As the president of Fort Myers Offshore, Tim Hill might be the busiest volunteer-organizer in the high-performance-boating world. Hill and his wife, Cyndee, take the point on arranging eight events from October through April. Some are smallish, 25- to 40-boat affairs, while others are twice that size—or more.

Captured here with friends in their 32-foot Skater catamaran, Tim and Cyndee Hill have their work cut out for them this season. Photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The biggest challenge? Securing Saturday venues, a challenge that became acute after Hurricane Ian in late-September 2022 and reemerged with Hurricanes Helene, Milton and Rafael during the past month-and-a-half. So while he wanted to avoid back-to-back Fort Myers Offshore lunch runs to Riviera Bar and Grill in Punta Gorda, much as he and his fellow club members appreciate the charming and hospitable venue, he had no choice for the upcoming Holiday Fun run set for Saturday, December 28.

Hill said he is expecting 75 boats for the run, which will be an event record.

“I talked to every restaurant with docks from Venice to Marco Island, and I thought I was either going to have to cancel the event or cap the number of boats that could attend,” he explained. “There is absolutely no other choice so we are heading back to Riviera.