When Boat Counts Matter—And Don’t

Journalists love numbers. How many or few, how much or little, numbers give us jumping-off points for stories. If the numbers are gaudy enough, as they were, for example, with last year’s 214-boat Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run, they can become the foundation of whatever story we’re trying to report.

When it comes to boating events, fleet size never tells the full story. Photo from the 2019 Erie Poker Run courtesy/copyright Jeff Helmkamp/Helmkamp Photos.

And yet—small or large—numbers never paint a complete picture. Especially without context.

Two events from last weekend present perfect cases in point.

Produced by Anthony Scioli of Elite Poker Runs, LLC, Saturday’s Erie Poker Run in Pennsylvania saw just 19 of the 23 boats registered take to the water. By any measure, that is a small poker-run fleet.

Read More: When Boat Counts Matter—And Don’t

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