Florida Powerboat Club Members Chill In Winter Fun Run
Hoping to escape cold weather, 40-plus Florida Powerboat Club members and their guests tackled the Winter Fun Run to Islamorada last weekend. But cold means something different in the Upper Florida Keys than it does in the Northeast and Midwest. South Florida was particularly frigid for the trek from North Miami to the Post Card Inn for the weekend in what was the first event of the club’s 2022 season.
A test-bed for Sixteen Power V-16 engines, the JBS Racing MTI catamaran was among the boats in the Florida Powerboat Club Winter Poker Run fleet. Photos by Stu Jones copyright of the Florida Powerboat Club.
“With the coldest weather reported in South Florida in a decade, our members took a leap of faith and added a few extra layers as they boarded their boats at Haulover Marine Center Friday morning,” said Stu Jones, the president of the Pompano Beach, Fla.-based outfit.
While rain wasn’t part of the weather equation, the wind was relentless, according to the Florida Powerboat Club leader. By Saturday, the sustained breeze was in the high-20-mph range with gusts well north of 30 mph. Most participants chose to stay put at the Post Card Inn venue, though a few opted for a lunch run to Marathon.
Enjoy more imags from last weekend’s Florida Powerboat Club event in the slideshow above.
Jones described the run as “the club’s coldest event” in more than a decade. But the atmosphere, he explained, was warm throughout the weekend.
“As cold as it was, the vibe remained festive, and with so many newcomers attending it was a great chance for so many of the participants to make some new boating friends,” he said. “By Sunday, the temperatures had dropped event further to the low 40s. Combined with the wind-chill of the fast-paced powerboats, it was time for some extra layers before heading out on the 80-plus-mile ride back to Miami.”
A couple of brave Florida Powerboat Club models donned protective head gear to tackle the cold.
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