Thrive
Clearwater Offshore Nationals returns this weekend
Approximately 90 boats will be participating in the event.
This weekend, residents and guests can watch boats race at speeds up to 150 miles per hour in the Gulf. The XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals is returning for its 17th year.
Approximately 90 boats will be participating in the 2026 event. The competition will be held Friday through Sunday.
The XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals will feature 14 different vessel classes. Race World Offshore racing director Rodrick Cox explained that these “range in size from 60 mile per hour bracket classes to 130 mile per hour Super Cat or Class 1 boats.” Every boat will have a team consisting of a driver and throttleman, who operates the throttles and controls a boat’s engine power.
Each group will have its own champion. However, there is no purse. Cox said that winners will receive a trophy and a “flag on the water.”
He added that the Clearwater event often features “a fast race course.” The conditions are “pretty flat on the water with a light chop of one to two feet.”
About 65 boats will be racing on the five mile course every day. Cox said that the dry pits will be based at Sand Key Park. According to a prepared statement, the footprint has expanded to “two additional remote locations nearby, giving every class the space to stage, service and launch on schedule.”
Orchestrating the competition is not an easy feat. He explained that logistics can be challenging.
“I’m responsible for working with race control and the scoring team to make sure that the boats are coming out on time,” Cox said. “We have a manatee helicopter out an hour in advance to make sure that there’s no wildlife that’s infringing on the course.”
“If there is an incident on the course, what we don’t want to do is have the next 10 boats sitting out there bobbing in the water and getting heat exhaustion,” he continued. “If a boat has flipped, we’ll deploy drivers out of safety boats or a helicopter. The people in the boats self-extract themselves, typically.”
Individuals can watch from the beach and Pier 60, where there will be a selection of vendors. Spectator boats are allowed as well. The races will also be livestreamed. Additionally, Race World Offshore plans to film footage at the event for a one-hour TV special. It will air on the ESPN Network in the first quarter of 2027.
Clearwater is the third stop on the American Power Boat Association National Championship Series and the Union Internationale Motonautique XINSURANCE World Championship Tour. UIM is powerboating’s world governing body.
Here’s a tentative schedule. However, times are subject to change.
Friday:
Offshore testing will take place from noon to 3:30 p.m.
Saturday:
Race 1 (Bracket Classes 6 and 7 and Vee Limited class) will start at 11 a.m. Qualifying rounds for Class 1, Class 2 and Super Cat will begin at 11:45 a.m.
Race 2 (First start: Super Cat and second start: Class 2) will commence at 12:30 p.m. Race 3 (First start: Class 1 and second start: Super Vee class) will follow at 1:30 p.m. Race 4 (Mod Vee class) will start at 2:15 p.m. and Race 5 (Super Stock) will begin at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday:
Race 1 (Mod Vee class) will start at 11 a.m. Race 2 (Bracket Classes 6 and 7 and Vee Limited class) will follow at 11:25 a.m. Race 3 (First start: Bracket Classes 2, 3 and 4 and second start: Bracket Class 5 and Cat 300) will begin at 11:50 a.m.
Race 4 (First start: Super Cat and second start: Class 2) will commence at 1 p.m. Race 5 (Class 1) is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. and Race 6 (Super Stock class) will take place at 3 p.m. An awards ceremony will take place at Marina Cantina, at 25 Causeway Blvd., beginning at 7 p.m.
The XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals is presented by Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals website
