It seems like yesterday we were heading through the Florida Keys for the 2000 Edition of the Annual Key West Poker Run, but somehow a year just slid by and we're already preparing the reservation lists and captains' kits for the 2001 edition! Where does the time go? I suppose one explanation is that after sneaking in a few small events before the end of the Holiday Season, we got right down to the business of boating by launching an Eighteen-event 2001 Calendar.

The swift pace of our club's activities seems to gobble up days and weeks at a time, and before I know it, the Snowbirds are heading home for the summer! But thank god for great aerial photos, hours and hours of video coverage and the huge photo galleries on www.flpowerboat.com……because they provide us with a quick means to drift into pleasant thoughts and memories of the good times that we've had with our fellow boating buds in tropical paradise.

In this issue of Powerboating in Paradise News, (out largest ever) I want everyone to first, take time to really look closely at all the great shots, because you'll see yourselves and fellow members having fun, and it'll take you back to the great memories that you will always cherish. Second, I want all of you to pay tribute to the really talented people behind our organization.. We try to recruit the best photographers, video cameramen, editors and helicopter pilots that can work as a team to create the fantastic images that are downloaded to our mental hard-drives. So after a long day of shooting, or when they're taking a quick breather at the lunch stop, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate their artistry.

We had so many great events over the last eleven months, and there were so many highlights that I won't even begin to try to recap our 2001 series here. All I can say is that there's a little bit of everything placed in a very structured, chronological order starting last November and taking us up to some very recent Fall events. We missed doing a summer newsletter (too busy having fun) so I went to the 48-page format this issue because there was just too much to showcase. But as always, we still can't get everyone covered…it's just impossible. So we keep trying get everyone in….and with well over five-hundred members now, our goal is to keep expanding the newsletter, producing longer, more action packed videos, sending countless photos and editorials to other boating magazines, and of course packing the website with hundreds of snapshots of our members. That brings me to our next topic…the FPC website. It's been just over a year since Aaron Lieberman created www.flpowerboat.com and FPCgirls.com, and both sites have had literally thousands of visits over the last sixteen months. The really impressive thing about this is that Aaron dedicates his time and some of his staff at Extreme Programming to our cause…for little more than his out-of-pocket expenses and the chance to go on the Poker Runs and hang out with our fun-loving members. And just when we got the site really fine-tuned, Aaron has outdone himself by recruiting another highly skilled web-team player, Jason Greenberg, who has completely re-designed the site. Be sure to thank the guys if you bump into them, and look for the launch of our exciting new site in early December!

Next up, I want to remind everyone of a very special anniversary coming soon! It was in April of 1992 that Florida Powerboat Club sprung its roots at Sunny Isles Marina in North Miami Beach. Then in the Summer of '93 that we actually incorporated as Florida Powerboat Club, Inc., but we're satisfied with April '92 as the "official" birthday, making 2002 our big Tenth Anniversary! I want all of you to make every effort to get out and support the club next year…joining with me, our industry colleagues and fellow members to celebrate something that has become a very big part of our lives. I decided that it would only be right to offer an outstanding event lineup, featuring many of the popular events that visit great destinations, and I've also added some new event formats to give more of you a chance to join in.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge those of you who were hit hardest by the recent disaster of Sept 11th. With our very strong membership base from the North Eastern coastal region, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Eastern PA and surrounding states, we unfortunately have club members who suffered great losses, including family and friends. The damage has been done, and we have all done so much with our blessings and financial contributions to help those who have suffered the most. But there's still one thing we can still do….and it will have a tremendous impact everywhere we go. Please join us in a salute to our country, and to the Freedom we enjoy, by flying the Star Spangled Banner from your boat every time you pull into a harbor, buzz by a crowded beach or idle up the Intracoastal. Starting with the Key West Poker Run, quality US Flags will be issued to all FPC members at every event…and when we arrive, we do it with a loud, resounding message. We love our lifestyles, we love our freedom, and most of all, we love this country.

Stu Jones