The Emerald Coast Poker Run and Boat Week are summer favorites in the Destin/Fort Walton area. Events kick off Wednesday the 12th with Ladies Night at Helen Back cafe and run through the Ski Show at 5pm on Sunday at Scully’s on the Bayou in Fort Walton Beach. In between are the Bikini Contest (Fudpuckers in Destin) on Thursday, Captains’ party and Boat-In Movie on Friday, and of course the breakfast, Poker Run and party on Saturday and the Sunday raft-up at Crab Island.

We’ve put together a map of the events combined with the boating charts for the local area courtesy of EarthNC.com.

June 5th marks this year’s Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Key boating events are fireworks Friday night (June 5th) and the pirate invasion / on-water party on the 6th. The event is centered on the Fort Walton Landing park downtown. Boating traffic is always heavy during Billy Bowlegs so be sure to take it slow in and around the Landing and bring plenty of water and sunscreen to ward off the sun.

Click Here for a Fullsized Map of the Fort Walton Landing with Boating Chart.

For area boat ramps, we suggest the EarthNC Florida Boat Ramps Map.

It’s a busy weekend for boating from Orange Beach to Destin along the Gulf Coast. We’re heading over to Big Lagoon State park for the weekend to camp and cover the Offshore Super Series Thunder on the Gulf Races. Look for race photos and coverage on DestinSharks early next week.

This weekend is also the weekend for the Emerald Coast Poker Run - one of the largest such events in the world. If history is any guide, over 400 boats will ply the waters between Destin and Pensacola to get their cards.

We wish everyone a great time on the water - boat safe, sober, and hydrated!

It’s that time of year again and we are quickly approaching Boat Week 2007 and the Emerald Coast Poker Run. We had a fun time on the water yesterday collecting up a few more pictures for our Poker Run map available at EarthNC. The map includes this year’s stops, the new Poker-Run related no-wake zones, and photos of local bridges and ramps. Look for us to be out photographing on the 18th in our Regal 2760 ‘Southern Comfort’ and check back for our photo gallery to see if we photographed your boat.

The 2007 Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival winds down with the torchlight parade in Fort Walton Beach on Monday night at 8pm. Friday night saw a good crowd in spite of high winds early in the evening. The finale seemed a bit short, but you can play it back with our video coverage below.

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It’s not too early to start planning for Billy Bowlegs invasion of Fort Walton Beach coming up June 1st and 2nd this year. Who is Billy Bowlegs? You can read his Bio at the offical festival website but the party which bears his name is all about boating. Read on for our insider info on how best to enjoy your Bowlegs weekend. (more…)

A stiff wind prevented a movie from being a part of Emerald Coast Boat Week’s Boat-in Movie night at Fort Walton Landing, but that didn’t stop an intrepid group of boaters from turning out all the same. Let’s hope next Saturday’s weather turns out a bit calmer for the poker run.

Always an interesting mix of land and sea activities, this year’s Emerald Coast Boat Week has an ambitious schedule.

Tomorrow’s (Saturday the 12th) activities center around the Fort Walton Landing including a boat building contest, nautical swap meet, ski demonstrations, and an evening “boat-in” movie.

Activities shift back on land until Friday the 18th, when the focus shifts to AJ’s in Destin Harbor. Fireworks are on tap for 9pm on Friday near AJ’s.

The “Big Event” starts at 10:00 Saturday morning with a Poker Run featuring 10 stops between Pensacola, Destin, and Niceville/Bluewater Bay. This is billed as the largest Poker Run in North America and draws boaters from all over the country. Weather permitting, we’ll be out along the route with our camera to capture the action. Poker Run participants get treated to a big party Saturday night at the Emerald Coast Conference Center.

Finally, Boat Week ends up with a Crab Island Party at Destin Pass on Sunday. For a detailed schedule and registration forms, please visit EmeraldCoastPokerRun.com.

Have fun and be safe!

Well over 20 boats turned out for this years NBYC Spectre Island Shrimp Boil. The weather today was ideal (following morning showers), but for the brave souls (ourselves included) who held the beachhead Friday night it was quite a ride. Today’s activity also featured 4 Regals - possibly a first in our area.

Please visit our Shrimp Boil photo album at www.SLRSite.com to see all the pictures.

Contact Virgil at vzett@destinsharks.com for any photo inquieries.

Some scattered thunderstorms couldn’t keep Capt Billy down this year. It was touch-and-go for the fire works Friday night, but in the end everything was able to come off as scheduled.

Turn-out on Saturday was outstanding as seen in the panorama above. Santa Rosa sound was the water equivalent of a parking lot for nearly a mile along the north shore from Ft Walton Landing to the “Boat” Marina. The full size panorama and a whole lot of boating pictures are posted at the 2006 Bowlegs Gallery on SLRSite.com

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