By this time, I had expected to be about half-way to my home in Redwood City, Calif., which is just 20 minutes south of San Francisco. But a mechanical issue with the aircraft (classic quote from the pilot: “I can’t control the ailerons, which make the plane go up and down, which means I can’t fly this aircraft”)  that was supposed to get me there forced American Airlines to cancel my flight. It was either get home late tonight or stay another night in Miami. An upgrade to first class on the 7:25 a.m. flight tomorrow cemented my decision.

So I can report more news.

From last night: The Florida Powerboat Club’s party at the Raleigh Hotel reminded me of how small the high-performance world really is—and how much I like the people in it. In the space of a few feet, I talked with offshore racer Ben Robertson, poker run dynamo Bill Pyburn and John Cosker of Mystic. Three feet later, I sat down with Marilyn DeMartini and Tony Esposito of PR Power. (I got to know Esposito really well when he was the director of communications for Mercury Racing.) A few feet later, I was laughing and joking with Paul and Mike Fiore of Outerlimits.

Pulling it all together were Stu and Jackie Jones of the Florida Powerboat Club. When it comes to creating a relaxed, good-time atmosphere at a party, nobody does it better. Same goes for their poker runs.

Next up: The seriousoffshore.com party at Mango’s tonight. Thanks to the venue it will be, if nothing else, strange and unusual.