powerboat racing origins

Last updated: Feb 09, 2024

What Is Powerboat Racing?

The sport of powerboat racing has been around for over 100 years with popularity worldwide. The powerboat, which can also be called a motorboat or speedboat, is powered by an engine which allows for high performance speeds. It is one of the most popular forms of boat racing , with multiple international events annually.

Table of Contents

Playing surface, powerboat racing equipment, rules and regulations, athletes and racers, events and competitions.

Powerboat racing competition was created in the early 1900s, with the first race taking place in 1904. The sport began to grow and led to the founding of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) which held its first U.S. event in 1911. Over the next 50 years powerboat racing became popular across the world, with increased organizations, races, and tournaments. Sports within powerboat racing have expanded as well, with organizations created to sanction specific types of racing.

Naturally, the overall playing surface for powerboat racing is water. That being said the two types of powerboat racing, inshore and offshore, come with slightly different racing conditions. Offshore powerboat racing takes place out on the open ocean hence the name “offshore” whereas inshore powerboat racing often takes place in smaller bodies of water like lakes. Be sure to take into account what race you’re looking to participate in, as it can have a substantial impact on the playing surface you’ll be racing on.

Powerboat racing is an exhilarating sport, but also carries a level of risk. That being said, there are a few basic essentials you’ll want to have handy regardless of what type of powerboat racing you plan on trying out. Each of these pieces of equipment are important to ensure you have the best and safest time powerboat racing possible.

Here is the essential powerboat racing equipment you should have:

• Close Toed Shoes
• Neck Restraint

At the end of the day, powerboat racing carries the same objective as any other racing sport: to finish the course the fastest. That being said, the distance and overall course in a powerboat race can change from venue to venue. Further, inshore and offshore powerboat racing each offer different course conditions. Be sure to read up on your local powerboat race’s course to be as prepared as possible, and ensure you have the best shot of winning the big race!

Powerboat racing is a serious sport that can carry serious consequences if rules designed to protect all drivers aren’t followed. There are extensive rulebooks for most major races, but here are some basics that should more or less hold true regardless of what race you’re looking to participate in.

Here are the most important powerboat racing rules you should know:

• Strict adherence to boat classes
• Compliance with pre race engine checks
• Safe and respectful passing maneuvers, giving space to boats riding the inner lane.

Powerboat racing carries certain terminology separate from any other boat racing sport, as well as some basic terminology for boat racing as a whole. There’s a multitude of terms out there, but some are far more widespread than others.

Here is the common lingo and slang in powerboat racing:

• Bow : The front end of any boat.
• Hull : The shell of a boat.
• Port : The left side of any boat.
• Starboard: The right side of any boat.
• Stern: The back end of any boat.

Powerboat racing athletes come from all over the world. They typically become more popular when they compete in large international competitions rather than just their home country. In some instances, 2 or more athletes compete as a racing team. We see this in events such as the F1H2O UIM World Championship.

Here are the most famous powerboat racing players you should know:

• Alex Carella
• Jonas Andersson
• Peter Morin
• Shaun Torrente

Powerboat Racing has multiple leagues and organizations that hold events around the world. They are typically governed by the official powerboat association of their respective country. Don’t be surprised to see large races that encompass different water sports , such as Inshore Powerboat Racing or Offshore Powerboat Racing.

Here are the most popular powerboat racing leagues you should know:

• National Boat Racing Association
• Super Boat International
• TCPBA Powerboat Racing

There are a multitude of powerboat racing events out there, however some are bigger than others. The top events in the world feature the best racers from across the globe, the biggest sponsors, and the most fanfare.

Here are the most popular powerboat racing tournaments you should know:

• F1 H2O UIM World Championship
• Offshore Superboat Championships
• UIM Class One World Powerboat Championship
• UIM F2 European Championship
• UIM H2O Nation's Cup

Pages Related to What Is Powerboat Racing?

• Boat Racing
• What is Offshore Powerboat Racing?
• What is Boat Racing?

The History of Powerboating: From Early Explorers to Professional Racers

February 24, 2023 1 min read

Oregonsportshall.com – Powerboating has a rich and storied history that spans centuries. From early explorers who used boats to navigate new territories to modern-day professional racers who push the limits of speed and performance, the evolution of powerboats is a fascinating tale of human ingenuity and perseverance. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the history of powerboating and the pioneers who helped shape this exciting sport.

The Evolution of Powerboating: A Journey from Early Explorers to Professional Racers

Introduction

The history of powerboating is a fascinating journey that spans over centuries. It has seen the development of various types of boats, the evolution of engine technology, and the emergence of professional powerboat racing. From its humble beginnings as a mode of transportation for early explorers, powerboating has evolved into a popular recreational activity and a highly competitive sport. In this article, we will explore the history of powerboating, from its earliest origins to present-day professional racing.

Early Origins

The origins of powerboating can be traced back to the early 19th century, when steam-powered boats were first invented. These boats were primarily used for transportation and trade, and it wasn’t until the early 20th century that recreational powerboating began to emerge. The first recreational powerboat was built in 1903 by Christopher Columbus Smith, who went on to found the Chris-Craft Corporation.

Development of Engines

The development of the internal combustion engine in the early 20th century revolutionized powerboating. This allowed boats to travel faster and farther than ever before, and led to the emergence of powerboat racing. In 1903, the first powerboat race was held in New York, and by the 1920s, powerboat racing had become a popular spectator sport.

Golden Age of Powerboating

The 1920s and 1930s are often referred to as the “Golden Age” of powerboating. During this time, powerboat racing became more organized and professional, with the establishment of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) in 1903. The APBA set rules and regulations for powerboat racing, and organized national championships and world championships. Powerboat racing became a highly competitive sport, with racers competing for prize money and bragging rights.

Post-War Era

After World War II, powerboating became more accessible to the general public. Advances in engine technology and the availability of affordable boats made powerboating a popular recreational activity. In the 1950s and 1960s, fiberglass boats became popular, replacing the earlier wooden boats. This made boats lighter and faster, and led to the development of new classes of racing boats.

Professional Racing

In the 1960s and 1970s, powerboat racing continued to evolve, with the emergence of professional racing teams and sponsors. The introduction of the tunnel hull design in the 1980s allowed boats to travel at even faster speeds, and led to the development of the Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship. Today, powerboat racing is a highly competitive sport, with professional racers competing in various classes and championships around the world.

The history of powerboating is a testament to human ingenuity and innovation. From its early origins as a mode of transportation for explorers, to its emergence as a popular recreational activity and highly competitive sport, powerboating has come a long way. Today, powerboating continues to evolve, with advances in engine technology and design pushing the limits of speed and performance. The future of powerboating looks bright, with new generations of enthusiasts and racers pushing the boundaries of what is possible on the water.

• Sport History
• #Exploration
• #Performance
• #Powerboating

The History of Paragliding: From Early Gliders to World…

The History of the Modern Marathon

The invention of volleyball and its evolution, leave a reply cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Turn Your Curiosity Into Discovery

Latest facts.

3 TopRated Sites To Boost Your TikTok and Instagram Following

5 Detailed Facts About Medical Cannabis

8 facts you must know about offshore powerboat racing.

Written by Marietta Dickman

Modified & Updated: 07 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Sherman Smith

Offshore powerboat racing is an exhilarating and adrenaline-pumping sport that combines speed, skill, and the raw power of high-performance watercraft. As the boats slice through the waves, the competition unfolds on open waters, captivating audiences with heart-stopping moments and breathtaking displays of precision maneuvering. This high-octane sport has a rich history, attracting passionate fans and dedicated participants from around the globe.

In this article, we'll delve into the thrilling world of offshore powerboat racing, uncovering fascinating facts and insights that showcase the sport's intensity and allure. From the evolution of the boats to the strategic prowess of the racers, we'll explore the key elements that make offshore powerboat racing a captivating spectacle. So, buckle up and get ready to ride the waves of excitement as we unveil eight essential facts about this adrenaline-fueled sport.

Key Takeaways:

• Offshore powerboat racing is an electrifying sport that combines speed, skill, and strategy, captivating audiences with high-speed action and thrilling maneuvers on open waters.
• The sport celebrates a rich history, showcases engineering marvels, and unites a global community, making it an exhilarating and inclusive experience for enthusiasts and participants worldwide.

Offshore Powerboat Racing is a Thrilling Water Sport

Offshore powerboat racing is a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping water sport that captivates audiences around the world. The sport involves high-performance boats racing at incredibly fast speeds across open waters, creating a spectacle that combines speed, skill, and strategy. The races are often held in challenging conditions, adding an extra layer of excitement and unpredictability to the competition. Spectators are drawn to the intense action and the sheer power of the boats as they navigate through the waves, making offshore powerboat racing a truly exhilarating experience for both participants and fans.

The Boats are Engineering Marvels

Offshore powerboat racing boats, also known as "offshore racers," are engineering marvels designed for speed, agility, and durability. These high-performance vessels are meticulously crafted using advanced materials and cutting-edge technology to withstand the rigors of racing in open waters. With powerful engines and sleek, aerodynamic designs, these boats can reach astonishing speeds, making them a sight to behold as they slice through the waves with precision and power.

Offshore Powerboat Racing Requires Exceptional Skill and Precision

Competing in offshore powerboat racing demands exceptional skill, precision, and split-second decision-making. Piloting these high-speed boats through varying water conditions and challenging courses requires a deep understanding of marine navigation, as well as the ability to anticipate and react to the ever-changing dynamics of the race. The skillful maneuvering and strategic positioning of the boats during the intense competition showcase the remarkable expertise of the pilots and navigators, elevating the sport to a true test of seamanship and athleticism.

Safety is Paramount in Offshore Powerboat Racing

Safety is a top priority in offshore powerboat racing, with stringent regulations and safety measures in place to protect the participants and ensure a secure racing environment. From mandatory safety gear for the crews to thorough boat inspections and strict adherence to racing rules, the sport places a strong emphasis on minimizing risks and prioritizing the well-being of everyone involved. These measures underscore the commitment to upholding safety standards and promoting responsible racing practices within the offshore powerboat racing community.

Offshore Powerboat Racing Showcases Spectacular Events

Offshore powerboat racing events are spectacular showcases that attract enthusiasts and spectators from all walks of life. The combination of high-speed action, breathtaking maneuvers, and the picturesque backdrop of open waters creates an electrifying atmosphere that resonates with fans of extreme sports and marine adventures. Whether it's a local race or a prestigious international competition, offshore powerboat racing events offer an unforgettable experience filled with excitement and camaraderie.

The Sport Continues to Evolve and Innovate

Offshore powerboat racing is a dynamic sport that continues to evolve through technological advancements and innovative practices. From advancements in boat design and engine technology to the implementation of enhanced safety features and environmental sustainability initiatives, the sport remains at the forefront of progress and innovation. This commitment to advancement ensures that offshore powerboat racing stays relevant and captivating in a rapidly changing world, attracting new generations of enthusiasts and participants.

Offshore Powerboat Racing Celebrates a Rich History

The history of offshore powerboat racing is rich with legendary races, iconic champions, and memorable moments that have shaped the sport's legacy. From historic rivalries to groundbreaking achievements, the sport's heritage is filled with stories of triumph, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. These historical narratives contribute to the enduring allure of offshore powerboat racing, honoring its past while inspiring future generations to embrace the thrill of competitive racing on the open seas.

