Fort Myers Offshore, a thriving nonprofit powerboat club in Southwest Florida that raises trade-school and college scholarship money, opened registration today for its November 29, Turkey Run. The Saturday affair is the second of eight events on the club’s 2025/2026 roster.
The president of the club, Tim Hill and his forward-thinking board of directors find themselves in an enviable though challenging position. They know the happening will fill the docks at the Naples Hyatt House. Their concern is having enough space for all the Fort Myers Offshore members who want to come out and play.
Short version? There aren’t a lot of venues in Southwest Florida that can handle the average 50-to-60-plus-boat Fort Myers Offshore fleet. Club members can thank hurricanes Ian, Milton Helene and Rafael for the shortage. There are a lot of FMO members who sign up for every event.
So participant demand often outstrips dockage supply.
Hill likes to blame—OK, credit—speedonthewater.com coverage during the past five years for club’s meteoric membership-rise. That’s flattering stuff, for sure, but nothing could be further from the truth. Good event coverage simply holds a mirror to its subject. If that reflection turns out to be positive, growth is one possible by-product.
Still, as any successful organizer knows you’re only as good as your last event. You have to t. And the consistency of Fort Myers Offshore events is remarkable.
Consistency starts with the basics. All Fort Myers Offshore runs depart Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. sharp from the Sanibel Island Lighthouse. Show up late to an FMO event-start and you’ll arrive to empty water.
If the water is rough, the fleet heads for the protection of the Intracoastal Waterway because that’s what the club’s members prefers. Members who prefer to flex their offshore muscles are free to tackle any run in the Gulf waters, of course, and meet the rest of the fleet at the lunch destination. Most don’t.
On that note—destinations—the club continues to secure great venues. Just a few years ago, the Riviera Bar and Grill in Punta Gorda wasn’t on the Fort Myers Offshore radar. Now it’s a club-favorite. To lead off this season, the club’s fleet trekked to the Marco Island Yacht Club. Four years had passed since Fort Myers Offshore had visited Marco Island, Fla., which as it happens is the second home of Canadian Bob Barnhart, who founded the outfit in 2005.
Last but far from least, the club attracts like-minded members of the Southwest Florida go-fast boating community. They want to have fun on the water, socialize and enjoy lunch in a waterfront setting while giving back to a good cause.
The result among Fort Myers Offshore members is a wicked, maybe even incurable case of FOMO, the popular acronym for “Fear Of Missing Out.” No one in the club wants to miss an FMO event.
Net-net? You can’t spell FOMO without FMO.