a
Your go-to source for performance boating.
HomeIn the NewsKey West Poker Run: Running with the Pack

Key West Poker Run: Running with the Pack

Cigarettes, Donzis, Fountains, Nor-Techs and more line the docks at Gilbert's in Key Largo during the Florida Powerboat Club's Key West Poker Run.

Cigarettes, Donzis, Fountains, Nor-Techs and more line the docks at Gilbert’s in Key Largo during the Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run.

Although this is technically the third day of the Key West Poker Run produced by the Florida Powerboat Club, there’s no doubt Matt Trulio and I picked the right day to join the boats for the 20th anniversary of the run. Why? Because half of the poker run fleet—and some of the coolest boats in the world—decided to choose Thursday to run down to the southernmost point in the U.S.

And when I say world I mean it—we’re talking Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway and more. So far, so good today. We’re at the lunch stop at Gilbert’s and I swear nearly every powerboat manufacturer is represented at the run, including a few West Coast custom boats from Advantage BoatsEliminator Boats and more. There’s even one offshore racer who is enjoying the poker run for the first time—Mike Stancombe of Peppers Racing, who cruised down on a 34-foot Nor-Tech center-console with company representatives Scot Conrad and Dustin Simon.

Below are a handful of photos from the run so far. Click photos for captions and to enlarge.

Albert Haynesworth is doing the poker run in his new Cigarette 39 Top Fish. The scenery at the Gilbert's lunch stop is always top notch. Mark and Eileen Fischer hosted SpeeontheWater.com's Matt Trulio and Jason Johnson on the BoatsDirectUSA.com Deep Impact center console.
Idling through the mangroves is always a highlight when running down to Key West. The turbine-powered My Way Outerlimits was one of many high-performance catamarans on the poker run. keywest_lunchGary Smith came out from Arizona to run his Skater Powerboats Predator in the poker run._predator