history of offshore powerboat racing book

Searace: A history of offshore powerboat racing

John crouse.

646 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1989

About the author

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think? Rate this book Write a Review

Friends & Following

Community reviews.

Join the discussion

Can't find what you're looking for.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Searace: A history of offshore powerboat racing Hardcover – 1 January 1989

• Language English
• Publication date 1 January 1989
• See all details

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0006ES9C6
• Language ‏ : ‎ English

Customer reviews

Review this product.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from Singapore

Top reviews from other countries.

• Press Releases
• Amazon Science
• Protect and Build Your Brand
• Advertise Your Products
• Sell on Amazon
• Associates Programme
• Fulfillment by Amazon
• COVID-19 and Amazon
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Netherlands
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Interest-Based Ads

Searace History Offshore Powerboat Racing by John Crouse ( 5 results)

Change currency.

Product Type

• All Product Types
• Magazines & Periodicals
• Sheet Music
• Art, Prints & Posters
• Photographs
• Manuscripts & Paper Collectibles
• All Conditions
• All Bindings

Collectible Attributes

• First Edition (4)
• Dust Jacket (4)
• Seller-Supplied Images (1)
• Not Printed On Demand

Free Shipping

• Free US Shipping (1)

Seller Location

• Worldwide North America
• All Countries U.S.A.

Seller Rating

• All Sellers

Searace: A history of offshore powerboat racing

Crouse, John O

Published by Crouse Publications

Seller: ThriftBooksVintage , Tukwila, WA, U.S.A.

Seller Rating:

Contact seller

First Edition

Used - Hardcover Condition: Good

Within U.S.A.

Quantity: 1

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. First Edition. Dust jacket in good condition. First edition. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Moderate wear to the dust jacket with some creasing. Light bowing to the boards. Tight binding. Clean interior pages. New mylar added to the dust jacket. Secure packaging for safe delivery. 6.

SEARACE: A HISTORY OF OFFSHORE POWERBOAT RACING

Crouse, John O.

Published by Crouse Publications Ltd, Miami, FL, 1989

Seller: Maiden Voyage Booksellers , Kennebunk, ME, U.S.A.

Used - Hardcover Condition: As New

Hardcover. Condition: As New. 646 pp, extensive and very detailed history of Powerboat racing beginning in 1904 and continuing until 1988. 100's of very detailed black and white and full-color photos. Near Fine; has minute damage to very top edge of spine; otherwise it would be As New as well.

Searace - A history of offshore powerboat racing

John O. Crouse

Published by Crouse Publications Ltd., Miami, FL, 1989

Seller: Great Matter Books , Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.

Book First Edition

Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. Book in Good condition with dust jacket protected by clear archival mylar. Covers are nice and square, corners sharp, cover and spine littering bright and clear. Covers have some light shelf wear, a bit more so to the rear cover. Text block edges spotted.Interior is nice and clean throughout. Dust jacket is worn at all edges, top and bottom of jacket have wear and some tearing, largest tear is <1" on top rear of jacket, a 4"+ scratch to the rear of jacket. Still quite a solid jacket with all text strong and readable, no chips. A good, solid copy. All of our books are individually inspected and described. Never ex-library unless explicitly described as such.

Quantity: 2

Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 646 pp, extensive and very detailed history of Powerboat racing beginning in 1904 and continuing until 1988. 100's of very detailed black and white and full-color photos.

Seller: GoldBooks , Austin, TX, U.S.A.

New - Hardcover Condition: new

Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed.

Create a Want

Tell us what you're looking for and once a match is found, we'll inform you by e-mail.

Can't remember the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you.

Help with Search

• Скидки дня
• Справка и помощь
• Адрес доставки Идет загрузка... Ошибка: повторите попытку ОК
• Продажи
• Список отслеживания Развернуть список отслеживаемых товаров Идет загрузка... Войдите в систему , чтобы просмотреть свои сведения о пользователе
• Краткий обзор
• Недавно просмотренные
• Ставки/предложения
• Список отслеживания
• История покупок
• Купить опять
• Объявления о товарах
• Сохраненные запросы поиска
• Сохраненные продавцы
• Сообщения
• Уведомление
• Развернуть корзину Идет загрузка... Произошла ошибка. Чтобы узнать подробнее, посмотрите корзину.

Oops! Looks like we're having trouble connecting to our server.

Refresh your browser window to try again.

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.

