Dead in as usual, Stu. Some just don’t want to hear the truth but it is so much better you don’t candy-coat. Not only is it our livelihoods but our lives.
— Active Thunder
For Florida Powerboat Club leader Stu Jones, December is the closest thing he has to a “down” month. Coming off the club’s annual Key West Poker Run in November, Jones’ next big event is the annual Miami Boat Show Poker, which happens late in the week following the event for which it takes its name. Sure, the FPC has its Winter Poker Run to Marathon happening in January, but that’s a relatively small-scale event for the club.
With 11 events to organize and coordinate in 2015, Jones’ schedule is a combination of planning meetings, travel, captains’ meetings, coordinating video and photo shoots, handling the concerns of members and meetings. Think of him as a party planner for events that happen all over Florida, as well as in the Bahamas, and you won’t be far off the mark. Still, at least for the first few weeks this month, he has some breathing room—and a little time to talk.
So what do you see happening for the poker run world next year?
“I’m looking forward to 2015 with cautious optimism. If that sounds confusing, allow me to expand. Our recent Key West Poker Run just a month ago produced a strong roster of nearly 175 boats, and a lot of new blood for Florida Powerboat Club. Those numbers indicate that more people are getting back into boating and ‘newbies’ continue to be attracted to our sport. It’s great for the recreational performance marine industry, great for Florida tourism and certainly great for FPC. That gets me revved up, I’m excited about 2015 and I love what I’m seeing from our performance industry manufacturing colleagues. Gas prices are substantially lower than they were a year ago, and all these things contribute to my tremendous optimism for the coming year.
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