Florida Powerboat Club Reschedules Bahamas Event

With the possible exception of the American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship Series, which has yet to run a race this season thanks to COVID-19, no series of events has been more affected by the ongoing pandemic than the events of the Florida Powerboat Club. Stu Jones and his team at the Pompano Beach, Fla.-based organization have produced just one event—the Miami Boat Show Poker Run in February—this year.

Originally set for this month, FPC Bahamas Poker Run will have to wait. Photos courtesy/copyright of the Florida Powerboat Club.

Yet another casualty of the novel coronavirus, the FPC’s July 24-29 Bahamas Poker Run has been rescheduled for September 18-22. The organization announced the move earlier today in a press release on its website.

“As COVID-19 cases across the country continue to pose a national health threat, we have encountered further challenges with planning the Bahamas Poker Run, which had been rescheduled for July 24-29,” the release stated. “The Bahamas government recently imposed strict COVID-19 testing guidelines with 10-day advance testing for all visitors from the United States. These guidelines have since been modified to seven-days advance with 48-hour submission prior to arrival, which essentially makes it impossible for most visitors to comply, due to the difficulty in getting expedited test results.”

Combined with the Atlantis Resort And Marina’s decision to remain closed for the balance of the month, the Bahamian government’s COVID-19 mandates forced Jones’ hand.

“The Bahamas government imposed unrealistic COVID-19 testing requirements that made it a deal-breaker for most travelers,” he said. “And when the Atlantis decided to stay closed this month, that gave us no other viable destination in Nassau.

“We were left with no option other than to reschedule the Bahamas Poker Run for September 18-22 with the anticipation that the pandemic will have a measurable reduction in new cases,” he continued. “We expect the Bahamas government to relax its testing requirements by that time.”

Jones and company are hoping to produce the Bahamas event in mid-September.

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