Performance Boating Books , Powerboat Design Books

Or ...Looking for discount boating magazines?  You'll find it at Boating Magazines Discounts

Boatbuilder, Power & Motoryacht, Hot Boat, Powerboat magazine, Boating, Radio Control Boat Modeler, Waterski, Go Boating, Sport Fishing, Southern Boating, Beckett Racing and Motorsports, Bassin, Bass and Walleye Boats, Alaska Fisherman's Journal, Boating Life, Boating World, Lakeland Boating, Motor Boating, Trailer Boats Magazine, Family and Performance Boating, Powerboat Racing, Racing Championship, Gran Prix, Grand Prix, Bass Masters, Action Bass, Boatowners Guide, RC Models, Posters, Thundercat Racing, Clothing, Videos, CD's, DVD's. Boatbuilder, Power & Motoryacht, Hot Boat, Powerboat magazine, Boating, Radio Control Boat Modeler, Waterski, Go Boating, Sport Fishing, Southern Boating, Beckett Racing and Motorsports, Bassin, Bass and Walleye Boats, Alaska Fisherman's Journal, Boating Life, Boating World, Lakeland Boating, Motor Boating, Trailer Boats Magazine, Family and Performance Boating, Powerboat Racing, Racing Championship, Gran Prix, Grand Prix, Bass Masters, Action Bass, Boatowners Guide, RC Models, Posters, Thundercat Racing, Clothing, Videos, CD's, DVD's, Boating, Performance Boats and Racing Book Discounts, Tunnel boats, powerboats, boat plans and designs, bass boat news, high performance boating magazines, books and publications.

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

• 2024 BOAT BUYERS GUIDE
• Email Newsletters
• Boat of the Year
• 2024 Freshwater Boat and Gear Buyers Guide
• 2024 Boat Buyers Guide
• 2024 Water Sports Boat Buyers Guide
• 2023 Pontoon Boat Buyers Guide
• Cruising Boats
• Pontoon Boats
• Fishing Boats
• Personal Watercraft
• Water Sports
• Boat Walkthroughs
• What To Look For
• Best Marine Electronics & Technology
• Watersports Favorites Spring 2022
• Boating Lab
• Boating Safety

Tales from Thunderboat Row

• By Charles Plueddeman
• Updated: November 15, 2018

Allan Brown offers his “downright bawdy recollections” of the heyday of offshore powerboat racing in a new book, Tales from Thunderboat Row . According to his website the author is an offshore racer/builder who spent 17 years working on N.E. 188th Street, Aventura, Florida: The fabled Thunderboat Row. “Brownie” did four years at Donzi Marine, five years at Magnum Marine, five years at Cougar Marine, and three years at Cigarette Racing Team.

Read Next: The History of Go-Fast Boats

The book consists of 54 stories, all written by Brownie, covering racing, boatbuilding, woman chasing, beer drinking and related activities. Subjects of the stories include Don Aronow, Sam Griffith, Dick Bertram, Jim Wynne, Walt Walters, Jim Breuil, Jake Trotter, Harry Schoell, Tim Chisholm, Sonny Levi, Odell Lewis, Johnny Bakos, Bobby Moore, Sammy James, Elton Cary, Al Copeland, John Holman, Dinny Phipps, Red Crise, Jack Manson, Bill Wishnick, Carl Kiekhaefer and dozens of others.

Racing legend Rich Luhrs adds his colorful and humorous foreword to the book.

Copies of the book ($100) can be ordered at talesfromthunderboatrow.com .

• More: Boats , powerboat by boating

Boat Test: 2024 Nuova Jolly Prince 33 CC

Boat Test: 2024 Starcraft SVX 231 OB CC

Boat Test: 2024 Bass Cat Caracal STS

Boat Test: 2024 Regal 38 Surf

I Learned About Boating From This: Capsize, Rescue and Lessons Learned

Using Hydrofoils to Improve Boat Performance

We Test Interlux Trilux 33 Aerosol Antifouling Paint

• Digital Edition
• Customer Service
• Privacy Policy
• Cruising World
• Sailing World
• Salt Water Sportsman
• Sport Fishing
• Wakeboarding

Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Boating may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site.

Copyright © 2024 Boating Firecrown . All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

The History of OPA Racing

There is probably no single race more famous than The Benihana Offshore Grand Prix. This race was known as the Indy 500 of Offshore Racing and was held in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, during the 1970's. The New Jersey Offshore Powerboat Racing Association has been the host club since racing started in Point Pleasant Beach some 40+ years ago. NJ Offshore (NJOPRA) is still a very active club with over 100 members and has kept the tradition of Offshore Racing alive on the Jersey Shore for all those years.

Over the years, the name of the Point Pleasant Beach race has been changed each time a new sponsor was obtained. It's been called: The Hennessey Offshore Grand Prix, The Benihana Offshore Grand Prix, The Ray Catena Offshore Grand Prix, The New Jersey Offshore Grand Prix, The War at the Shore, the Jenkinson's Offshore Grand Prix and the year of 2005 it was called The Jersey Boyz Offshore Grand Prix.