Offshore Powerboat Racing Unites a Global Community

Offshore powerboat racing serves as a unifying force, bringing together a diverse global community of enthusiasts, professionals, and organizations dedicated to the sport. Whether it's the shared passion for adrenaline-fueled competition or the collective commitment to upholding the values of sportsmanship and camaraderie, the offshore powerboat racing community transcends geographical boundaries and cultural differences. This sense of unity and shared purpose fosters a vibrant and inclusive environment where individuals from all backgrounds can come together to celebrate the exhilaration of offshore powerboat racing.

This comprehensive overview of the "8 Facts you must know about Offshore Powerboat Racing" provides a captivating glimpse into the dynamic world of high-speed marine competition, highlighting the sport's thrilling nature, technical prowess, and enduring legacy. Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a newcomer to the exhilarating realm of offshore powerboat racing, these insights offer a compelling introduction to the captivating allure of this adrenaline-pumping water sport.

Offshore powerboat racing is a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping sport that combines speed, skill, and strategy. From the heart-pounding action on the water to the technical prowess of the boats and teams, this high-octane sport continues to captivate enthusiasts worldwide. As the sport evolves and gains popularity, it promises to deliver even more excitement and innovation in the years to come. Whether you're a seasoned fan or a newcomer to the world of offshore powerboat racing, the dynamic nature of this sport is sure to leave a lasting impression.

What makes offshore powerboat racing so exhilarating? Offshore powerboat racing offers a unique blend of speed, skill, and strategy, creating an electrifying experience for both participants and spectators. The sheer power and agility of the boats, combined with the unpredictable nature of the open water, make each race a heart-stopping spectacle.

How can I get involved in offshore powerboat racing? For those interested in getting involved in offshore powerboat racing, there are various avenues to explore, including joining racing teams, attending events as a spectator, or even pursuing training and certification to become a part of the racing crew.

Was this page helpful?

Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do. Each fact on our site is contributed by real users like you, bringing a wealth of diverse insights and information. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability, our dedicated editors meticulously review each submission. This process guarantees that the facts we share are not only fascinating but also credible. Trust in our commitment to quality and authenticity as you explore and learn with us.

Share this Fact:

• Subscribe Now
• Digital Editions

Top 10 powerboat racing icons that helped make boating what it is today

• Top stories

Hugo Peel explores the top ten power-boating events, people and inventions that have influenced today’s sportsboats...

Powerboat racing may seem a world away from the type of cruising most of us do but the sportsboats we enjoy today wouldn’t be half as good as they are without the racers, designers and builders whose heroic efforts helped shape them.

Auto-boat racing, as it was originally known, traces its history back to the late 19th century and for a brief period was even an Olympic sport, with races staged off the Isle of Wight in 1908. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that the sport exploded in popularity as developments in engineering, materials, speed, safety and propulsion really took off.

Racing was the anvil on which these promising technologies were forged. So what are the ten most significant events, inventions and people that have contributed to today’s impressive levels of performance, safety and utility?

While many of these names and events may be unfamiliar now, they are the stuff of legend to all who recall the glory days of British powerboat racing.

1. The Cowes-Torquay-Cowes offshore powerboat race

Many people regard offshore powerboat racing as the ultimate challenge for craft and crew. Arguably the most challenging race of all and certainly one of the oldest is the legendary Cowes-Torquay competition.

Initiated in 1961 by Daily Express newspaper magnate and keen yachtsman, Sir Max Aitken, who foresaw it would help grow the UK marine industry, it bred a string of British and international heroes and brands. This 200-mile race, now known as the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes, and its coveted Harmsworth Trophy, intermittently awarded since 1903, is still the one all top powerboat racers yearn to win.

The marathon Round Britain Powerboat Race started and finished off Portsmouth

2. The marathon Round Britain Powerboat Race

If a 200-mile race sounds challenging, the 1,500-mile endurance marathon that is the Round Britain Race is on an altogether different scale, yet it proved so appealing that it has been run three times over four decades.

The first BP-sponsored race in 1969 comprised ten stages over 1,459 miles and was won by Timo Mäkinen, a champion Finnish rally-driver in Avenger Too propelled by triple Mercury outboards – he averaged 37mph.

The 1984 race was sponsored by Everest double glazing and attracted famous names, including Italian racer/designer Fabio Buzzi driving White Iveco , a single-step GRP monohull with four 600bhp Iveco diesels. Against him was fellow Italian Renato della Valle in Ego Lamborghini , an aluminium-hull craft powered by two ear-splitting 800hp, race-tuned V12 Lamborghinis.

Article continues below…

Test driving the Sunseeker Hawk 38 prototype with Fabio Buzzi

Lamborghini boat: tecnomar delivers first official ‘fighting bull’ branded yacht.

Victory went to Buzzi who, after the 157-mile Dundee-Whitby leg, during which White Iveco averaged a staggering 69 knots, dismissed it with shrug saying: ‘In Italy, this is just a cruising boat.’

The race was revived in 2008 attracting a field of 47 raceboats old and new, including a number of production RIBs and sportsboats from companies like Scorpion , Goldfish and Scanner. The favourites included Fabio Buzzi again in his classic four-engined Red FPT , and Austrian casino millionaire Hannes Bohinc in another Buzzi-designed monohull Wettpunkt .

This time the overall winner was a Greek entry Blue FPT navigated by Britain’s Dag Pike, who at 75 years old, was the event’s oldest competitor. Many of the production boats also did remarkably well, showing just how far they have come in recent years.

Steve Curtis MBE is powerboat racing royalty

3. Powerboat racer Steve Curtis

If the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes is the benchmark, surely the top driver must be found among its winners? Home-grown contenders must include Tommy Sopwith, a winner in 1961, 1968 and 1970 and the Gardner brothers, Charles and Jimmy, who clocked up victories in 1964 with their Bertram 31 Surfrider , and again in 1967 in the iconic Sonny Levi-designed Surfury .

On the worldwide stage, Italy’s Renato Della Valle won four Cowes Torquay Cowes races in a row from 1982 to 1985. Hannes Bohinc collected the trophies in 1995 and 2003 and another German, Markus Hendricks, whose boat sank on the 2008 Round Britain, took a re-engined 34-year-old monohull, Cinzano , to victory in 2009 and 2011.

They are all brilliant in their way but how could this category ignore the UK’s Steve Curtis MBE, owner of Cougar Marine, with no fewer than eight Class One powerboat racing world championships in fearsome 175mph catamarans? Curtis’s 2016 victory in the roughest ever Cowes Torquay Cowes race, in a 30-year-old aluminium boat sealed his place in the history books.

4. Lady Violet Aitken – the first lady of fast

The field of legendary female powerboat racers may be smaller but is no less worthy for it with three principal candidates – two titled British ladies and an American grandmother.

From the USA, Betty Cook – focussed, smart, and tough – arrived with her 36ft Cigarette Kaama and blew away the opposition in the 1978 Cowes Torquay Cowes race. She went on to secure two world championships.

The British aristocracy provides the eccentric and brave Countess of Arran, who fielded fast if unconventional designs of three-pointers like Highland Fling among others. She was described by The Guardian in her obituary as ‘beautiful, vivacious, funny, fun and entrancing’.

But our top female driver is Lady Violet Aitken, wife of Cowes-Torquay founder Sir Max Aitken and Ladies’ Trophy winner on several occasions. Racing is still in the blood as her daughter Laura and granddaughter Lucci are both keen powerboat racers.

Buzzi’s legendary status stems from 40 years of work in the marine industry

5. Powerboat designer Fabio Buzzi

The late Fabio Buzzi is a legend, both behind the helm and at the drawing board. In more than 40 years of activity, his company FB Design has won a staggering 52 world championships; seven Harmsworth Trophies; two Round Britains; and set no less than 56 world speed records in both European and American classes.

Buzzi designed the boat that has won more races than any other powerboat in history, the quadruple-engined, be-winged 44ft Cesa/Gancia dei Gancia . Today, the descendants of these monohull designs are found in service with government and military agencies all around the world, as well as leisure craft like the Sunseeker XS2000 and Hawk 38 .

But the competition is hard-fought. Sonny Levi’s delta-shaped race-boats A’Speranziella , Merry-go-Round , Alto Volante , and Surfury leave lasting memories by their sheer performance and poise. And their legacy, the Levi Corsair, is still made today.

The UK’s Don Shead also runs Buzzi close having designed ten Cowes-Torquay winners and the 1984 Round Britain race winner. The early Sunseeker ranges also came from his drawing board.

Peter Thornycroft and Alan Burnard merit attention as designers of the iconic Nelson and Fairey hulls respectively, many of which are still in service today. But the sheer scale of Fabio’s achievements trumps them all.

The Mercury V8 took powerboating to another level

6. The Mercury V8 engine

Early racers only had American petrol V8s for choice, mainly Ford Dearborn Interceptors, tweaked to deliver big torque and 300-400bhp. There were also a few marinised Jaguar straight-six engines, which consumed oil at a terrifying rate and were fragile. Then Carl Kiekhaefer, head of US outboard giant Mercury, refined numerous Mercury Racing V8s and Lamborghini V12s providing up to 850bhp and things took off. Literally.

To this market came car racing engineers Ilmor in the 1990s with a tuned Dodge Viper V10 engine, pushing out a reliable 700-800bhp. The Italians, at the behest of Fabio Buzzi, developed the 16-litre 1,000hp Seatek diesel for ultra-marathon events, providing unparalleled torque with (relatively) light weight and reliability.

A special mention for the maddest motors must go to Tommy Sopwith, who put a pair of helicopter turbines into a 44ft Don Shead hull delivering over 1500bhp and Domenico Achilli, who ‘glued’ two Subaru flat-four rally car engines together, and split our eardrums while winning the 1990 Cowes Torquay Cowes race.

But for sheer consistency and the countless number of ever-faster, smoother, more reliable production engines its powerboat racing successes have spawned, Mercury and its big displacement V8s have to take the crown.

Offering horizontal thrust and reduced drag, the sterndrive greatly increased the speed and efficiency of both race and pleasure craft

7. The sterndrive unit

Early shaft-driven race-boats normally placed engines amidships with straight shafts to the propellers. Then the vee-drive option enabled engines to be moved astern for better weight distribution but, in both cases, the angle of thrust was still pushing the hull ‘uphill’.

With the arrival of the sterndrive came horizontal thrust to harness the growing power of engines, and hugely reduced hydrodynamic drag by doing away with separate rudders, shafts and P-brackets. This greatly increased both speed and efficiency while the ability to trim the angle of thrust also enabled drivers to adjust the boat’s trim to suit differing sea conditions.

Surface-drives from Arneson and Trimax reduced drag even further but at the cost of low speed manoeuvrability and we mustn’t overlook the impact of the outboard engine on both race and leisure sportsboats.

However, for sheer versatility, the impact it has had on both powerboat racing and leisure craft, and its ability to work equally well with both petrol and diesel engines, the sterndrive has to take it.

