Image Of The Week: Why Is This Man Smiling?

Despite his exceptional memory, Florida Powerboat Club president founder Stu Jones can’t even guess—much less accurately tell you—how many times he’s passed under the Card Sound Bridge in the Upper Florida Keys. Asked to give it a try, he laughed and shook his head.

“Yeah, it’s been like three or four times,” he said, then laughed again.

For Florida Powerboat Club honcho Stu Jones, passing under the Card Sound Bridge on the way to lunch at Gilbert’s Tiki Bar and Resort in Key Largo never gets old. Photo by Jeff Helmkamp copyright Helmkamp Photos.

So why the big grin on his face when he passed under it Thursday during the Florida Powerboat Club Miami Boat Show Poker Run to the Post Card Inn in Islamorada?

“Seems like everybody is happy to be back at the Postcard Inn, formerly Holiday Isle Resort,” Jones explained. “That’s this event really got its early beginnings.

“The overall vibe here is highly spirited,” he added.

Grinning for the camera as you head under the Card Sound Bridge to the Gilbert’s Resort and Tiki Bar lunch stop during the Miami Boat Show Poker Run is a Florida Powerboat Club tradition. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Significant dump that the Holiday Isle Resort was, it did have a cool footprint for a poker run destination. The docks and hotel rooms were seconds by foot from the venue’s tiki bar, which served as a central pre- and post-dinner meeting place. For the most part, the entire event revolved around the tiki bar.

And while the Post Card Inn owners did a nice job of sprucing up the entire property as the change was long overdue, they left the tiki bar pretty much intact.