Yeah, I know I’m ripping off the line from “Swingers” where actor Vince Vaughn animatedly exclaims, “Vegas Baby!” but I find it quite fitting for this scenic destination of one epic (yet extended) weekend. With the convergence of the world championship offshore races via Super Boat International, coupled with the Florida Powerboat Club’s 18th annual—behemoth—Key West Poker Run, this weekend has become legendary.

Most gear up for the Key West weekend (routinely held in mid-November) a year in advance. As the event draws nearer on the calendar and the days get picked off like the many cocktails that will go down during the weekend, talk and angst builds between friends from coast to coast and on the various boating forums. With the help of modern technology, those ill-fated folks who found themselves staying home were able to live vicariously through those who posted their own personal event details throughout the weekend to include countless up-to-date photographs via performance boating websites.

As with others, I had become almost giddy at the thought of attending another Key West event. With my wife, Kelly, my daughter, Taylor, and her two friends, Kayle and Katya, by my side, we boarded our red-eye flight from LAX to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday. Since we were going to be in Florida, I thought I would take up our good friend Jason Dooley’s offer to stay a night in Fort Lauderdale and run with him in our old 1995 Cigarette Top Gun that we sold to him a few months ago. As we ran from Fort Lauderdale to Biscayne Bay, the day with Jason could not have been nicer—it was the perfect way to start a marathon weekend.

With a stop at world famous Lip-Ship Performance in Miami to visit old friends and get the girls outfitted with the latest Lip-Ship/Cigarette apparel for the weekend, the day was not a miss. Owner Phil Lipschutz graciously took time from his busy schedule to show us around so we could drool over the many Cigarette projects in various stages throughout his establishment. On our way back to Lauderdale, friends Dan and Lisa Ellis were able to catch us on video leaving the Haulover Inlet passage. Check it out.

The next day we were on our way—surprisingly on time, even with four girls—driving the scenic route 1 from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. With a stop at Gilbert’s Resort in Key Largo, the lunch stop for Florida Powerboat Club’s poker run, we were able to catch up with more old friends as well as check out a bevy of outrageous offshore machines tied up to the courtesy dock. Boats from Outerlimits, Skater, Nor-Tech, MTI, Cigarette and virtually every other big name from the offshore performance arena were gathered together.

After leaving Gilbert’s, we continued south on the 1 to Key West. Once we got there, we settled into our quant 1920s house and later hit Duval Street to partake in what would be the beginning of an alcoholic-induced, hazy weekend.

It’s obvious the totality of the weekend’s events cannot be covered in a quick blog. But highlights from the weekend would definitely include the boat parade located on Duval Street where the majority of the SBI race boats were on display. Perusing the FPC’s “Poker Run Village” where—among other amazing displays—David Woods, owner of Pier 57, had his mammoth Cigarette/MTI courtesy trailer on display. Add in the ability to speak one-on-one with industry leaders in a relaxed atmosphere, and I was in heaven.

But the number one thing that stands out about the weekend (besides the impressive hardware), is that you get the opportunity to catch up with friends from all over the nation and meet new ones who, no matter what boat they own, enjoy the company of those like-minded individuals who thrive off of the smell of racing fuel, the sound of through-hull exhaust and the drop-dead sexy lines of a performance boat.

As we left Key West on our journey back to California, the girls and I reveled in the endless stories of our trip and vowed that we would be back again next year. I hope to see all of you there in 2011! Here's a few more photos for your enjoyment.