Key West Worlds Wednesday Races Scrubbed
In a move that has become all too familiar this season in the offshore racing world, Race World Offshore officials have canceled tomorrow’s races for the Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla., courtesy of weather from Tropical Storm Rafael. High winds, heavy rain and rough seas are predicted to prevail in the Key West area throughout the day.
Offshore racers and fans will have to wait until Friday for the first day of world championship competition. Photo from the 2024 Key West Worlds boat parade by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
The cancelation was announced moments ago to the competitors during the morning drivers’ meeting.
Though Race World Offshore had not released an official statement explaining the cancelation when this story went live, there are two primary issues forcing the cancelation beyond the obvious visibility concerns that come with powerboat racing in the rain. First, the heavy rainfall will ground the helicopter-supported safety teams. Second, the cranes required to hoist the heavy raceboats in and out of the water cannot be operated in sustained winds of more than 25 mph. Both are in tomorrow’s imminent weather picture.
Weather also forced Race World Offshore officials to cancel the Wednesday races two years ago. And throughout the 43 years of competition in Key West, races have been scrubbed for various reasons.
But today’s cancelation is particularly frustrating for the teams and their fans. It follows the hurricane-forced cancelations of the Race World Offshore Clearwater Nationals and Powerboat P1/P1 Offshore St. Petersburg Grand Prix—the final two events of American Power Boat Association Offshore National Championship Series—as well as the Offshore Powerboat Association National and World Championships in Englewood Beach, Fla.
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Source: https://www.speedonthewater.com/key-west-worlds-wednesday-races-scrubbed/
