The Fall weather was superb, with clear, sunny skies, daily temperatures in the low 80’s and light winds, making for calm seas and fair-weather boating. Kicking off on Tuesday Nov 9th at SeaIsle Marina, the weeklong poker run format featured four continuous days of departures, giving over seven hundred participants from around the globe the powerboat ride of their lives. As they enjoyed the 165 mile scenic journey from Miami, through Key Largo, Taverier, Islamorada and Marathon, participants plucked poker cards along the way for a chance to win a 2010 Ford Mustang Convertible provided by Offleaseonly.com.
Sponsorship participation from the performance marine trade elevated to new heights for this signature Florida Powerboat Club poker run, as powerboaters begin to emerge from the depths of the recent economic downturn, and marine manufacturers, dealers and oem’s arrived in full force to fill every square foot of the Key West Poker Run Village at the FPC poker run headquarters at Conch Republic Seafood Company in the heart of the Historic Seaport. Activities included a Friday night Sponsor Appreciation Party with a sexy swimwear fashion show, followed by a Saturday Fun Run to the popular Boca Grande beach island, where close to one hundred boats gathered for a perfect day. The Saturday night bash featured a fantastic spread of prime rib and the famous Key West Pink shrimp, as hundreds of poker hands were played out. Congratulations toGreg & Brenda McCauley from Missouri, owners of a 42 MTI, for winning their first FPC poker run, taking home the Grand Prize Ford Mustang Convertible.
Many other prizes were awarded in several categories, with special mention to Nor-Tech High Performance Boats for winning theManufacturers Cup, with 22 registered Nor-Tech owners on the run, and to Pier 57 for their fantastic new hospitality trailer, which won themBest Poker Run Village Display.
Over 1000 images are posted on the FPC photo galleries (on this site) with more media releases and web-blogs coming over the next several weeks. In addition, all participants receive a full length DVD (before Xmas 2010) and complete event coverage will be featured in the next issue of Powerboating in Paradise Magazine. Call the FPC office at 954-54-1414 for additional information.