With Autism Speaks as its benefitting charity, the New Jersey-based Spartan Powerboat Club produced its first Barnegat Bay Poker Run on Labor Day weekend. First held last in 2018 as a fun run, the 2019 Garden State event attracted a healthy mix of 35 high-performance V-bottom sportboats, catamarans and center consoles.

The Spartan Powerboat Club’s first Barnegat Bay Poker Run closed out the organization’s season in style (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Del Flores/Spartan Powerboat Club.

“We wanted to do a real poker run with card stops,” said Del Flores, the founder of the Spartan Powerboat Club, fresh from his first visit to the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout in Central Missouri in late August. “But it always proves tricky because locations and docks aren’t very welcoming.”

The card stops included one at the dock at Flores’ home in Brick Township, a floating stop on a 34-foot Silverton flybridge convertible, another stop in Forked River and final stop at Stewarts Root Beer Pier in Seaside Heights before returning to the Barnegat Bay Marina host venue to play the poker run hands and celebrate the day with live music, catered food and more.

Check out the slideshow above to enjoy more images from the Spartan Powerboat Club’s Barnegat Bay Poker Run.

The event raised $4,500 for Autism Speaks.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout or be more thankful to everyone who participated in the event and making it possible to raise the money we did for Autism Speaks,” said Flores. “It was awesome. Thanks to Barnegat Bay Marina for sponsoring such a great event for such an important cause.”

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