Sell-Out Looms For Tampa Bay Poker Run
The good news for would-be participants of the Tampa Bay Poker Run, set this year for April 11-14, is that it can accommodate approximately 75 boats, nearly twice its capacity before the Florida Powerboat Club moved the event from its longtime St. Petersburg, Fla., location several years ago. The bad news is that 60 of those slots have already been taken by club members with just four weeks remaining before the run begins.
The fourth event of the Florida Powerboat Club 2024 season, the Tampa Bay Poker Run is on its well on its way to selling out. Photo from the 2023 Tampa Bay Poker Run by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
“These are pretty strong numbers based on recent history of this event, which has really enjoyed the downtown Tampa venue,” said Stu Jones, the president of the Florida Powerboat Club, who just returned from his outfit’s Spring Key West Poker Run. “One of the advantages, of course is having so many hotels to access.
“The big advantage for docking is that we can put all the boats at the Tampa Convention Center docks and we still have about 10 slips at the Marriott nearby,” he continued. “There also is the Marjorie Park Marina which offers floating docs and is the only fuel dock in the area.”
The Westin Waterside Resort in downtown Tampa will be the event’s host venue. Starting with the club’s mandatory safety captains meeting, key events at the hotel will include poker-run check and the Saturday night dinner and awards banquet in the Westin property’s main ballroom.
Proximity of lodging to the docks as well as the centrally located host hotel for off-the-water goings-on, said Jones, make Tampa an ideal poker-run venue.
“You know, a lot of people use the Tampa Bay Poker Run as a transitional event to reposition their boats from Florida, where they keep them during the winter season, back to their home ports up north,” he added.
Related stories
Spring Key West Poker Run Minus His Boat Still A Jones ‘Favorite
’Photo Gallery: Miami Boat Show Poker Run From Water Level
Three Fine Rides And Counting At The Miami Boat Show Poker Run
A View From Top Gun Flight 1130—Inside Day One Of The Miami Boat Show Poker Run
Miami Boat Show Poker Run Celebrating 29th Anniversary In Longer-Course Style
Commentary: Thanks For The Party—And Keep Giving Back
Highlights From The 2024 Miami International Boat Show
Countdown To The 2024 Miami International Boat Show
Gallery: Scenes From The 2024 Florida Powerboat Club Season-Opener
.