Hunt’s deep-vee design proved a powerboat game-changer

8. Racing hull designer Ray Hunt

The most successful hull builders embraced the fast-developing world of engineering and materials as well as developments in design. Cold-molded mahogany plywood gave way to GRP, which in turn surrendered to carbon-fibre reinforced by Kevlar.

However, it’s hard to think of a bigger leap in hull design than Ray Hunt’s deep-vee concept, demonstrating an immediate and staggering superiority over previous hard and rounded chines. Nothing underpins this assertion better than Dick Bertram’s 1961 Miami-Nassau victory in his prototype Moppie – finishing a whole day ahead of the third-placed boat.

The likes of Levi, Shead and Bertram all helped refine the concept but the winner has to be Ray Hunt who, along with Dick Bertram’s investment and encouragement, became the grandfather of today’s sportsboats.

Peter Dredge skims Vector Martini to an average speed of 94.5mph during the 2015 Cowes Torquay Cowes race. Photo: Alamy

9. Speed record breaker Peter Dredge

World Water Speed records set by the likes of Donald Campbell’s Bluebird and Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Challenger II are momentous achievements in their fields but their designs have bred few, if any, current sportsboats. Offshore powerboat racing records may not be as well publicised but are arguably far more relevant.

The average speed records of historic races like the Cowes Torquay Cowes race are a perfect demonstration of the improvements made in powertrains, hull design and strength. The first race in 1961 was won by a 24ft wooden Christina averaging 24.5mph. It took another two years to break 40mph, and a further four to exceed 50mph. In 1969 the record tumbled again with an average speed of over 60mph.

A gap of six years then ensued before the record climbed over 70mph and a further 13 years for technology to reach an average exceeding 80mph. A very calm race in 1990 saw the Italians hit over 90mph average – and then we waited 25 years before that speed was finally exceeded in 2015.

So until that record is beaten, preferably with a speed of more than 100mph, our winner is the current record holder Peter Dredge who propelled the awesome 1,500bhp, 44ft Vector Martini to victory at a remarkable average speed of 94.5mph.

Dag Pike, the brains behind so many great powerboat victories

10. National treasure Dag Pike

No top ten list could be complete without mention of those quiet but significant contributors to the sport of offshore powerboat racing. Among those names must be Class-3 racer, commentator, sport historian and MBY ’s longest-serving contributor Ray Bulman, who passed away last year .

The racer, organiser, enthusiast and flamboyant, chain-smoking Tim Powell also has to be in the running. Other characters like Commander Petroni of Italy’s Tornado Racing Team and Tommy Sopwith’s regular crew Charles de Selincourt, who guided him to victory in several Cowes Torquay Cowes races also deserve mentions.

But my National Treasure award goes to Dag Pike; writer, raconteur and navigator extraordinaire who has been the brains behind countless race wins for dozens of different drivers. Having been shipwrecked eight times himself but also having rescued more than eight people in his long career offshore, he has in his own words ‘balanced the books’.

The last word

As with any top ten list it can never be comprehensive and will always be open to differences of opinion but that’s not the point of this article. We simply invite you to ponder that, whatever boat you drive and whatever propels it, its performance and seaworthiness possesses at least some of the DNA of the many great raceboats, designers, engineers and technologies, forged in the heat of offshore battle.

First published in the June 2019 issue of Motor Boat & Yachting.

Navan S30 & C30 tour: Exceptional new Axopar rival

Axopar 29 yacht tour: exclusive tour by the man behind it, mayla gt first look: speed machine with outrageous looks, latest videos, galeon 440 fly sea trial: you won’t believe how much they’ve packed in, parker sorrento yacht tour: 50-knot cruiser with a killer aft cabin, yamarin 80 dc tour: a new direction for the nordic day cruiser.

A History of Powerboat Racing

by David C. Branch | Mar 26, 2020 | Powerboat Racing

Throughout history, people have loved to race things, whether it be animals, or machines; across the ground, or over the waves. History has also seen boats play an essential role in the lives of people around the world. Before planes, they were one of the only ways to travel to faraway places. Since then, boats haven’t just been used for travel, but for sport and leisure. They’ve evolved, and the first motorboat was  invented in the 19th century . It wasn’t long before people decided to start racing them, and the rest is, as they say, history. 

The Harmsworth Trophy

Just a few years after the invention of motorboats, Alfred Harmsworth founded the first offshore international competition, the Harmsworth Trophy. The first race occurred in 1903, originally as a contestant between countries rather than individuals. Gar Wood dominated the races and won on eight different occasions. He was the first person to go over 100 mph in a motorboat. 

These races became extremely popular and were attended by crowds of up to 100,000 each year. This led to offshore powerboat racing becoming a recognized sport. Unfortunately, at the time it was only available to very wealthy individuals. Powerboats were very expensive, and access to water was limited. 

During the second half of the 20th century, Harmsworth cup attendance slowed and the competition died out. 

Class 1 Money Race

Although many powerboat races filled the vacuum left by the death of the Harmsworth Trophy, the most similar one was the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship. The competition was first  held in 1956 , and contestants raced from Miami, USA to Nassau, the Bahamas. The race has grown quite a bit since then. Now it is one of the most recognized, as well as dangerous, competitions in powerboat racing history! 

Competitors in the race were also very wealthy. Many still are today, too. One of the most successful teams, a man named Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, has a net worth of about £19 billion. He also owns the Emirates Group. 

These are just two of the races that helped launch the proud history of offshore powerboat racing. The sport is still extremely exciting, both to participate in and to watch. Races have evolved quite a bit since the 19th century, and its avid fans look forward to what the future will hold.

2020 in Boat Racing

2020 has certainly also turned out to be a historic year for racing! The COVID pandemic has impacted virtually every industry and the lives of people across the world, and boat racing is certainly no exception. Many people delayed or cancelled their races to do their part in helping slow the spread of the Coronavirus. For example, the annual power boat races in Key West were cancelled . After all, boat races aren’t just about the people racing the boats. These events also attract crowds of thousands! Unfortunately, 2020 has been a difficult year for boat racers and other enthusiasts. Everyone is looking forward to the end of the pandemic so we can be back out on the water.

Recent Posts

• Highlights of the 2021 Offshore Racing Schedule
• Best Christmas Presents for Boat Lovers
• Top Boat Racing Resources
• Safety Equipment for Boat Racing
• Flags Used in Powerboat Racing

History of Powerboat Racing: The Pioneers of This Sport 

by Hugh Fuller | Aug 15, 2022 | Uncategorized

Racing has been a major part of human history for thousands of years, from the Olympic footraces and chariot races of ancient Greece to modern F1 races with supercharged cars capable of eclipsing 200 mph. Thus, it is no surprise that a handful of enterprising individuals would create the sport of powerboat racing not long after the first motorboat was invented in the late 19th century.  

This thrilling motorsport dates back to the very beginning of the 20th century. Powerboat racing has been a spectacle since these early beginnings, drawing crowds of tens of thousands of spectators. However, the sport has naturally evolved over the past century. While the spirit may be the same, the power of these vessels has increased exponentially. Here is a closer look at the early history of powerboat racing. 

The Harmsworth Cup – Powerboat Racing’s First International Competition     In 1903, British newspaper and publishing magnate Alfred Harmsworth organized the first international powerboat racing competition, called the Harmsworth Cup. This international competition was held between various countries, rather than the individuals and racing teams that compete in contemporary powerboat races. 

In the first few decades of the Harmsworth Cup’s existence, the boats were designed and built entirely by the residents of each participating country. The original rules specified that boats could only be constructed with materials and units from the participating country and that the boat must be built entirely within that country. However, these rules were changed in 1949. 

The first Harmsworth Cup race ran on a course from Cobh, Ireland, to a marina in Cork. This initial race did not exactly go smoothly, as many boats struggled to even get started. The British organizers of the event also claimed that the French boats were not built in France, and the French team was disqualified from the race. There ended up being only three entries in the race. British racer and journalist Dorothy Levitt took home the inaugural 1903 Harmsworth Cup for the Brits. 

The French would exact vengeance the following year by taking home the 1904 title, but the Harmsworth Cup would soon be dominated by both British and American teams. 

  Powerboat Racing Rivalry Between the UK and USA  

The American team won the Harmsworth Cup for the first time in 1907, which would kick off an era of American and British dominance. The two nations would go on to trade victories until the year 1920, and no other nation won the cup until Canada in 1959. 

The roaring ‘20s and the Great Depression era were completely dominated by the Americans, as they won every single race between 1920 to 1933. This dominance can be attributed to legendary racer Gar Wood, who won the race eight times as a driver and nine times as an owner during these 13 years. 

The popularity of the sport also exploded during this era. According to Time Magazine, the 1920 Cup drew over 400,000 spectators who sat along the edge of the river to watch the races. However, the Harmsworth Cup went on a hiatus between 1933 and 1949 and has been held irregularly since then. 

Gar Wood: Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Powerboat Racing Legend     Gar Wood’s legendary racing story began in 1916, when he purchased his first motorboat, a vessel designed for racing and named Miss Detroit. Wood also purchased the company that manufactured the boat, which would eventually lead to Wood producing his own boats under the brand name Garwood Industries. 

During these early years, Wood’s entire focus was on racing, rather than business. He set a new water speed record in 1920 after reaching over 74 mph while cruising on the Detroit River in a twin Liberty V-12 boat he dubbed Miss America. Over the next 12 years, Wood built nine more versions of Miss America and broke the record five more times, topping out at an unprecedented 124.8 mph in 1932 on the St. Clair River. 

Wood completed an epic challenge in 1921, when he raced one of his boats against the Havana Special train along a 1,250-mile route along the Atlantic Coast, from Miami to New York City. He completed the trip in 47 hours and 23 minutes, managing to beat the train out by 12 minutes. He also raced the 20th Century Limited Train along the Hudson River between Albany and New York City in 1921, beating it by 22 minutes. 

Wood’s dominance extended beyond the Harmsworth Cup. Along with his eight victories in this prestigious race, he also won an impressive five consecutive powerboat Gold Cup races between 1917 and 1921. 

In 1931, he lost the Harmsworth Cup in one of the most exciting editions of the race. Gar Wood’s brother, George Wood, competed in the race and won the title. The race was heavily promoted and the brotherly rivalry drove the promotion. Over 1 million spectators showed up to watch the brothers compete in the 1931 Harmsworth Cup, making it one of the largest audiences for any sporting event in history. 

Gar would retire from racing two years later to focus on his business, but his impact has persevered into the modern era. 

Recent Posts

• Dive into Excitement: Top 3 Powerboat Racing Tips for Spectators 
• Green Boating: 4 Important Tips for Eco-Friendly Powerboat Enthusiasts 
• Boat Safety: Essential Communication Tools and How to Call for Help
• Speeding to Success: 4 Must-Have Skills for Aspiring NASCAR Drivers
• Racing to Victory: How Do NASCAR Teams Collaborate for Success?

Recent Comments

Union internationale motonautique

Although it bore little similarity to our modem sport, powerboat racing can reliably trace its origins as far back as 1902 when the British formed their Marine Motoring Association.

