Cowes Torquay Cowes

The Cowes-Torquay was launched by Sir Max Aitken,  2nd Baronet as the first offshore powerboat racing sport in Britain in 1961. Initially sponsored by the Daily Express newspaper, its success encouraged several countries in Europe and the Middle East to follow suit.

Hence it can rightly claim to have introduced offshore powerboat racing to the rest of the world outside the United States where the modern sport was launched with the first Miami-Nassau Race in 1956.

When the Union Internationale Motonautique, the world governing authority for powerboat racing, introduced the World Offshore Championship in 1967 as a memorial to Sam Griffith, the American founder of modern offshore racing, the course was found to be too short at 125 miles (201 km) to qualify as a championship heat.

The race format was therefore changed and instead of finishing at Torquay, the fleet returned no-stop back to Cowes, however in 2013 the fleet stopped at Torquay for some 3 hours before having a mass start returning back to Cowes.

Late in 2017 the BPRC announced that they were withdrawing their affiliation from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the Governing Body for British Powerboat Racing and Directors would like to take this opportunity to thank its Members for their overwhelming support and very much look forward to developing a brighter future for offshore powerboat racing in 2018 and beyond!

 The race is currently organised by race director Martin Levi of the British Powerboat Racing Club and will be run on Sunday 29th  August 2021.

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British Powerboat Racing Club

 

The British Powerboat Racing Club was formed in 2001 following the gala dinner held at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes celebrating the 40th running of the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes offshore powerboat race.The Cowes-Torquay launched offshore powerboat racing as a sport in Britain in 1961. Initially sponsored by the Daily Express newspaper, its success encouraged several countries in Europe and the Middle East to follow suit.Hence it can rightly claim to have introduced offshore powerboat racing to the rest of the world outside the United States where the modern sport was launched with the first Miami-Nassau Race in 1956.When the Union Internationale Motonautique, the world governing authority for powerboat racing, introduced the World Offshore Championship in 1967 as a memorial to Sam Griffith, the American founder of modern offshore racing, the course was found to be too short at 125miles to qualify as a championship heat.The race format was therefore changed and instead of finishing at Torquay, the fleet returned no-stop back to Cowes, a pattern that remains to this day.Membership of the British Powerboat Racing Club is open to anyone interested in powerboat competition, offshore racing in particular. Almost 100 like minded enthusiasts, many ex-competitors from the early days of the sport, regularly meet for lunch and cocktail parties as well as attending the annual Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race: usually held over the August Bank Holiday weekend.A smaller group of its members form the Cowes Organising Committee whose aim is to ensure this British classic continues. The committee provides a secretariat, organisational help and liaison with the Royal Yachting Association, the British National Authority for all areas of powerboat sport.