2026 N&J FLIBS Captains' & Crew Pickleball Invitational

The weather was hot, and the gameplay was even hotter on Friday, October 16, at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale for the second annual edition of N&J’s 2026 FLIBS Captains’ & Crew Pickleball Invitational.

More than 90 players picked up paddles to play in one of two tournaments: social game play and a competitive tournament. The social game was a mix of beginner and intermediate play. The Fort staff were on hand to help the beginners learn the game. These players were then paired to compete against one another in a social tournament. The winners in this tournament were Bosun Liam Sinclair of Arthur’s Way and Elena Lopez of Northrop & Johnson strategic partner NetJets.

The competitive tournament started with a mix of 20 intermediate and advanced teams playing in a round-robin format to earn points. Once the round-robin gameplay ended, teams were seeded into a knock-out single-elimination tournament. Captain Mark Jones and N&J Broker Wes Sanford, Captain Whitney Reiter and Bosun Martin Dawson, Captains Brandon Freeland and Nick Kincaid and Captain Rafa and Chief Stew Faith made the final four, culminating in a championship match that saw Captain Whitney Reiter and Bosun Martin Dawson and Captains Brandon Freeland and Nick Kincaid face off. The last match took place in The Fort’s stadium, where spectators clamored into the grandstands to watch Captain Whitney and Bosun Martin of motor yacht NEXT CHAPTER take home the first-place trophies in the competitive tournament.

All four first-place winners received a trophy, a bag of goodies from N&J and our partners and sponsors and bragging rights until next year. After the tournament was over, players and spectators enjoyed a happy hour with light bites and cocktails.

Keeping everyone cool during gameplay was event sponsor MSOS, who provided much-needed electrolytes and shade at their tent. N&J is very grateful to Fairport Yacht Management, our partners, NetJets, Macallan, Exclusive Resorts, Chopin, Textron, Ponant, Bermuda, Starboard Card, Verge, and our sponsors, MSOS and MHG Insurance, for helping to make this year’s event a great success.

And we extend a massive Thank You to all those who participated to help make this year’s event one to remember. We hope you have fun on the courts and look forward to seeing you play again next year!