First Day Of The Tampa Bay Poker Run—Breezy But Beautiful
Despite that they usually happen in the same locales and run the same courses, every annual poker run has its own character. And it is often determined by water and weather conditions.
Take the 2024 Florida Powerboat Club Tampa Bay Poker Run, which is entering its second day. In 2020. that run would be best described as “the one that didn’t happen because of freaking COVID.”
This red-hot Mystic Powerboats C4000 catamaran made a splash yesterday in the Florida Powerboat Club Tampa Bay Poker Run. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
The 2021 and 2022 events? They are best-remembered as “the ones when the water got sporty,” while the 2023 run was “the one where the water was glass.”
The 2024 Tampa Bay Poker Run likely will go down as “the one with perfect weather and water.” Friday’s average high-temperature in Tampa peaked at 78.8 degrees, and a steady breeze made it feel even cooler.
Florida Powerboat Club member and MTI 340X catamaran owner Cliff Anderson had a full boat for the day.
But the breeze wasn’t enough to rough up the water for the run.
“It was a little windy but not enough to make it bumpy,” said speedonthewater.com chief photographer Pete Boden, who is in the air this weekend to capture the event.
Erik Breckenfelder of Cape Coral, Fla., who hitched ride with New Jersey’s Chris LaMorte in his 36-foot Skater catamaran, described the day as “absolutely perfect.”
Chris LaMorte, Erik Breckenfelder and Ron and Ethan Muller were delighted with yesterday’s flawless weather and water conditions.
“It was beautiful, low-humidity Florida April weather,” he said “Stu Jones (of the Florida Powerboat Club) and his team put on a great run in a fantastic urban setting.”
Breckenfelder’s host on the water this weekend agreed, “The weather was great and made for a really good day of boating,” said LaMorte.
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Enjoy more action from the 2024 Tampa Bay Poker Run in the slideshow above.
The 75-boat fleet is heading out again and the predicted high temperature for Tampa is a still-wonderful 83 degrees, though the winds are forecasted to be lighter. “There’s no breeze this morning,” said Boden.
Regardless, the 2024 Tampa Bay Poker Run will retain its own fine character. And it’s on again today.
Florida Powerboat Club president Stu Jones and company will be back at it today in Tampa Bay.
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