Clearwater Offshore Nationals

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

Specially built, low-slung boats up to 50 feet long with race at speeds up to 150 mph in the Gulf of Mexico waters. The 5-mile races will be just a couple of hundred yards off the beach, racing parallel to the shore.

How to Watch the Clearwater Offshore Nationals

Turn One is 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 private and group charter boats will anchor along the offshore side of the racecourse, and beachfront hotels will hold watch parties.

Beyond the Races

For gearheads, boating fans and the just plain curious, the fun is not limited to watching the eight races on Sunday, September 29. The weekend begins on Friday, September 27 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. Each day, the race boats will be launched by crane from a barge into the pass.

In the “Dry Pits” on Sand Key, many of the boats will be tilted on their trailers for display. 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.

Parties and chances to meet racers are planned, with details to be announced closer to the event dates.

About the Offshore Nationals Series

The event is professionally run, with repeated technical and safety checks to keep things fair, as well as medical/rescue boats posted on the course to assist in the event any of the boats capsize.

Winners in Clearwater are named national champions. The Clearwater races culminate a national series that decides which boats go on to the Key West World Championship in Key West, a week of races, parties and a parade that begins on November 3. Other stops in the series include Ocean City, Maryland; Lake Michigan; Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri; and Marathon, Cocoa Beach, Sarasota and St. Pete, Florida.