By the following year, New York´s Columbia Yacht Club had formulated a constitution for what ultimately became the American Power Boat Association (APBA) and the French had formed their Congress of Automobile Boats. In 1903, the French ran a 62-mile circuit race on the Seine at Meulan and the 230-mile Paris to Trouville event, while the following year saw a race across the English Channel and an attempt to promote a Trans-Atlantic marathon. Gottlieb Daimler had been experimenting with single-cylinder internal combustion engines in Germany and America´s E.W. Graef developed what may well have been the first Deep-V powerboat in the same year that Britain´s newspaper magnate, Sir Alfred Harmsworth, created what has become the world´s oldest and arguably most famous powerboat racing trophy.

In 1907, a small group of motoring enthusiasts formed the Paris-based Internationale Motor Yacht Association and, after a change of name to the Association Internationale du Yachting Automobile in 1908, staged races regularly in Nice, Palermo, Monte Carlo, Algiers, Toulon and Arcachon until the outbreak of the First World War. Led by the Duke of Westminster, Lord Montagu, Baron Henri de Rothschild, Noel Robbins and others racing prospered in Europe and by 1911 the Americans had stepped in on the act by staging a race from Long Beach to Catalina Island in California.

Competing mostly in boats with vertical stem and flat bottoms which relied more on brute force and ignorance than hydrodynamic efficiency, the rich and famous took their pleasures on the water quite seriously, in an amateur sort of way.

The involvement of Sir Thomas Sopwith in England and Jack Manson and Gar Wood on the American scene brought a more professional edge to this emerging competition and the Harmsworth Trophy and Gold Cup competitions sparked the public imagination in much the same way as the Schneider Trophy international air races and the latter day Hales Trophy for the Trans-Atlantic Blue Riband. By 1917, the Americans were running ten races a year in locations from Miami to Key West, Palm Beach, Havana and New York but the vagaries and traumas of changing presidents and offices almost annually with its attendant inefficiency led to the collapse of the European AIYA in 1918, when the last known President, a Dr Busley from Berlin, disappeared and took the records of the Association with him into obscurity. It was 1922 - and largely due to the lobbying efforts of an Scott, Dr Morton Smart and John Ward, an expatriate Irishman living in Belgium - that saw the formation in Brussels of the precursor of today´s modern administration in the new Union Internationale du Yachting Automobile with Ward as its first Secretary General and the Belgian businessman Alfred Pierrard its first President.

Having been successful in re-establishing the international authority, Ward was succeeded as Secretary General in 1925 by Maurice Pauwaert who, together with the President, administered the emergent sport unchallenged for 20 years until the outbreak of the Second World War.

By 1927 it had acquired a permanent administrative base, had promulgated its first sporting rules, published its first racing calendar and after a further change of name to the now familiar Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) was ready to welcome more nations into its fold. Among that first intake were Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Holland, Ireland, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Sweden and finally the United States of America, as the world basked in what was to be only a temporary peace.

Inevitably the Second World War brought an end to all marine sporting endeavours, though it was coincidentally responsible for much of the technical development which gave the modern sport its direction, particularly in the areas of hull and engine design. However, in 1946, the UIM emerged unscathed from the hostilities to meet a world of change. With its administrative base relocated from Brussels to Ghent, Freddy Buysse elected to the President´s chair and first with Maurice Pauwaert and latterly with Henri Thomas as Secretary General, the UIM powered through its most formative decades and towards a body which is recognisable today.

The formation of a Technical Committee and the sanctioning of the American Power Boat Association to represent the nation with the biggest potential for competitive growth began a progressive programme of sporting, technical administration and safety development which continues to this day.

Overseeing this have been successive Presidents from Italy (Vittore Catella), France, (Claude Bouilloux Lafont), Italy again (Francesco Cosentino), Belgium (Paul Lamberts) Germany (Ralf Frohling), the USA (Charles Strang) and once more Italy in the shape of current President Dr Raffaele Chiulli, who was elected to office in 2007.

Thomas retired as Secretary General in 1972 to be succeeded by the urbane Belgian, José Mawet, under whose guidance the administrative office moved from Brussels to the Principality of Monaco. In late 1992 Régine Vandekerckhove became only the fifth person to hold this office before being followed by Andrea Dini of Italy and the present incumbent, the highly experienced Swiss Thomas Kurth.

As for the sport’s administration today, the hub of the Union – the clearing house for all contacts with and from its member nations (a total now risen from twelve in 1927 to 60 in 2017) and distribution centre for all relevant documentation - is its registered office within Monaco´s Stade Louis II sporting complex in Font Vieille. This small suite of offices is staffed by the UIM´s permanent full-time Secretary General and five administrative assistants.Every other office, function and activity within this international governing body is contributed on a voluntary basis by the individuals concerned and for the most part, expenses by the national authorities from which these individuals come, though some choose to fund their own activities to the wider benefit of all.

The ultimate authority in the sport is vested in the UIM´s General Assembly which is made up of one delegate from each sanctioned national authority and which meets annually in the autumn of the year to ratify the minutes of the previous year´s Annual General Meeting and examine the reports of the General Secretary and Treasurer.

Responsible to the General Assembly for the management of the UIM is the Executive Committee, made up currently of the President and a minimum of five members, which meets as often as necessary to ensure the smooth running of the Union. In practice however, as many as 12 Administrators, Commission Heads and other officers are seconded to the Committee. It is this body which appoints the permanent Secretary General, a non-voting, ex officio member of all Committees and Commissions who heads up the Union´s administrative and personnel department.

If the General Assembly is the supreme authority and the Executive Committee is the power base of the UIM, it is the Commissions which make the sport work. It is the elected representatives of these Commissions from Offshore (COMINOFF), Medical and Safety (COMINSAFE), Sports (COMINSPORT), Formula, Technical (COMINTECH), Aquabike and Pleasure Navigation who formulate, regulate and police the rules of competition. At any one time, it is possible to have more than 100 enthusiastic individuals voluntarily giving their time to the task of making powerboat racing sport safer and more effective.

It is within the last three decades that the UIM has grown most and part of the onus for this must fall on the proliferation of racing driven jointly by the Union and its various independent promoters. Most notably this has seen racing extend its horizons to encompass China, Cuba, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Brazil, Greece, Hungary, Qatar, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and Ukraine with a growth that is likely to continue.

In the face of geographical growth, financial pressure and the quest for media exposure, the UIM has the taxing task of presiding over a sport whose roots are firmly bedded in amateurism but which by its very nature is being progressively enveloped by professionalism at all levels. As it sets out for the next millennium and its own centenary the UIM is committed to protect its past but equally to develop its future, improving the efficiency of its operation and of communicating to a wider audience the many and varied ways in which powerboat racing and its participants benefit from the efforts of a lively and more commercially aware international governing body.  

Bob Nordskog: Honoring a Legend

For us at Powerboat, there were two sides to Bob, the publisher/boat tester and the racer. The story of our Performance Trials is chronicled annually. After launching the magazine in 1968, Bob, who also owned a marine dealership in the San Fernando Valley area of California, developed his own rigorous test program to help improve the quality of the products being sold to the public. During the next 22 years, he evaluated 1,196 pleasureboats, everything from tournament inboard ski boats to runabouts to performance tunnels to monster 47′ offshore wave mashers.

When I came out from the East Coast to interview with Bob and our current publisher, his son, Jerry, in early 1991, Bob the boat racer won me over. He had just given me the tour of his famed Competition Center, where he kept all his raceboats in Van Nuys, Calif., and told glorious stories with charm and intensity. It was like a walk through powerboat racing history, a selection of endurance tunnels, flatbottoms and Cigarette, Scarab and Fountain offshore boats covering the immaculate floor. T-shirts from all the events the Nordskog Racing Team competed in were folded and framed on the wall when you first walked in, and there was a trophy and photo room that was mind-boggling. I consider it an honor that I was the last editor Bob personally hired. He did it with a handshake and a smile, saying, “Welcome aboard.” It was clear that counter offers wouldn’t be entertained. Bob’s offer was his offer, and you either took it or you didn’t.

By the time I started at Powerboat, Bob spoke in a soft voice thanks to vocal cord damage sustained bv shouting over open exhaust all those years. People still listened to the charismatic, Seattle-born Californian with the slicked-back hair and blue eyes. When you put a camera or microphone in front of Bob, he knew how to make the best of the opportunity, promoting his racing teams, his magazine or his various campaigns in the name of safety on the water.

At my first Performance Trials in 1991, all the other members of the Test Team hazed me, telling me Bob hated it when people get seasick or messed up in the test program. “Don’t screw up,” said Bob Teague, now our lead tester. “He hates to have to do things twice.”

The other rule at The Trials was never be late. When you were late at the Trials, Bob said you weren’t just holding up the Test Team, you were holding up the hundreds of employees back at Nordskog Industries, because you were keeping Bob away from the office longer than he had to be.

After a sleepless night, I climbed into my first boat with Bob at The Trials. I had five pens, a tape recorder, backup tapes, batteries for the recorder and every other accessory I could possibly need. As for the seasickness, I had never suffered from it, but I was concerned that looking down at gauges and trying to write down data while a boat is being whipped through turns could be a nasty catalyst.

Turned out we made a pretty good team. Bob cracked jokes and had fun, loving every minute of being in the boats. In those days, we did our speed runs by driving close by an anchored boat and having a team member on that boat shoot us with a radar gun. One time, we came a little too close and clipped the anchor line with the drive. No one was hurt, but the guys on the anchored boat were rattled. Bob looked over at me and giggled, “Guess we came a little too close.”

Another time, a boat started chine-walking. Having never experienced this, I thought that for sure we were going to get wet. Bob reached over, tapped a button and, voila, no more chine-walk. He had an uncanny way of making boats work.

Another time we were in the middle of a particularly stormy week at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Fla. Within seconds, the rain turned into torrential downpour. Bob looked over at me and told me to figure out how to get back to the docks. While he drove, I stood up, pelted in the face with pouring rain at 50 mph, and proceeded to get us lost even worse. Eventually we lucked into finding the docks.

Bob felt his Performance Trials and Awards For Product Excellence Program were the most important in the marine industry, and he let the manufacturers know they should promote the honors they received. Almost of them did and still do, recognizing that to this day we still conduct the. Trials in the tradition Bob intended, putting the boats up to the harshest scrutiny in the business. The United States Coast Guard recognized Bob’s contribution to the marine industry, presenting him with a citation for his dedication to advancing safety.

Those who spent time with Bob Nordskog have plenty of colorful memories. We asked former Nordskog Racing crew members and competitors to recall special moments.

We were running in the Long Beach to Ensenada race in the early 1970s. We had never made the Mexican waters, and Bob was so upset about all his inboards breaking in previous races he fired everyone except Norm Teague. So Bob bought this outboard-powered Magnum and decided we were going to race it in the Ensenada race. I made the charts and had them all laid out. It’s not too complicated. Keep the Americas to your left. I made this big chart and screwed it down on the deck. We’re going along just a-hitting and a-getting, and this deck is just wobbling back and forth like Jello. Just as we crossed the border, the chart started lifting. All of a sudden the thing just took off. Here I am in Mexican waters knowing I have to keep the land to my left, but I had to clear the Toda Santos Islands that I had to keep to port. Right alongside were the Witt brothers. I hadn’t seen what I thought was the Toda Santos, the Witts are heading in and Bob’s going crazy. It was all I could do to keep him going. Finally we saw our rocks and then we turned in. We were the only ones to get to Ensenada. We won. -Noel Younger , navigator, 1964-1981, and vice president of human resources, Nordskog Industries.

