The Wandering Disciple

Englewood, Florida: After an exciting race on Friday, the racers of the Offshore Powerboat Association returned to the waters off Englewood Beach for the final day of the Englewood WaterFest and the second half of the OPA World Championships. The two day event rounds up the 2015 season for the OPA and crowns the World Champion in each race class. Like Friday’s event, the ten classes were divided into three races that would race head to head on the four mile course in the Gulf of Mexico. Here are the results from Sunday’s race: Super Cat – Amsoil (#77)  Super Vee Lite – LSB Racing (#3)  Class 2 – Bat Boat (#211)  Class 3 – 2nd Amendment USA (#306)  Class 4 – Saris Racing (#441)  Class 5 – Wanna Race (#502)  Class 6 – Woah Mama (#632)  Class 7 – Bay Rat (#723)  Cat Lite – FJ Propeller (#S-19)  Extreme – Cat Can Do (#19)  The points from Friday’s race were combined with Sunday’s results to crown the World Champion. H...

Two offshore powerboats race down Englewood Beach in search of the OPA National Championship. Englewood Beach hosted three races on Friday afternoon as part of Englewood WaterFest. These race crews will be back on the water at Englewood Beach on Sunday in the World Championship. (Photo: November 20, 2015)

Englewood, Florida: The racers of the Offshore Powerboat Assocation converged on Englewood Beach for the inaugural Englewood WaterFest. The premier racing group would be hosting two racing events over the weekend, starting with the OPA National Championships on Friday. The OPA National Championships was originally scheduled to occur during the Ocean City Grand Prix but Hurricane Joaquin forced the event to be cancelled, forcing the sanctioning body to declare Friday’s race in Englewood as the National Championship. Racers took to the Gulf of Mexico on a four mile course that extended from Englewood Beach southward towards Stump Pass State Park. The event featured three heat races with boats from ten classes. The race winners included: Super Cat – Cleveland Construction (#4)  Super Vee Lite – LSB Racing (#3)  Class 2 – Batman (#211)  Class 3 – Strictly Business (#V-6)  Class 4 – Saris Racing (#441) Class 5 – Wazzup II (#513)  Class 6 -Smith B...