Resorts World Bimini will host the first Offshore Powerboat Association race outside domestic waters on Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29, 2017. This exciting Offshore Powerboat Racing event is the culmination of effort on the part of the Resorts World Bimini marketing/management team and Roger Berkon for BOSA, a group that has been putting on events throughout the Bahamas and around the globe for the past 20 years and sees this event as a perfect match between the Offshore Powerboat Association and Resorts World Bimini.
“Resorts World built this spectacular hotel, casino and marina on the tiny island of Bimini, Bahamas, and the ocean-sports world needs to know about it. Bringing the Resorts World Bimini Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix, an OPA/APBA Offshore Racing Series, to this world-class resort just makes sense. We’ll televise this race nationally across the United States with an hourlong show on a major network that will maximize resort exposure. There’s just no better way I know of to show off the resort, marina and the vast array of guest facilities to a national audience of power-boating enthusiasts. Hopefully, this becomes an annual event on the Resorts World Bimini schedule of ocean sports,” Berkon said when asked to comment on the race event.
“We’ve been working with Roger on this event for a long time, and everything just came together today,” said Ed Smith, OPA president. “The big obstacle with a race outside the U.S. is the transportation of the race teams, the insurance, customs and various other challenges. Fortunately, Bimini is only 50 miles from Florida, and Roger has chartered two ‘ro-ro’ (roll on/ roll off) sea transporters that can hold about 20 teams each. The size of the teams’ rigs will determine exactly how many boats can make the trip. We are hoping to bring roughly 40 boats, so if you want to go, register now and get on the list.”
Smith continued, “The best part is that our friends from the Chesapeake Powerboat Club just happen to be holding a poker run from Fort Lauderdale to Resorts World Bimini on the exact same weekend, so we partnered with them as our support fleet. They’ve worked with us many times at our races in Ocean City and Solomons Island, Maryland, so they know what to do and how to do it. I really couldn’t have planned this any better. It all just came together, and I can’t wait till April.”
Focus TV Productions has been contracted to televise the event. The production company has more than 30 years’ experience filming Offshore Races. The crew will use six cameras, aerial drones and onboard cameras to cover all the action.
For more details, please stay tuned to www.oparacing.org.
