The Wandering Disciple

Englewood, Florida: The Offshore Powerboat Association closed in on Englewood Beach this weekend for the OPA World Championship as part of the 2018 Englewood Beach Water Fest. The annual race closes out the 2018 season for the OPA circuit. The weekend kicked off with a block part in Olde Englewood followed by back to back days of exciting powerboat racing in the Gulf of Mexico between Englewood Beach and Stump Pass Beach State Park. Click on the photo above to view a gallery of photos from the Extreme Class race at the 2018 OPA World Championships .

Typhoon and BloatFloater battle for the lead during the OPA World Championships at Englewood Beach Waterfest.  The fast race boats from the Offshore Powerboat Association took to the Gulf of Mexico for a weekend of racing action.  Be sure to check back later for more photos from Sunday's race.  (Photo: November 20, 2016)

A powerboat goes airborne during the Englewood Beach Waterfest on Sunday afternoon along Manastoa Key.  The Offshore Powerboat Associaation made a visit to Englewood for the 2016 World Championships which took place on Saturday and Sunday.  Be sure to check back later for more photos from the races.  (Photo: November 20, 2016)

Englewood, Florida: For the second straight year, the fast racing action of the Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) descended on Englewood Beach for Englewood Beach Waterfest.  As a result of a cancellation of the Ocean City event, Englewood would be the host of both the OPA National and World Championships. The OPA World Championship was a culmination of two days of action packed races.  The teams earned points during a race on Saturday and a race on Sunday.  The team with the highest points at the end of the weekend went home with a World Championship. Here are the results for the 2016 OPA World Championship: Class 2  1st - 211 Bat Boat Class 3  1st - 302 2nd Ammendment Super Vee  1st - 306 Strictly Business 2nd - 3-V1 Wazzup 3rd - 3-V7 Repeat Offender II Class 4  1st - 441 Saris Racing 2nd - 411 Perdition 3rd - 455 Nick's Creative Marine 4th - 407 GetRubberMulch.com 5th - 466 American Outlaw Class 5 1st - 546 Reinforcer...

Englewood, Florida:  The thrill of high speed off-shore boat racing is all over town as the Offshore Powerboat Association descending on Englewood Florida for the Englewood Beach Waterfest. Race weekend kicked off with a block party on Dearbon Street on Friday night. The powerful race boats were on display as hundreds of spectators mingled with crews and machines on a beautiful evening.  These machines can be seen in action along the beach on Saturday and Sunday as the OPA hosts the World Championships at Englewood Beach. Click on the photo above to see more photos from the block party .

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...