I’d have to say the best was when we crossed the finish line for the San Francisco to L.A. run, setting the record at 5 hours and 57 minutes. It was the best record we ever did. -Norm Teague , crew chief, 1968-1992.

I can’t believe how we thrashed in the Parker Enduro days, racing three KT boats at once. The teamwork, everyone working together. Then there was the time we went down to Salton Sea for a week to set diesel speed records, working in the dirt and sand and changing motors at a truck stop. -Bob Teague , crew member and navigator, 1971-1991

The race that comes to mind was the one at Marina del Rey, which was Bob’s last race (victorious). It was smooth water. Both of us ran hard, and we were side-by-side. Racing against him is what made it fun because he had raced for so long. –  Carson Brummett , Super V-class competitor, 1990-1991.

Nordskog By The Numbers:

• Number of Pleasureboats tested: 1,196
• Fastest Boat Tested: Douglas Skater, 102 MPH, 1992
• Age Started Powerboat Racing: 36 in 1949
• Age in First Offshore Race: 49
• Age in Last Offshore Race: 79

– Article by Powerboat Editor Eric Colby, published in Powerboat Magazine August 1997

Also see The Lure of Powerboating from The Saturday Evening Post (Nov/Dec 1991)

Comments are closed.

• Formula 1 Powerboat Championship
• F1PC Series Rule Book
• Boat Classes
• Race Videos
• Formula One History
• 2 Seater Experience
• Sponsorship Opportunities
• Sponsor Logos
• JH Performance Boats
• MOTO Marketing Group
• Racing Communications
• Sea-Way Marine
• Seebold Sports
• VP Race Fuels
• 2024 Series Schedule
• Lake Havasu 2023
• Lake Havasu Classic 2022
• Alton Midwest Nationals
• Shreveport Red River Rumble 2024
• 2023 Season Press Release
• Mercury Racing Sponsorship
• Axcel Sports
• Formula One Drivers
• Formula Light Drivers
• Tri Hull Drivers
• J Hydro Drivers
• Driver Info Form
• F1 PC Legends
• Live Timing
• Formula One

The Formula One Powerboat Championship

The Formula One Powerboat Championship is a 6-race series contested  across North America from May through September. Established in 2017, the series  features weekend long community events highlighted by 20+ Formula 1 boats reaching speeds of 120 mph.

U.S. Powerboat racing first began in 1903. Formula One racing for the last five decades, has been recognized as one of the world’s most spectacular racing experiences. The F1 boats lightning quick speeds of 120 mph, razor sharp turns, create nonstop challenges for the world class drivers.  The up close and personal, deck to deck, sponson banging competition creates thrills rarely experienced by boat racing fans. Each race is more than a series of one-day events, these races have evolved into the marquee event for weekend long multi-interest community festivals. The races produce the largest entertainment event in the markets they visit, increase regional awareness while generating tourism dollars for the local economy.

Beyond the live attendance, the events provide media exposure, both nationally and worldwide through international coverage including live streaming on our social media outlets as well as traditional outlets. Through live attendance and media coverage, the series reaches millions of loyal fans each season.

• Powerboating News
• PBN Playmates
• Brownie’s Bites
• New Products and Offers

• PBN Classifieds

King of Offshore – The Untold Story of Reggie Fountain

The story of one man’s domination of offshore powerboat racing and the legacy of performance innovations he left in his wake. Not unlike modern day stock car racing, professional offshore powerboat racing evolved from a colorful history. From high speed skiffs smuggling Canadian booze across the Detroit River to big horsepower vee hulls purposefully built to outrun the DEA on the high seas. It was all about who had the fastest boat.

Reggie Fountain, Jr., a competitor, boat builder and visionary, advanced both the legitimacy of the sport and introduced performance innovations that still influence the powerboat industry today.

The Story: From his adolescent days chasing fishermen on North Carolina’s Tar River to building a billion dollar global powerboat empire, the story follows the high-speed life of Reggie Fountain and his relentless pursuit to build the fastest deep-vee boats in the world.

The program follows the golden era of boat racing from the factory tunnel boat wars of the late 60’s through the freewheeling days of the 80’s and the progression to modern day performance boats. The story is told in a chronological narrative with commentary by the legendary men who competed with, and influenced the “Boy from Tarboro.” The program features an extensive collection of historical footage with never before published scenes from the personal archives of those who were there. The full story has never been told before and answers the question, “What happened to Reggie Fountain?”

After a full year in production, the program is now complete and the producers are looking to schedule a national broadcast on Discovery Velocity in March 2015. They have launched a Kickstarter crowdsourcing campaign to cover the costs for the broadcast rights to some of the rarest historical footage and photographs from offshore racing’s glorious past. The Kickstarter program offers many incentives for participants to be a part of the program. From autographed Blu-ray copies of the documentary, to the opportunity to watch the pre-broadcast world premiere of the program as Reggie Fountain’s guest in his personal theater in Washington, North Carolina. Click on this link to find out more information on how you can become a part of this historic offshore opportunity.

SIMILAR ARTICLES

Iconic Marine Group Producing Masks, Shields, Gowns During Pandemic

Big Thunder Marine’s Doors Open, Service Shop Keeping Busy

Big Thunder Marine Retailer Takes on Chris-Craft Line

PBN's FINEST

Fountain Announces New 42′ Lightning

Offshore Racing Legend Bobby Moore Passes Away at 80

P1 Superstock Looks Ahead to 2020 Season

Popular categories.

• Powerboating News 1704
• Daily Dose 187
• PBN Staff Photos 65
• Brownie's Bites 53
• New Products and Offers 31
• PBN Tech 20
• PBN Photo Gallery 20
• Privacy policy
• Advertising

Gee 185 – Offshore Powerboat Racing since 1967

• 50 years on

From The Southern – Article: John Walker

In the sailing world, it is not unusual to find yachts built more than half a century ago that are still quartering the world’s oceans to go racing. Our Mediterranean reciprocal, Yacht Club de Monaco’s Tuiga from 1909, and perhaps most notably our Honorary Member, Johnny Caulcutt’s Mariquita, which went down the ways in 1911, are fine examples, though in no way unique.

Delivered by Wilf Souter in summer 1967, Gee ran her sea trials in the Solent in an altogether more gentlemanly age. Photo: Beken.

In the world of powerboats, however, it is much rarer to find examples of anything approaching similar vintage, think Turbinia, now all scrapped or consigned to museums or private collections – and virtually unknown to find younger if still venerable examples racing today.

One factor that unifies both fraternities of sail and power is that to keep a vintage vessel of any persuasion in commission requires regular and increasingly eye-watering dollops of money and as importantly, the love of their owners.

Boating was ever a people thing and this story revolves around those people who originally designed, built, raced, cruised and finally raced again in one of the best known offshore powerboats of our time; the classic Gee.

Modern offshore powerboat racing came into being in the mid-1950s, a pastime of the rich and famous, using boats that were often notoriously unfit for purpose.

When Max Aitken and his Daily Express newspaper brought offshore to the UK in 1961, using the tag line ‘racing improves the breed’, it immediately attracted an eclectic coterie of competitors drawn from industry, motor racing and the ranks of the independently wealthy gentlemen sportsmen.

One man who happily fitted all three of those categories was the Hon. Edward Gilbert Greenall, 3rd Baron Daresbury, born November 1928 into the ‘beerage’ and family brewery that became Greenall Whitley, educated at Eton and a man as close to the style of H.C.McNeile’s fictional character Bulldog Drummond as one could find in a month of looking.

As with many young men of independent means and a sense of adventure, at the age of 22 Eddie Greenall took up motor racing and from 1950 piloted a succession of Astons, Bugattis, Coopers, Lolas and, finally, a Lotus Elise.

Enjoying varying degrees of success but setting a trend for his future afloat, he was always amongst the class leaders, before brewery business interests forced his retirement from the track at the end of the 1961 season.

By the mid-1960s, many of his motor racing peers had discovered offshore powerboat racing including Royal Southern Members Tommy Sopwith and Tim Powell, and together with Keith Schellenberg and Bill Shand-Kidd, their obvious enjoyment of the emerging sport may have encouraged the still restless Eddie to go afloat.

Eddie Greenall in typical pose with pipe and wife, Molly, alongside, on board Gee at scrutineering in Cowes for the first Cowes-Torquay outing in 1968. Photo: Beken.

Thus, by the time of the 1966 Cowes-Torquay race, he had acquired a Donzi 28’ with twin Chrysler petrol motors from the doyen of American designers, Jim Wynne, which he christened Gee and to which the RYA allocated the number 185.

Both name and number would accompany him throughout his powerboat racing career.

Of the 18 finishers from 40 starters, Eddie brought the Donzi home 15th, covering the 172nm in 8hrs 18mins to average 23.5mph in a race won by Wynne in Ghost Rider, a boat built in Cowes by W.A. Souter & Son.

Gee race number 185 at the Portsmouth start of the 1969 BP & Daily Telegraph Round Britain Race. Photo: Beken

In no way dispirited by his finishing position and modest average speed, he immediately sold the Donzi and placed an order with Wynne and Souter for a bigger boat, but why Wynne and why Souter?

Eddie was an observant man and had, throughout his competitive career, bought and raced machines that had design provenance and winning potential and it was no different now that he was a wet bob.

The unlikely association between the American designer and Cowes boatbuilder had begun several years before, when the Arctic Road yard had built some Wynne-designed circuit boats to race in the Paris 6-Hour marathon.

Wilf Souter and his brothers had refined a cold moulding building technique by fixing mahogany veneers over a mould by means of battens and staples, binding together the successive layers of wood with synthetic resin.

What Eddie received from Wilf Souter in the summer of 1967 was a 40’ long, 12’6” beam, cold-moulded cruiser with a reverse sheer transom, typical of Wynne’s designs prior to the advent of transom-mounted sterndrives.

Powered by twin Cummins Indiana 480hp turbo-charged diesels on V-drives and shafts built like a brick outhouse, she would run at better than 50mph in almost any sea state likely to be encountered around the British Isles.

Racing only once that season, winning the Needles Trophy in Poole, but missing the Cowes-Torquay, this stately vessel was to give her owner, his second wife Molly and regular navigator, Sq Ldr Victor Linthune DFC, a mostly comfortable and often class-winning ride over the following five seasons, with victories or highly placed finishes in Needles Trophy, Guards International, Torbay International, Round The Island and Cowes-Torquay races.

If there was to be one disappointment during this reign it was in the 1969 Daily Telegraph; BP Round Britain Race. Quoted 3:1 in the prerace betting and lying 4th overall when the fleet left Inverness for Dundee on the sixth leg, in big seas and fog, she was leading the charge when, uncharacteristically, Gee lost all motive power and drifting onto a lee shore off Arbroath, was forced to retire, the only competitor of 41 starters forced to use any emergency service during the entire marathon race.

By 1969, Eddie Greenall had moved to Jersey and having sold Gee after the 1971 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race, she ceased being a race boat and while he continued racing in a much bigger boat under the same name, she metamorphosed into life as a cruiser re-named Melodrama, a guise that would last for the following 37 years.

