Powerboatnation.com Raft-Up in Full Swing

Not all of the boats are shown here, but the inagural Powerboatnation.com Raft-Up has attracted 55 boats and hundreds of people.

Early predictions from the organizers that the Powerboatnation.com Raft-Up (see the earlier story) would take a couple of hours to reach 50 boats have proven accurate—if a little conservative. Roughly one hour after the 1 p.m. start time, there were 55 high-performance boats rafted up to one another, and literally hundreds of people on the boats and in the water.

Without question, the event is one large celebration of go-fast boats and the people who love them. And it’s not just participants from the current Miami Boat Show Poker Run, organized by the Florida Powerboat Club. Locals of the lower Keys are well represented in the lines of boats rafted up to one another.

“I am happy that the Miami Boat Show Poker run is back on track with great participation, fantastic weather and spirited people who are absolutely passionate about this sport,” said Stu Jones, the owner and founder of the Florida Powerboat Club. “It’s a lot of work to stage a poker run with 80 registered teams, so it’s nice to have Powerboatnation.com step up, take up some of the organizational responsibilities and stage this rendezvous. The whole Powerboatnation.com team has covered every angle, from promotions and location to logistical support. They have exceeded my expectations.”

One small problem, or least a pending one: The tide is on its way out, and the majority of the fleet is in water that will soon be too shallow to handle its draw. That means a fairly substantial move for much of the rafted fleet will be necessary.

No one will mind. This is one serious party and it would be impossible to destroy the mood.