The Passion of Yowaiski

If you didn’t get a chance to watch or listen to Friday afternoon’s broadcast of the Super Boat International Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla., I’d highly recommend paying the $4.99 to purchase the livestream replay at superboat.com. I did and I was there—sitting a row behind the Super Boat International broadcast team with my laptop open—when, after calling the dramatic crash between CT Marine and CMS in the day’s third race, announcer Mike Yowaiski made a joke that he’d have to call in the “B Team” following the Superboat Unlimited race that included the heart-stopping crash that ended up being replayed hundreds of thousands of times on TVs, computers and phones across the world.

SBI announcer Mike Yowaiski will never forget calling this crash between CT Marine and CMS on Friday in Key West. Photo by Sam Jirik

During the horrific wreck that led to serious damage to the catamarans but fortunately not to any of the four racers, it’s Yowaiski who lets out the surprised and horrified “Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh” before his counterpart Nancy D’Amato gasps in amazement. Yowaiski, who can now say he’s been featured on “Good Morning America” and every other morning news show around the country, kept his wits about him and didn’t overstate it when he said he’s never seen anything like it before.

And on Sunday, the final day of action, I don’t think he was overstating it when he said the Superboat Stock-class race was the most exciting one he’s ever called. And he’s announced a lot of races between the last two seasons with the SBI team and many years with the New Jersey-based Offshore Powerboat Association. The race was exciting with several lead changes, a winner that came from behind after spinning out in a turn and a deck-to-deck battle for second settled by less than a boat length.

Read more: The Passion of Yowaiski

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