Her next three owners were all offshore powerboat racers and all had seen Gee in her pomp.

First was John Galliford who graduated from racing the wholly inappropriate R&W Clark built Michelle S cruiser, via Open Pleasure class, a misnomer if ever there was one, and finally Tommy Sopwith’s 1970 Cowes-Torquay winner, Miss Enfield 2, with Ken Cassir.

Retaining her original Cummins motors but with a new raised coachroof to make her more comfortable below deck, Gee, now Melodrama, became their support boat, but within a year Galliford was concentrating on his growing building business and retired from racing and sold her on.

Second was Keith Dallas, who to this day is still a little hazy about how and why he acquired her after a very short acquaintance, but the boat tended to have that seductive effect on people.

He had progressed up the sport from racing an Avenger 21 in Class III to a Class II catamaran out of the emerging Cougar stable, powered by four Mercury outboards and successively branded Wiggins Teape and then Penthouse/Inver House/Rizla for his sponsors.

As a major racing representative and development driver for Mercury, when Dallas discovered that the Cummins engines he had inherited were in less than perfect condition, he approached Mercury Racing’s supremo, Gary Garbrech, for suggestions.

Soon thereafter, Melodrama had been re-engined with two 454 cu.in. V8 Mercruiser inboards on her original V-drives.

With the possible exception of the occasion when, having consigned her to a yard in Poole to replace the original cork decks with teak, they allowed her to sink on a mooring, necessitating much remedial yard work and a full engine rebuild, there followed nine relatively trouble-free years of summer season cruising en famille in the Solent, West Country and Channel Islands before he too thought it right to move her on.

Third was Roger Bowley, an engineer and car dealer from the West Wight, who had raced in various classes and boats.

Dallas was asking £12,000 which seems ridiculously cheap today, but a deal was struck that included the exchange of money and a Maserati Merak.

Thereafter, Melodrama’s new owner thought it sensible to have both Mercruisers re-built immediately, which may explain the asking price.

After using the boat around the Solent the engines began to show signs of wear and tear, and being the proud possessor of two 330hp Sabre diesels out of Derek Pobjoy’s Sundancer, he oversaw a second change of engines.

It was in 1985, whilst lying at Eastlands Boatyard on the Hamble that Melodrama caught the eye of Thames shipyard owner John Bates.

Between 1946-1975, his family business, William Bates & Son, had built what its founder had described as luxury river and seagoing cruisers under the name Star Craft, some sold to private owners, some run as a hire fleet on the river and John had taken much pleasure in finding old boats and bringing them back to as-new condition.

Who better than a man brought up with the smell of Thames mud, glue and wood shavings in his nostrils to take ownership of the wooden classic.

Back at Chertsey, John, his shipwright, Terry Dann and great chum Mike Clark, went to work on Melodrama not once but twice during his ownership, rectifying the rot around the waterline and exhausts and generally ‘minting’ the by now elderly if still sprightly lady.

Used as a family cruiser by five of her six owners as Melodrama a new forward coachroof and three changes of engines have kept Gee user-friendly over the years. Photo: Keith Dallas.

Richard Bates recalls that his father regarded all the time and money as a well-spent labour of love and having used the boat in the Solent, by 2003 it was back on the Thames, where Mike Clark gave it a regular weekly run out.

Enter property developer and now Royal Southern Member, Chris Clayton, Melodrama’s sixth owner.

It was on one of these weekly outings that he first encountered her, after a long lunch at the Thames Court pub by Shepperton Lock.

Then he met Mike Clark en route back to the yard.

Attracted by her unusual lines, Clayton and Clark got talking and after discovering her history, it became apparent that she was available to purchase.

Thoroughly seduced, Clayton went back home and rarely given the opportunity to own such a rare and special craft, returned to Bates Wharf and negotiated the sale with Richard Bates.

Up to this point in his life it is fair to say that his nautical experience had been in much smaller boats on the Solent and in the Balearics.

As he said afterwards:

Melodrama replaced a racetuned jetski and even though it was 30 knots slower, it could handle any sea at 40 knots with a full crew on board. We took her back from the Thames to the Solent, mooring her at Royal Clarence Yard in Gosport and after two seasons use, I decided to do some remedial works, which included the removal of 18 layers of paint to reveal her bare mahogany, overhaul of the Sabres and a revamped interior together with new deck fittings.

That refurbishment took 18 months and after reaching agreement with the Greenall family, Melodrama was re-hristened Gee and returned to her original livery.

Still moored in Gosport, she saw use in home waters and on cross-Channel passages, but in January 2008, Clayton noticed a headline in Motorboat & Yachting that the Round Britain Race was being re-run later that year and the germ of an idea formed.

What a 40th anniversary that would be to race Gee again after all those years in retirement, as she had done the first ever Round Britain Race in 1969.

There were a number of immediate hurdles to clear, notably who would crew the boat, what engines to use and, most important, would the old girl handle the pounding? A call to Mike Clark elicited the response that ‘there was a very fine line between madness and stupidity’, but he thought she would be up for it.

Cummins embraced the historic niceties of Gee entering her second Round Britain Race in 39 years and duly delivered the nearest current equivalent to her original 480hp Indiana engines, in the shape of their CMD QSB 5.9 litre turbodiesels. Photo: EyeSea.

A rushed visit to the London Boat Show and a conversation with Cummins sales supremo, David Johnson, secured CMD QSB 480hp engines and race support, so it was just down to a quick survey to tick the last box.

By early March the boat was ashore in Swanwick and here, ex-Fairey man and surveyor, Bill Dunlop, brought a measure of harsh reality to the owner’s infectious enthusiasm and any thoughts of removing the microwave and a few cushions to secure a quick and dirty re-fit were consigned to boxes marked ‘pie’ and ‘sky’.

Dunlop insisted that the boat be stripped back to its bare hull, all the interior that had most recently been installed should come out and only then could he conduct a proper survey.

John Bates’ shipwright, Terry Dann, did the necessary, Dunlop ticked the box and Gee could go racing again.

The official entry was lodged in the Historic Racing Class, whose nominal criteria were boats over 20 years of age and capable of 50 knots and just one problem remained; the boat was stripped bare and the start was looming two months ahead.

Almost by necessity, racing comes in two parts, a race to the start line and a race to the finish line and this was no different.

As the boat went under cover, a team including Roger Street from Cummins, ace painter Tony Preston, electronics wizard Geoff Sargent, skipper John Guille and crew Nathan Ward and Biff Allen, all applied their not inconsiderable talents to the re-fit, whilst Clayton kept the financial wheels turning.

New shafts, rudders and propellers were procured, Raymarine provided a datalink system to monitor fuel consumption and engineering data via their E120 multi-function display and ST60 navigation instruments package, the QSB 5.9 litre turbo-diesels arrived on pallets from Cummins and the whole re-fit went ahead apace with a working budget of £150,000.

Eight weeks later, on 19th June and just 48 hours before the start, Gee went back afloat.

With the pressure easing a little, Chris Clayton commented:

This last two months has been a frantic race to go racing, but now we can see the Portsmouth start line it is all beginning to seem worthwhile

Well, not quite.

Since going round Britain in June 2008, Chris Clayton and his brothers have used Gee under the Royal Southern burgee in the UK, racing her in the 50th Cowes-Torquay-Cowes in 2010, before trucking her south to the Mediterranean where, based in Port Gallice on Cap d’Antibes, they have cruised her extensively on the French and Italian coasts.

This year, visits to the Monaco Grand Prix and the Viareggio-Bastia offshore powerboat race festival where she will mix with historic Rivas and other classic race boats are on the cards, before returning to compete in the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race, half a century after her first race outing in 1967.

Some boat. Some Birthday!

• 50th Anniversary
• 2008 Round Britain

What is Offshore Powerboat Class 1? Rules, Specs, Speed, and Main Events

The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) hosts the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, an international motorboat racing event for powerboats ( UIM ).

Offshore Powerboat Class 1 is the world’s best class for offshore powerboat racing. It creates a stunning race series by fusing driving prowess with technology. The highest level of offshore powerboat racing, Offshore Powerboat Class 1 is frequently compared to Formula 1 auto racing.

One of the most magnificent marine motorsports is Class 1. An Offshore Powerboat Class 1 race boat features two inboard 1100 horsepower engines and is capable of exceeding 257 kilometers per hour (160 mph). The minimum weight requirement for boats is 4950 kg.

History of Offshore Powerboat Class 1 racing

Since the first race was ever documented in 1887 in Nice, France, and was run by the Paris Sailing Club, the sport of powerboat racing has seen unheard-of transformations.

The Poissy Sailing Club hosted a 62-mile race in Meulan on the River Seine in 1903, and a 230-mile race from Paris to Trouville was also won by the French. But a 22-mile race from Calais, France, to Dover, England, was the first one to receive formal recognition as an international offshore powerboat race.

The first running of the renowned Miami-Nassau race, which eventually led to the introduction of the Sam Griffith Memorial Trophy and a UIM-sanctioned World Championship in 1964, marked the beginning of the modern age of offshore powerboat racing on May 6, 1956. From 1964 through 1976 , points accrued from numerous races staged at various locations across the world were used to determine the World Championship winner. From 1977 to 1991 , a single event at the end of the year held a series of races to determine the champion. In 1992, the World Championship switched back to a multi-event structure.

Since the U.I.M originally approved Offshore Powerboat Class 1 in 1964 , technological advancements have advanced significantly. Jim Wynne, Dick Bertram, and Don Aronow, t hree Americans, led the race for technological superiority shortly after it began, with Daytona, Mercruiser, and AeroMarine power plants dominating.

But the pendulum swung in the 1980s, ushering in a time when European design predominated. The James Beard-Clive Curtis Cougar catamarans, Italian producers Picchiotti and CUV, and Don Shead’s Aluminum monohulls set the pace. With the development of glass-reinforced polymer hulls, turbocharged engines, and integral surface drives, Fabio Buzzi made a significant advancement.

The 1990s saw the rise of Michael Peter’s design and the dominance of Tencara and Victory hulls , with Sterling, Lamborghini, Seatek, and more recently, Mercury sharing the power battle. Modern racers are pushing the frontiers of what is possible with their boats and cutting-edge technology in their never-ending quest for competitive greatness.

If this whets your appetite, keep a look out for the upcoming article “ Powerboat Racing classes ” on this website.

Main Types And Specifications Of The Boats Used For Offshore Powerboat Class 1 Racing?

Most of the vessels in the Offshore Powerboat Class 1 fleet are catamarans. They have a stepped hull design (you can learn more about stepped hulls in the “ Stepped Hulls ” article) and usually are made of advanced composites like carbon and Kevlar. They are typically 12-14 meters long, 3.5 meters broad, and powered by inboards with surface-piercing propellers. They weigh about 5 tonnes.

As safety has grown to be a top priority over time, modern Offshore Powerboat Class 1 boats are the safest they have ever been. An escape hatch in the hull serves as an extra measure of protection in the event of an accident, and the cockpit is reinforced to withstand the severe impacts that could happen if a boat crashes at speeds greater than 150 mph.

