Fort Myers Offshore Keeps Thanksgiving Weekend Lunch Run Tradition Alive

The fourth event of the Fort Myers Offshore 2018/2019 season, yesterday’s New Year’s Lunch Run from the Sanibel Island Bridge to CJ’s at the Esplanade on Marco Island in Southwest Florida pulled in more than 50 boats. Though the total amount of money raised and donated to the nonprofit organization’s college scholarship fund is not yet in, the event was the second “designated fundraiser” of the FMO season.

Sport catamarans such as this Wright Performance 360 owned by Mark Munro and performance center consoles from Mystic, Nor-Tech and Renegade dominated the mix in yesterday’s Fort Myers Offshore lunch run to Marco Island (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

FMO club president Eric Belisle said that a few days prior to the event there was an 80-percent chance of rain in Saturday’s forecast, which kept some participants “on the fence” for the event until the last minute. But the forecast fell apart and the weather was “awesome,” he said.

“We were pleasantly surprised,” he said. “It turned out to be a great day. People came all the way from the other coast—Fort Lauderdale and so on—to join us. Ron Jon trailered his Concept all the way up from Plantation in the Keys for the weekend and he ended up winning the 50/50 raffle.”

To raise money for its college scholarship club, FMO—now in its 14th season—asked each boat/crew participating to donate a minimum $100. As usual, the club members proved generous in supporting the cause.

Check out the slideshow above for more images from the FMO Thanksgiving weekend lunch run.

“More than half of the members who participated gave more than $100,” Belisle said. “Some gave all the way up to $500, and though I don’t have a final total yet for the day, we raised another $1,100 with the 50/50 raffle.

“Board members Meghan Brousseau and Tim and Cyndee Hill really helped organize the event and get everything together,” he added. “And with Raymond Roberts’ (the co-owner of Double R Performance in Ontario, Canada, and a longtime FMO supporter) 3-1/2-month-old son, Ryan, there, we may have had our youngest FMO event participant ever.”

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