Though you wouldn’t know it from today as much of Florida is experiencing a cold snap, the best time for boating in the Sunshine State is just beginning. And yet until the Fort Myers Offshore Turkey Run set for November 29, there isn’t much in the way here of organized go-fast boating events.
At least part of the event scarcity is a function of the annual Race World Offshore Key West World Championships and the Florida Powerboat Club Key West affair. The weeklong, concurrently running events finished up two days ago.
More than a few of the racing fans and Florida Powerboat Club members who filled the town have not left. And those who have made it home probably could use a break from all things boating. Key West is a long seven days for everyone.
So that’s what the rest of this week and all of the next one are all about. Then just when the itch to get back on the water is starting to return—bang—you have that pesky holiday known as Thanksgiving.
You could be somewhere off the coast of Southwest Florida, doing a high-speed rip with friends while on your way to a tasty waterside lunch. Instead, you’re stuck with your family overeating and watching football.
OK, maybe that’s not so bad—it kind of hinges on how you feel about your family, the food and whatever NFL team you favor. But what I know about go-fast boating fanatics is that they are happiest when they’re boating. So that makes November, at least in Florida when boating isn’t just possible but incredible, a month to dread.
For Fort Myers Offshore members, relief arrives at the end of the month with nonprofit scholarship fundraising club’s Turkey Run. December and January also hold a slew great Florida events, from the Toys Tours in Palatka to the Joey Gratton Memorial New Year’s Day Fun Run in Sarasota.
So stay strong. Help is on the way.