OPA Going With Expansive 2021 Schedule

ByMatt Trulio

If the Offshore Powerboat Association’s current plans hold, the New Jersey-headquartered, American Power Boat Association-member organization will produce or co-produce at least one offshore race a month from April through November next year. As confirmed yesterday on speedonthewater.com, the OPA will again collaborate with fellow APBA-member outfit Powerboat P1 to produce a six-race APBA Offshore Championship Series in 2021, as well as four races—not counting to-be-determined events in April and August—of its own.

Offshore Powerboat Association action is returning with a vengeance in 2021. Photo from the 2019 OPA World Championships by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix/speedonthewater.com.

The OPA/P1-backed APBA series schedule is returning to all of its 2019 venues, starting with Cocoa Beach, Fla., May 20-33. From there, the series moves to Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri June 3-5, followed by the Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix June 25-27. The series heads to St. Clair, Mich., July 25-27, and continues its Midwest swing August 5-8 in Michigan City, Ind. It concludes October 7-9 in Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

Notwithstanding April’s to-be-determined event, the 2021 OPA-specific schedule begins June 11-13 in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. It officially returns August 27-27 to Solomons Island, Md., then moves to Moorhead City, N.C., September 10-12. The final event of the season, the OPA World Championships will return November 18-21 to Englewood Beach, Fla.

According to OPA president Ed “Smitty” Smith, OPA own races will be “divisional,” while the APBA series contests will be “national.”

Three races remain on the 2020 OPA schedule as currently listed on its website: The Crystal Coast Grand Prix, September 11-13 in Moorhead City; the Point Pleasant Beach Grand Prix, September 25-27; and the Englewood Beach Waterfest/OPA World Championships November 19-22.

Related stories
APBA Offshore Series Venue Producers Set Goals For 2021 Season
Miss GEICO Catamaran Back On The Water And ‘Good To Go’