The fleet is made up of brands including Maritimo, MTI, Outerlimits, Tencara, and Victory. All boats have petrol engines that range from Mercury or Outerlimits V8 to 8.2 liter V12s from Lamborghini-SKEMA or SCAM, with the Victory Team using an 8.2 liter V12 from Victory.

The Bond Between Man And Machine

An Offshore Powerboat Class 1 race boat is highly technical and state-of-the-art and its overall performance is dependent on design, aero and hydrodynamics, choice of a propeller, and gear ratio selection. The crew is kept informed of the boat’s progress during a race using satellite GPS systems, trim indicators, engine data dashboards, instrument panels, and danger lights inside the cockpit.

There will be two main people in the cockpit, The driver, who navigates and directs the boat, and the throttle-man, who sets the speed by manipulating the throttles and the trim, are the two crew members of each boat . The relationship between the driver and throttle man, who navigate and control the power and must directly input to adjust the trim and drive settings during a race or official qualifying, plays a huge role in the outcome of the race.

A close working relationship and complete trust are necessary for this combination. Imagine operating the accelerator when you are driving and your passenger. The fastest drivers, in the eyes of spectators, will win if the crew simply jumps into the cockpit. This a reasonable argument, but one that ignores the expertise and professionalism of the pilots who routinely soar over the waves at speeds exceeding 160 mph(250 km/h) .

To decide the race setup, including the type of propeller needed for the weather, gear ratio settings, the amount of fuel required, and race tactics, both pilots work closely with their pit crews. The choice of a propeller can make or break a championship as well as a race.

Main Rules Of Offshore Powerboat Class 1

The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship consists of eight races at four locations, with races lasting roughly 55 or 75 Nm and numerous laps lasting approximately 5 Nm (including one or two mandatory long laps). The team with the most total points at the end of the season wins the World Championship. A winning team receives 20 points, a runner-up receives 15, and a third-place team receives 12 points.

The first day of a Grand Prix weekend is dedicated to registration, technical inspection, the first practice session, and driver briefings. On day two, the Edox Pole Position (qualification), which counts toward a separate championship, is held in the morning, followed by Race 1 in the late morning. The Edox Pole Position is held on the Grand Prix course, just as the practice sessions, providing the crews more time to become comfortable with the track and weather conditions and make setup decisions.

The Pole-sitter (person with the best time) lines up closest to the official start boat as it serves as the qualifying round for the starting line-up for Race 1 . Teams must execute a minimum of one timed lap during the Edox Pole Position, which lasts 45 minutes. Teams are permitted to return to the wet pits to make setup tweaks, but they are only allowed a total of 10 minutes under the crane.

On day three, Race 2 is held in the afternoon after a last practice session in the morning. A Nor-Tech 3600 Supercat official pace boat sets the starting order for each race, moving at a controlled speed as it leads the boats out of the wet pits and into a line abreast under a yellow or amber flashing light. For Race 1, the starting order for Race 2 is determined by Race 1’s finishing position, and Race 1’s starting order is determined by Race 1’s finishing position.

Each race has 11–15 laps and is 55–75 Nm in duration , with one or two extended laps being required. The winner of the World Championship is decided by adding the outcomes of each race. Specific events that occur in such geographical areas serve as the benchmarks for the European Championship and the Middle East Championship.

What Are The Safety Measures In Place During Class 1 Offshore Powerboat Races?

Safety is of the utmost importance in Class 1 offshore powerboat racing, and several measures are in place to ensure the safety of the participants and the public. The UIM sets the safety standards for Class 1 racing, and these standards cover everything from the design of the boats to the safety equipment required by the drivers.

Some of the safety measures in place during Class 1 offshore powerboat races include:

• Each boat is required to have a minimum of two crew members, including a driver and a throttleman.
• All crew members are required to wear personal flotation devices and helmets.
• Boats are required to have a number of safety features, including automatic fire extinguishers and emergency kill switches.

Offshore Powerboat Class 1 Main Events

An Offshore Powerboat Class 1 season consists of a Grand Prix series, which includes two races, one official qualifying session (also known as Pole Position), and three official practice sessions. The winners of the World Championship, the European Championship, and the Middle East Championship are determined by unique events that take place in those geographical areas.

Some of the main events in the United States are as follows,

• Thunder on Cocoa Beach – Cocoa Beach, FL
• Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix – Sarasota, FL
• Great Lakes Grand Prix – Michigan City, IN
• St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix – St. Petersburg, FL
• Roar Offshore – Fort Myers Beach, FL
• Key West Championships – Key West, FL

Some of the most popular International Class 1 offshore powerboat races include:

• Dubai Grand Prix : Held in Dubai, UAE, this race is part of the UIM World Championship series and attracts top teams from around the world. The race is held on a 6.1 km circuit and is known for its challenging conditions and high-speed racing.
• Cowes-Torquay-Cowes : This race is held in the UK and is considered to be one of the oldest and most prestigious offshore powerboat races in the world. The race covers a distance of 200 miles and is known for its challenging conditions and unpredictable weather.
• Italian Grand Prix : This race is held in Italy and is part of the UIM World Championship series. The race is held on a 5.5 km circuit and attracts top teams and drivers from around the world. The race is known for its high-speed racing and challenging conditions.

The Offshore Powerboat Class 1 race is one of the most thrilling and accelerating boat races around the world. The races can take place in a variety of places, including the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. The sport is considered risky and demands a great degree of expertise and training to engage in.

What is Offshore Powerboat Class 1?

Offshore Powerboat Class 1 is a high-speed powerboat racing event that is internationally recognized and considered the highest level of offshore powerboat racing in the world. It is hosted by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) and is often compared to Formula 1 auto racing.

Who are the top teams in Offshore Powerboat Racing Class 1?

Offshore Powerboat Racing Class 1 features some of the best teams and drivers in the world, competing at the highest level of the sport. The top teams are those that consistently perform well in races and have a track record of success. Some of the most successful teams in Class 1 history include Victory Team, Dubai, and Qatar Team.

How did offshore powerboat racing class 1 come about?

Offshore Powerboat Racing Class 1 came about in 1964 when the first offshore powerboat race was held in Miami, Florida. The event was called the Miami-Nassau Powerboat Race, and it was a 184-mile race that was won by Dick Bertram in his 30-foot Bertram boat. The success of the Miami-Nassau Powerboat Race led to the formation of the American Power Boat Association (APBA), which was created to promote offshore powerboat racing in the United States.

About the author

I worked as an officer in the deck department on various types of vessels, including oil and chemical tankers, LPG carriers, and even reefer and TSHD in the early years. Currently employed as Marine Surveyor carrying cargo, draft, bunker, and warranty survey.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Latest posts

The Ocean Warming Effects on Marine Life

The last few decades have seen ocean temperatures rise as climate change begins to affect maritime industries worldwide. Here are the ocean warming effects on marine life seen so far.

How Do Cruise Ships Handle Hurricane Season Cruises?

Thankfully, modern cruise ships can handle a hurricane season cruise. Due to past experiences and new advancements, crews prove these boats operate well no matter the weather.

Extreme Heat Hazards Faced by Seafarers

What must sailors know to stay safe and make it back to shore healthy and happy? Here’s a closer look at the extreme heat hazards seafarers face and the precautions and procedures they must know before setting sail. 

• Search Sports

Powerboat Racing

• Technologies

Powerboat racing is a type of water-based motorsport which is the fastest, most dangerous and most fascinating of all watersports with vessels able to reach speeds up to 225 kph (140mph) . Powerboats race in various classes depending on their engine size and travel around a defined course which can be either circular or point to point. Other races focus on endurance and are designed to test the resilience of vessels and crews. During the races, crashes are rare but can be fatal. 

Powerboat racing is divided into two major categories- Inshore powerboat racing (also known as circuit powerboat racing) and Offshore powerboat racing.  

History of Powerboat Racing

Offshore racing was first recognized as a sport in 1904 when a race was held from the south-eastern coast England to Calais, France. After which the sport gained popularity in the US with many races being scheduled after that. Some of the most famous offshore racing competitions are UIM Class One World Powerboat Championship, Venture Cup, Cowes Torquay Cowes, UIM Powerboat GPS World Championship and many more. 

Inshore powerboat racing includes racing around a two pin (buoy) or multi-pin circuit of around 1.5-2 km in length and the races vary in duration, mostly not more than 45 minutes but the endurance races can last much longer, such as the "24 Hours of Rouen". The most famous Inshore races are "Formula races" such as the Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship and others (belonging to different classes or categories).

What do you think about the above article?

• Click to add a comment...

• Click To Hide

Kindly log in to use this feature.

Your Account has been Suspended

P1 Offshore;

Powerboat P1 is the fastest growing marine motorsport series in the world and has a long term commitment to growing and developing the sport of power boating at all levels. The Powerboat P1 team works closely with the sport’s governing bodies, the UIM, APBA and the IJSBA. P1 has delivered more than 85 world championship events in over twelve different countries for more than a decade.

Cookie Policy

Contact info.

• Address: 2320 Clark Street, Suite A1 Apopka, FL 32703 United States
• Phone: +1 407 985 1938
• Email: [email protected]

Cocoa Beach

Fri 17 - Sun 19, May

Lake of the Ozarks

Thu 30, May - 01, Jun

Fri 09 - Sun 11, Aug

Fri 13 - Sun 15, Sep

St. Petersburg

Fri 18 - Sun 20, Oct

222 Offshore Receive Sam Griffith Trophy In Monaco

The 222 Offshore team travelled to Monaco on Saturday to receive the Sam Griffith Trophy awarded to the UIM Class 1 world champions. Australian driver Darren Nicholson and Italian throttleman Giovanni Carpitella were presented with the famous memorial trophy at the 2023 UIM Champions Trophy Ceremony by UIM President Raffaele Chiulli and Powerboat P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala. Fought out over six races at five events – with a mid-term schedule of back-to-back race weekends and three races in a Continued

Alex Pratt Returns To Class 1 With dfYOUNG

+ Pratt to join owner/throttleman Rich Wyatt as driver for upcoming season + New pairing aiming to improve on dfYOUNG’s third place championship finish in 2023 + Testing in the Sarasota-based 50-foot Mystic sponsored by Good Boy Vodka to start this month The dfYOUNG team competing in this season’s UIM Class 1 World Championship will have a ... Continued

Sheboygan Honored As APBA Best Race Site 2023

The city of Sheboygan in Wisconsin has received the 2023 American Power Boat Association Best Race Site Award for hosting the inaugural Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge in August last year. Designed to acknowledge excellence and improve relationships with race sites, the award recognises and salutes the best venues and organisations supporting APBA-sanc ... Continued

Bally Sports P1 Offshore Broadcast Times For February

Please see below the TV broadcast dates/times for Bally Sports for Powerboat P1 Races ... Continued

29 Jan 2024

Myco trailers continues its partnership with powerboat p1 in 2024.

Long-standing relationship gives MYCO exposure through P1’s race events, television broadcasts, marketing and PR programs ... Continued ...

12 Jan 2024

Powerboat p1 adds lake of the ozarks to 2024 race calendar.

