Tuesday Departure Group Solid For Key West Poker Run

Revived last year after more than a decade of dormancy, the Tuesday departure wave for the Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run, set for November 5-10, is here to stay. According to club president Stu Jones, some 45 of the 240-plus registered boats will depart for Key West with the Tuesday wave next week. They’ll come from various points in the Miami area and meet outside Grove Harbour in Coconut Grove for the late-morning start of the run.

Added last year by the Florida Powerboat Club after a long hiatus, the Tuesday departure for the Key West Poker Run has been deemed a success. Photos from the 2023 Tuesday Key West Poker Run departure by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.

“There are a handful coming down from Fort Lauderdale area, I think seven or eight from Haulover Marine center and the rest from Grove Harbour,” Jones said.

The Tuesday departure appeals to club members on two fronts. First, the Tuesday group is smaller than those that leave Wednesday and Thursday.

With just 45 boats in the Tuesday departure wave, the Gilbert’s Resort and Tiki Bar lunch stop will not ever be overwhelmed.

“It’s a manageable-size group and will not present any issues at the checkpoints,” said Jones, who will be running his 390 Sport Poker Run Edition center console from Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats. “We will do our lunch stop at Gilbert’s Resort and Tiki Bar, as always, and then continue south.”

As reported yesterday, Jones will return to Miami from Marathon in his new 39-footer. The rest of the Tuesday group will continue on to Key West.

For Stephen Miles, this will be his second Tuesday departure for Key West with the club in as many years.

Leaving Tuesday also gives participants more time in Key West. That’s why boat-painter Stephen Miles and his wife, Heather, are running their MTI 340X catamaran in the Tuesday group for the second time. It means they can be there for all three days of offshore racing action at the Race World Offshore Key West World Championships, which run concurrently with the Florida Powerboat Club event.

“The Tuesday run is great for me because, to put it simply, I am a boat-racing junkie,” Miles said. “We don’t have to miss any races. Of course, we like to be there to support the Austin Homes/SV Offshore and Dirty Money teams.

Thanks to the Tuesday departure, Miles can cheer on his favorite teams during all three days of racing in Key West. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

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