Based on the number of participants and the notoriety the event has received over the past several years, it comes as no surprise that the Pirates of Lanier Poker Run in Georgia—scheduled for July 14-16—has more registered boats at this point than it has in the previous seven years. And that’s saying a lot considering the event, which is one of the largest poker runs in the world, has hosted more than 300 boats in each of the last two years.

Organizers expect a record turnout for the 2016 Pirates of Lanier Poker Run on Georgia’s Lake Lanier. Photo by Jay Nichols/Naples Image

“We already have more than 240 boats signed up for the run, which is 40 boats ahead of where we were at this point last year,” said local performance boater Beau Renfroe, who helps organize the poker run and plans to run Dirty Money, his 36-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran, in the eighth annual event presented by Reliable Heating and Air.

For me, attending the poker run has been a long time coming. It seems like every year I’ve had some type of conflict that has prevented me from attending the event on Georgia’s Lake Lanier—but not this year. In two weeks, I will be boarding a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta to join Renfroe and the rest of the passionate team behind the annual event hosted by Lake Lanier Islands Resort.

Read more: Who’s Coming With Me?

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