Preview To Offshore Powerboat Racing

Introduction by William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill

Most everyone who spends time on the water has seen them at one time or another, those ear splitting, brightly colored powerboats that skip across the water at break neck speeds.  They can be the most dangerous and powerful racing machines known to man in large part due to the speeds they can attain, the highly volatile fuel needed to power the craft and the unique design and balance of the hulls built to withstand ever changing elements of wind  and water. A finely tuned balance needs to be maintained to max out speed to the point of possible wipeout.

Offshore powerboat racing has been around since 1904 when the first race took place from the southeast coast of England to Calais, France.  Today, it's as popular as ever with classes of boats ranging from single, twin and four piston engine V-bottom boats and catamarans to turbines in various hull configurations.  The races have become more spectator friendly lately, but endurance offshore races are what give the sport it's name.

In this video, Marc Granet, driver of the powerboat Miss Geico, describes his passion for powerboat racing; his desire to build the fastest boat with a greatest team that knows how to compete and win.  Miss Geico is a 40 ft turbine powered monster. Grant describes the boat this way, "This boat is beyond extreme.  We hit 210 mph (338 km/h) in seconds," he adds, "There is nothing like it on the water."

Double click on the video for a HiDef full video presentation.



William L. Gills aka Bos'n Bill, webmaster of this site, is the author of the book Lubber's Log, published by Llumina Press; a boating journal and adventure story of the author's first time experiences in the preparation, maintenance and piloting of a new, unfamiliar boat. You can visit his website here. Lubber's Log