+ Rebranded Shootout Offshore event confirmed for the end of May + P1 race events to be part of the APBA national championship + Class 1 teams to race in Missouri in second round of UIM World Championship Powerboat P1 today announced that it ... Continued ...

09 Jan 2024

Powerboat p1 unveils 2024 p1 offshore and class 1 race calendar.

+ P1 race events to be part of the APBA national championship + New end of season dates for Sarasota and St. Pete grand prix + Mercury Racing event to return to Sheboygan after 2023 success Powerboat P1 has today announced its P1 O ... Continued ...

04 Jan 2024

Bally sports p1 offshore broadcast times for january.

Please see below the TV broadcast dates/times for Bally Sports for Powerboat P1 Races ... Continued ...

14 Nov 2023

Key west worlds race no.3 - imposing their will.

Eric Colby, SOTW: Throughout the 42-year history of the offshore powerboat racing world championships, there are tales of teams that finished in the middle of the pack on Sunday but did enough to claim the title because they had done the math to determine where they needed to finish. Then there were those winner-take-all battles in which the numbers didn’t matter because the contenders were all so close coming into the finale. ... Continued ...

12 Nov 2023

Key west worlds race no. 2 - setting the stage for the finale.

Eric Colby, SOTW: There’s an almost inexplicable allure about Key West. Sure, former TV announcer and pro wrestler Stan Lane coined the phrase, “To be the best, you must win Key West,” but the racers take this motto to heart. The combination of the possibility of myriad conditions on the same course and the tightest corner in the famous harbor make the Key West championship arguably the most sought-after trophy in the sport. ... Continued ...

10 Nov 2023

Key west worlds race no. 1 - dominance carries over.

Eric Colby, SOTW: At the first day of competition at the 42nd annual Race World Offshore Key West World Championship presented by Performance Boat Center, the winners in virtually every class put on a superior display of dominance, setting the stage for three days of heated competition in the southernmost city in the United States. ... Continued ...

26 Oct 2023

The power of sports tourism.

When P1 stages a major sports event, the benefits to the local community extend far beyond the racers and spectators, the local economy and tourism receive a massive boost too. Read what the race venues are saying. ... Continued ...

Partnerships at the Heart of the P1 Business

Earlier this year, Powerboat P1 unveiled an array of sponsors and partners for the 2023 race season. It featured a mix of existing and new sponsors from a wide variety of industries – from energy drinks to insurance, from vodka to logistics. ... Continued ...

2023 Season Offshore Review

2023 was a season of great change and growth. The average race entries were up from 55 in 2022 to 64 boats in 2023. It was also a fine season for racing, with a wide range of weather conditions. It was also a season that had a new infusion of young racers, who made an impact from the start. ... Continued ...

Powerboat fans in for swell time off Napier

Share this article

The Napier Offshore 100 powerboat race in 2019. Photo / Paul Taylor.

An offshore powerboat racer has no qualms in tackling Napier’s Offshore 100 despite having a boat wrecked in the notorious conditions.

Mike Gerbic returns on Saturday for the country’s longest-surviving powerboat race, which starts at 11am.

The Napier event, which attracts mainly Queen’s City racers, is being revived after a three-year lapse caused by Covid-19.

Gerbic recalls hitting the swells on the race’s back leg - from off Napier Port, towards Bay View - about six years ago.

When the boat rounded the north point to head south along Westshore Beach, the hull “delaminated”.

After limping back to race headquarters in Napier’s inner harbour, an inspection revealed its racing days were over.

“Over. Off to the tip,” Gerbic told Hawke’s Bay Today , as he looked forward to racing the latest vintage of Espresso Engineers team boats.

As the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Association focuses on Napier to get its annual drivers’ championship series moving again, Gerbic is back, undaunted, and says: ”The swells were four metres one year”.

The Napier race hasn’t taken place since 2020 , but it has a history dating back to the 1970s.

Other races are on sheltered courses such as Lake Taupo, or harbours or firths.

The Hawke’s Bay challenge attracts racers as it is regarded - as a prominent driver once said - as the “only true offshore race in the series”.

Large catamarans of more than 14 metres, from as far as Australia, had raced in the past, but the current fleet is limited to about 10 metres.

NZPBA president Paul Greenfield says Napier, race five in a six-race series this year, is one of three the association is keen to foster, because of the history, and conditions.

The crews arrive in Napier on Friday and will be based at the Hawke’s Bay Sports Fishing Club, with the boats parked for public viewing on the neighbouring reserve.

The racing is best watched from Westshore, from the points at the entrance to the inner harbour, the Hardinge Rd foreshore and the sweep towards the port entrance.

Among the fleet is Red Steel, raced by now retired Napier racer and former national drivers champion Tony Carson , who also raced with Auckland-based brother Wayne Carson .

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

From woolshed to bed - two sisters spin their homeware dreams

Sisters behind Foxtrot Home design throws and blankets using wool from the family farm.

Morere hot pools reopening delayed

'Absolutely poured out': Why a bagpiping beekeeper's phone is going 'nuts'

Hawke’s Bay news in brief: Napier City Council forecasts huge rates increases and future debt

Big data needs big storage solutions

Sailor Cole Brauer makes history as the first American woman to race solo around the world

Aboard her 40-foot racing boat First Light ,  29-year-old Cole Brauer just became the first American woman to race nonstop around the world by herself.

The New York native pulled into A Coruña, Spain, on Thursday after a treacherous 30,000-mile journey that took 130 days.

She thanked a cheering crowd of family and fans who had been waiting for her on shore.

“This is really cool and so overwhelming in every sense of the word,” she exclaimed, before drinking Champagne from her trophy.

The 5-foot-2 powerhouse placed second out of 16 avid sailors who competed in the Global Solo Challenge, a circumnavigation race that started in A Coruña with participants from 10 countries. The first-of-its-kind event   allowed a wide range of boats to set off in successive departures based on performance characteristics. Brauer started on Oct. 29, sailing down the west coast of Africa, over to Australia, and around the tip of South America before returning to Spain.

Brauer is the only woman and the youngest competitor in the event — something she hopes young girls in and out of the sport can draw inspiration from.

“It would be amazing if there was just one girl that saw me and said, ‘Oh, I can do that too,’” Brauer said of her history-making sail.

It’s a grueling race, and more than half of the competitors have dropped out so far. One struck something that caused his boat to flood, and another sailor had to abandon his ship after a mast broke as a severe storm was moving in.

The four-month journey is fraught with danger, including navigating the three “Great Capes” of Africa, Australia and South America. Rounding South America’s Cape Horn, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet, is often likened to climbing Mount Everest because of its perfect storm of hazards — a sharp rise in the ocean floor and whipping westerly winds push up massive waves. Combined with the frigid waters and stray icebergs, the area is known as a graveyard for ships, according to NASA. Brauer  said  she was “so unbelievably stoked” when she sailed past Cape Horn in January.

Marco Nannini, organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, said the comparison to scaling Mount Everest doesn’t capture the difficulty of the race. Sailing solo means not just being a skipper but a project manager — steering the boat, fixing equipment, understanding the weather and maintaining one’s physical health.

Nannini cited the relatively minuscule number of people who have sailed around the world solo — 186, according to the International Association of Cape Horners — as evidence of the challenges that competitors face. More than 6,000 people have climbed Mount Everest, according to  High Adventure Expeditions .

Brauer stared down 30-foot waves that had enough force to throw her across the boat. In a scare caught on camera, she badly injured her rib   near the halfway point of the event. At another point, her team in the U.S. directed Brauer to insert an IV into her own arm due to dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea.

She was able to stay in constant communication with members of her team, most of whom are based in New England,   and keep herself entertained with Netflix and video calls with family through Starlink satellites.   That’s also how Brauer was able to use Zoom to connect with NBC News for an interview, while she was sailing about 1,000 miles west of the Canary Islands.

While Brauer was technically alone on First Light, she had the company of 450,000 followers on Instagram, where she frequently got candid about life on an unforgiving sea while reflecting on her journey.

“It all makes it worth it when you come out here, you sit on the bow, and you see how beautiful it is,” she said in an Instagram video, before panning the camera to reveal the radiant sunrise.

Brauer grew up on Long Island but didn’t learn to sail until she went to college in Hawaii. She traded in her goal of becoming a doctor for life on the water. But she quickly learned making a career as a sailor is extremely difficult, with professional racers often hesitant to welcome a 100-pound young woman on their team.

Even when she was trying to find sponsors for the Global Solo Challenge, she said a lot of people “wouldn’t touch her with a 10-foot pole” because they saw her as a “liability.”

Brauer’s message to the skeptics and naysayers? “Watch me.”

“I push so much harder when someone’s like, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ or ‘You’re too small,’” Brauer explained.

“The biggest asset is your mental strength, not the physical one,” Nannini said. “Cole is showing everyone that.”

Brauer hopes to continue competing professionally and is already eyeing another around-the-world competition, but not before she gets her hands on a croissant and cappuccino.

“My mouth is watering just thinking about that.”

Emilie Ikeda is an NBC News correspondent.

Alex Pfeiffer becomes youngest goalscorer in NWSL history in KC Current stadium opener

Alex Pfeiffer became the youngest goalscorer in NWSL history in a thriller Saturday, finishing the KC Current’s fifth goal in the team’s inaugural match at its new stadium., a dramatic 5-4 win over the Portland Thorns .

Pfeiffer came on as a second-half substitute and pounced on a chested-down layoff at the top of the box in the 68th minute to make the score 5-1 Kansas City.

At 16 years, 3 months and 20 days old, Pfeiffer beats the previous record for youngest goalscorer set by the Thorns’ Olivia Moultrie in 2022 by about five months.

Another bit of history today ✍️ Alex Pfeiffer becomes the youngest goalscorer in league history at 16 years, 4 months! pic.twitter.com/XgjQmumn7t — National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 16, 2024

“It’s huge for any player in her generation,” Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the game. “She’s proved that it’s possible, we proved that all together that it’s possible.”

Portland made things very interesting in the closing stages, scoring three unanswered to make things 5-4, but KC was able to hold on.

Advertisement

Who is Alex Pfeiffer?

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Pfeiffer became the fourth-youngest player to sign in the NWSL when she joined the Current last year, inking her deal at 15 years and 338 days old.

She came to the Current’s attention after attending the team’s talent identification camp, at which her performances caught the eye of general manager Cammille Levin Ashton.

“We’re able to (bring in young players) with ease because of the commitment from ownership and the facilities we have and the resources we have,” said Ashton. “And that allows us to both identify young talent but also give them a taste of what this environment could be like.”

Pfeiffer told The Athletic last year that she tries to model herself after Manchester City forward Erling Haaland because she likes his creative movement and the way he tracks the ball in the box. Those instincts paid off on Saturday, as she scored with her only shot on target after coming on at halftime in place of Bia Zaneratto .

“It was a surreal moment,” Pfeiffer said afterward. “When I saw the ball bounce in the box and I realized I was gonna get there, I was like, my brain is going crazy, but at the same time, I’m telling myself to be calm and just put it in the back of the net. I’ve done it a bunch of times and then after that, I was just swarmed and I was so excited.”

Required reading

• KC Current’s 15-year-old signing Alex Pfeiffer is ready to embrace challenge of going pro

(Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Get all-access to exclusive stories.

Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.