed to a gated lot for the car show adjacent to the hotel. Two tech sessions were held at the car show as well. First, Detail Garage of Fort Myers provided insight on detailing techniques. The second tech session featured our own Bobby Varela of Foreign Affairs Motorwerks (and a Kassette advertiser) who provided a talk on what to look for when buying a preowned vehicle. In addition, Porsche Ft. Myers brought along TWO brand new Taycans to show.

Awards were also handed out to the winners of the car show. See photos attached for winners.

Once again, a fun event had by all! We can’t wait to see you next year, Porsche family!

Rick Veingrad,

Chairman of the Escape to the Cape