PANAMA CITY — The Great Porsche Armada will make its maiden “voyage” Saturday with Panama City’s Blessing of the Fleet.
Coinciding with the 17th annual Blessing of the Fleet on the Downtown Marina, The Great Porsche Armada will give Porsche owners a chance to schmooze with like-minded enthusiasts, trade hobby secrets — and mostly show off, according to organizer Thomas Wilson.
“Buying a Porsche is not like buying a Buick — with all due respect to people who buy Buicks,” Wilson said. “You’re spending your money for a reason other than transportation, and we know Porsche owners bought those cars for reasons like that.”
The Porsche Club of America North Florida Region holds monthly socials in Tallahassee, but Wilson wanted to establish a home base for Panama City Porsche owners and saw an opportunity in the Blessing of the Fleet to draw more Porsche owners’ attention.
Marina director Stan Jones also saw an opportunity to broaden the appeal of the Blessing of the Fleet with the Porsche show and other attractions. In doing so, he also moved back the start time of the Blessing to 11 a.m., brought vendors and a steel drum band on board, and the marina will hold a fish fry to benefit Second Chance of Northwest Florida, an organization serving the needs of adults with brain injuries and their families.
“It really gives people several reasons to come down and hang out,” Jones said.
In addition, the Blessing if the Fleet will include the first “sock burning party” on the Downtown Marina — a Chesapeake Bay tradition Jones wanted to incorporate with Bay County to “sacrifice your socks to the gods of summer,” he said.
“It’s a reason to put on your flip-flops, open a beer and greet the season,” Jones said.
Porsche owners will have a special parking area on the marina. Wilson was expecting people who want to participate to show up before 10:30 a.m.
How many Porsche owners will attend was uncertain Tuesday, but Wilson said notices are on websites of Porsche clubs from North Florida, South Alabama and many Facebook pages.
“We didn’t really have a pre-registration or anything like that,” Wilson said. “Basically, you just show up and shine.”
Want to go?
- What: The Blessing of the Fleet/The Great Porsche Armada
- Where: Downtown Panama City Marina
- When: 11 a.m.
- How much: Free and open to the public
- More information: Email tgwilson619@gmail.com.