Lunch On The Fly—Outboard Skater Catamaran Style

For the record, I cannot say with absolute certainty that yesterday’s organized, 22-mile roundtrip Skater lunch run from the Sarasota Hyatt hotel to the Shore Restaurants is the shortest such trek in the Douglas, Mich., custom catamaran company’s 51-year history. But it was the shortest group outing I’ve ever enjoyed. Of that, at least, I’m sure.

And it was a short and sweet blast across Sarasota Bay for an excellent meal and—gracious gentleman that he is—Skater Powerboats founder Peter Hledin picked up the tab.

The Thursday outing was a casual precursor for Skater owners already in town for the fifth annual Invitational Outboard Skater Fun Run this weekend. The event is organized by Ron Muller of Electronics Unlimited in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and New Jersey-based Skater owner/fanatic Chris LaMorte. Of the 13 Skater owners committed to this year’s happening, seven are already in town. All seven participated today.

Why the short distance? First, today’s blast across the bay was an impromptu happening that grew throughout the morning.

Second and more important, there’s plenty more on tap.

This morning, the full group will head for Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille in St. Petersburg. On Saturday, the fleet will run to Riviera Dunes Dockside restaurant in Palmetto. Not only is Hledin in town for the second year in a row to support the event, his son, Michael, and Skater national sales manager Tony Cutsuries once again joined him.

During our meal, I mentioned to LaMorte that today’s lunch run was the shortest such event I’d ever done and, at least for me, the sweetest. He smiled and laughed.

“We’ll get in a lot more tomorrow and Saturday,” he said. “But for today, this is perfect.”

He wasn’t wrong.

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Source: https://www.powerboatnation.com/lunch-on-the-fly-outboard-skater-catamaran-style/