The second event of the New Jersey-based Spartan Powerboat Club’s 2019 season, last weekend’s Atlantic City Fun Run attracted 33 boats and went smoothly according to Del Flores, the club’s president and founder. The fleet departed the Marine Unlimited facility in Toms River and made its way across Barnegat Bay to the Atlantic City Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. Participants who didn’t want to tackle the Atlantic Ocean took a protected course all the way to the host venue, while those who dared ventured into open water for the final leg of the run.

The Spartan Powerboat Club’s Atlantic City Fun Run attracted 33 boats (click image to enlarge). Photos courtesy/copyright Spartan Powerboat Club.

“I have to be honest, it went off without a hitch and all the captains realy respected the rules and regulations I had put in place,” said Flores. “The weather was a little shoddy, but you know what? Boaters are used to getting wet. Some ran the inside, some ran the outside.”

The event attracted a mix of poker-run veterans and newcomers, as well as a variety of powerboats from recreational runabouts to serious offshore sportboats. Most participants and their guests stayed the weekend at the Atlantic City resort.

For more images from the Atlantic City happening, check out the slideshow above.

“We had a great awards banquet, and some guys who have been doing poker runs for years were first-time winners,” said Flores. “That was so gratifying. People put in a lot of time and money into these events—it’s not about the money, but it is nice if you win something and get recognized.”

Though the club currently has nothing on its event schedule set for July—the events section of its website lists July as “to be announced”—it does have one event, an Open House and Fun Run out of Barnegat Bay Marina, set for August 30. And Flores is thinking even bigger for his second-year season in 2020.

“I am going to branch out of state next year with poker runs,” he said. “We’ve had so much interests, including from a lot of sponsors.”

According to Flores, the event raised money for two charities—Autism Speaks and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research—and donations will be made to both charities in the name of the club next week.

Related stories
Spartan Powerboat Club Scores With Memorial Day Weekend Run
New Spartan Powerboat Club Holds 35-Boat Fun Run
Instant Go-Fast Boat Club—Just Add Enthusiasm And Effort