MTI 390X Raceboat To Anchor Eighth Annual Speed On The Water Key West Bash

The hottest party in Key West, Fla., during the early November offshore races and the Florida Powerboat Club’s signature poker run, the Speed On The Water Key West Bash will return on Thursday, November 10, to the Sandbar Sports Grill on Greene Street. As it was in 2019—the 2020 celebration fell like a domino after COVID-19 forced Race World Offshore to cancel its second-year event—Greene Street will be closed to vehicle traffic.

Another MTI—this time a raceboat—will be displayed on Greene Street during the Speed On The Water Key West Bash on November 10. Photo from the Lake Race by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.

As he did two years ago, Race World Offshore president Larry Bleil graciously has arranged to have Greene Street shut down during the party. And once again, MTI of Wentzville, Mo., is coming through with a showpiece product to set the mood.

In 2019, the MTI folks displayed their first 390X catamaran on Greene Street in front of the Sandbar Sports Grill. This time around, they’ll be showcasing their first canopied 390X raceboat, which driver Taylor Scism and throttlemen John Tomlinson and Shaun Torrente are campaigning this season in the fledgling 450R Factory Stock class.

Of course, all the familiar elements that have made the party a hit are returning, including complimentary food (while it lasts) sponsored by Wozencraft Insurance Agency, drink specials, T-shirts and the raucous live auction benefitting Samuel’s House, a Key West-based nonprofit organization that provides shelter and services for displaced women and children. Auctioneer extraordinaire Nolan Ferris of Upstate New York will reprise his role and is committed to helping the event top its record-setting $42,500 fundraising total in 2019. So, too, are longtime Speed On The Water supporters and Key West party organizers Greg Harris and Yvonne Aleman, who own an MTI 340X and produce the annual Jacksonville River Rally and Poker Run, which will return in 2022.

During the 2019 Speed On The Water Key West Bash, performance-boating world notable Bill Pyburn, Jr. and Fallon Thibodeaux struck a pose in front of the first MTI 390X catamaran built. Photo by Devin Wozencraft/Wozencraft Insurance Agency.

Speedonthewater.com will publish updates on the celebration, including those on auction items, as the date approaches.

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