Ocean Cup Season-Opener To Kick Off Race World Offshore Season-Opener

As event-producing member-organizations of the American Power Boat Association,the Ocean Cup and Race World Offshore outfts are a natural fit to work with one another. To that end, both entities will launch their 2024 seasons May 24-26 in Marathon, Fla., during the Race World Offshore 7 Mile Offshore Grand Prix, the first event of the APBA Offshore National Championship Series. The weekend of powerboat racing will begin Friday with the new Ocean Cup, 104-mile endurance from Marathon, around Sand Key in Key West, and back.

Ocean Cup Series stalwart Nigel Hook is in for the Marathon/Key West with his Mystic Powerboats catamaran. Photos courtesy/copyright Neil London.

Two teams, Patriotic Duty out of Northern California and Ocean Cup based in Southern California, have committed to the event—and registration is still open.

“We are super-excited to work with (Ocean Cup lead) organizer) Janet Wilson and the Ocean Cup event in Marathon this year,” said Allen Bellinghausen of the Patriotic Duty team, which includes Tony Adams and Steve Seaton and runs a 47-foot Outerlimits V-bottom powered by Mercury Racing 1350 engines. “Marathon will be our most challenging event this year, due to the ever-changing depth conditions and the length of the run.”

The president and founder of Key West-based Race World Offshore, Larry Bleil said he is pleased to partner with the Ocean Cup organizers in Marathon.

“Having an Ocean Cup event here added to our schedule will be very exciting,” Bleil, in a press release from the endurance-race producer. “It will help make for a great, long weekend of powerboat racing in the Florida Keys.’

The Patriotic Duty Outerlimits is the first V-bottom registered for the event.

In addition to the Marathon/Key West run, the 2024 Ocean Cup Series of roundtrip offshore endurance contests includes the 128-mile Gateway Cup (Palm Beach, Fla., to West End, Bahama), the 110-mile Miami-Bimini-SS Sapona shipwreck run September 12-14 and the 112-mile Rum Run (Huntington Beach, Calif./Around Catalina Island), October 16-18, in conjunction with the Pacific Air Show.

Following the 7 Mile Offshore Grand Prix, the 2024 Race World Offshore regular-season schedule features the Ocean City Grand Prix, June 7-9, in Maryland and the Clearwater XINSURANCE ‘Nationals,’ October 27-29, in Southwest Florida. The Race World Offshore Key World Championships are set for November 3-10.