Clearwater Offshore Nationals

The sounds of seagulls and gentle waves on Clearwater Beach will be replaced by the thrilling roar of approximately 90 race boats competing in the 2024 Xinsurance Clearwater Offshore Nationals, held September 27-29, 2024.

Specially built, low-slung boats up to 50 feet long will race at speeds up to 150 mph in the Gulf of Mexico. The competition for national championships will be fierce as boats and crews vie to qualify for the World Championships in Key West in November.

How to Watch the Clearwater Offshore Nationals

The races will be easy to see. The 2.5-mile-long race course will be just a couple of hundred yards off and parallel to the beach. Turn One will be about 100 yards off Clearwater Beach’s famous Pier 60. Hundreds of people will come to the beach and the pier to watch the show and enjoy the beautiful Gulf waters and soft, white sand. A spectator fleet of privately owned and tour boats will anchor just offshore of the course in an area organizers have set aside for them. Several tour boat companies are offering race-day cruises. Beachfront hotels will hold watch parties. 

No admission will be charged at any of the race events. 

Public Transportation to the Races and Dry Pits

For those who want to avoid driving to Clearwater Beach, several public transportation options are available. The Jolley Trolley will take you from Pier 60 to the entrance to Sand Key Park, where the race boats are based. The one-way fare is $2.25. The trolley accepts tap-to-pay, or payment through the Flamingo Fares app, or exact change in cash (no pennies).  

Overview of Race Schedule

Friday, September 27: No races, but boats can be viewed in the Dry Pits in Sand Key Park and there's an opening party at Bar Tiki in Clearwater Beach

Saturday, September 28: testing, qualifying and 2 races (approximately1-3 p.m.)

Sunday, September 29: 8 races (approximately 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)

See more official schedule details.

Beyond the Races

Dry Pit Viewing at Sand Key Park

For gearheads, boating fans and those who are just plain curious, the fun is not limited to watching the weekend races. In fact, the excitement begins on Friday, September 27, and continues through Sunday, with close-up access to the race boats, which for the first time will be based in Sand Key Park, just over the Clearwater Pass bridge from Clearwater Beach. 

In the “Dry Pits” on Sand Key, many of the boats will be tilted on their trailers so everyone can see them better. Some have two 450-hp Mercury outboards on the back. Others have two souped-up V-8 engines that each look like they belong in a muscle car. Some have one hull, others have two. The public can check out the boats from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The boats will be launched by crane from a barge in Clearwater Pass for their races.

Parties 

On Friday evening, September 27, the first party of the weekend is planned. The Race World Offshore Bar Tiki Racer’s Party will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the rooftop Bar Tiki, 25 Causeway Blvd., Clearwater Beach. The party will continue at Shephard’s Beach Resort, 619 S. Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater Beach from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Saturday night, September 28, from 8 p.m. to midnight, racers and the public can party at the Tiki Beach Grill at Shephard's Beach Resort. There will be dancing and a DJ at Shephard's until 2 a.m.

The awards party will be 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, September 29, at Marina Cantina, 25 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater Beach. The fun will continue at Shephard's from 8 p.m. to midnight.

About the Offshore Nationals Series

The event is sanctioned by Key West-based Race World Offshore and professionally run, with repeated technical checks to keep things safe and fair, plus physical exams for racers the morning of their races and tests of the racers’ ability to escape an upside-down boat. During races, medical/rescue boats will be posted on the course to help any race boat that needs it.

The XInsurance Clearwater Offshore Nationals is the fifth event in the annual American Power Boat Association National Series, following races in Marathon and Cocoa Beach, Florida; Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri; and Ocean City, Maryland. It’s the last race in the series determining which teams will compete in the Key West Offshore World Championship races set for November 3-10, 2024.