During the years, the race course has gotten smaller and shorter. In the Benihana days, the race was over 200 miles long running laps from NY's Fire Island to Seaside Heights NJ. One lap was about 80 miles. For the spectators, and there were many, the boats came by once an hour and only three or four times depending upon the race course configurations. Today the racecourse is a small 4 mile oval as close to the beach as possible. Since the beach drops off quickly, the boats usually run within 150 feet of the surf. Even the outside leg can be clearly seen from the shoreline.

The NJ race has also seen its share of sanction flags. Originally, the race was the premier APBA National Offshore Race. This race ran on the third Wednesday of the month of July like clockwork. People would book their vacations around race week, as it was always a source of excitement. Back in 1975 a fast boat in NJ was a 21' Searay with a 188 Merc I/O. So when the big boats came to town, it was quite a show.

Ed "Smitty" Smith has taken over the reigns at OPA for 14 years (OPA started in 2002) and is working on making offshore great again!   OPA Racing welcomes racers from all over the world to come and race in 1 of their 15 classes.

​​ Hail to the Chief

"Smitty" was born and raised in Nutley, NJ. Moved to the Jersey Shore in 1987 and purchased his first boat. For 25 years he took his family to vacation in Key West - hoping that they wouldn't catch on that SBI held their World Championship races there. In 1990 he was introduced to Scot Blue, the Director of MONOC and began volunteering as a safety boat for the races.

Always threatening to "someday" own his own race boat. He worked out of a pick up truck picking up piece work at Ocean Beach Marina doing fiberglass work. Soon after, began working for the Truesdales at the marina now known as Forge Landing Marina. In 1990, he took over the service department and Smitty's Marine came to be.

Over the course of fifteen years, Smitty paid an annual visit to a man known as "old man Kurt". He was the owner of the 33' Viper known as the Mary K. The Mary K raced many legendary Benihana races over the years. Never winning a single race. Smitty would make him an offer every year in hopes to one day buy that boat.

The Viper was one of three made. For shortly after production began there was a fire at the plant and the mold was ruined - never to be produced again.

In 1997, Old Man Kurt could no longer handle the boat. His arthritic knees and failing body would not allow for him to climb in and out of that old boat. So when Smitty came a knocking for his annual visit he was all too surprised when Old Man Kurt said "take It".

The Mary K was transformed into the purple and yellow dinosaur very well known as "WAZZUP". The P Class favorite. This father and son team took offshore racing by surprise.

Anthony was awarded Throttle Man of the Year by his peers in 2002. They won World Championship status 3 out of 4 years of racing. Smitty has been voted President of OPA and has launched offshore racing into a world of it's own. This will be the last season for the purple and yellow favorite, but stay tuned for what's ahead.

CONGRATULATIONS to Team WAZZUP for putting the Production Classes on the map and for making history!

Powerboat fans in for swell time off Napier

A n 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.

• No Napier offshore powerboat race this year...
• Near dead-heat in historic Napier boat race...
• Big hopes for Napier boat race future
• Ship-shape for big Napier offshore powerboat race, ...
• Visitors love Napier offshore powerboat race...

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 .

Home  News  Applications Open for the 2024 Youth Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup

Applications Open for the 2024 Youth Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup

The Rose Cup is an invitational event open to sailors who have reached their 16th birthday but not their 21st birthday during the calendar year in which the event is held (i.e., must be born between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2008). The Championship features world-class coaching and serves as an outstanding training ground for young sailors who are passionate about match racing and focused on competing at the next level.

“We are very pleased to see the competitive group of applicants we have received to date and welcome additional applications for everyone interested,” said Ryan Davidson, USYMRC Committee Chair. “This years event at Corinthian Yacht Club is not one you will want to miss!”

Applications submitted by April 1 will receive preference. Request an invitation here:  https://form.jotform.com/240095124431143 . Competitors are asked to provide their top three match and fleet racing accomplishments over the past three years, and to write briefly about their experience racing on a 3-4 person keelboat.

Teams consist of crews of four, with at least one male and one female and a maximum crew weight of 660 pounds. Teams may be composed of members from different yacht clubs or sailing associations.

The Rose Cup started as an invitational youth match racing event in 2010. It was founded by members of Balboa Yacht Club in Newport Beach, California, and the Newport-Balboa Sailing & Seamanship Association. Its mission is to assist in the promotion of youth match racing in the United States and improve the quality of US competitors in national and international competition.

Thanks primarily to the efforts of US Sailing Match Racing Committee Vice-Chair and five-time US Match Racing Champion, Dave Perry, US Sailing made the event one of its three match racing championships, and it officially became the U.S. Youth Match Racing Championship in 2015.

Learn more about the championship: https://www.ussailing.org/competition/championships/2024-u-s-youth-match-racing-championship/

Copyright ©2018-2024 United States Sailing Association. All rights reserved. US Sailing is a 501(c)3 organization. Website designed & developed by Design Principles, Inc. -->