OPA Crystal Coast Grand Prix 2022

Thursday, September 8, 2022

All Day Arrival of Race Boats - Race Village - Jack's Watefront Bar (513 Evans St, Morehead City, NC)
Crane Area - 10th St Lot, Morehead City, NC
Ramp Area - Ramp at 10th Street
Crystal Coast Visitors Ramp (3407 Arendell St, Morehead City, NC)
Newport River Pier and ramp (Beaufort, NC)
Wet Pits - Jack's Waterfront Bar
Dry Pits - Jack's Waterfront Bar
Wash Down Area - Jack's Waterfront Bar
10am-3pm REGISTRATION - Jack's Waterfront Bar
10am-3pm GPS Registration - Jack's Waterfront Bar
11am-6pm Race Boats Inspections - Race Village
7pm Volunteer Meeting - Jack's Water Front Bar

Friday, September 9, 2022

10am Race Village Open
7am Team Physicals - Jack's Water Front Bar
8am Racer Meeting - Jack's Water Front Bar
8am Race Course Buoys set up
8:45am Medical and Dive team briefing - Jack's Water Front Bar
8:45am Patrol Fleet Briefing - Jack's Water Front Bar
8:30am Race Control Operational
9am Crane & Ramp Operational
9:45am Race Patrol Fleet & Course Support Fleet on station
10am RACE 1 - JSBR races
11:30am RACE 2
1pm RACE 3
2:45pm RACE 4e

Saturday, September 10, 2022

10am Race Village open
11am Racer Meeting - Jack's Water Front Bar
11am-3pm Race Boats Inspections - Race Village
11am-5pm GPS Registration - Jack's Water Front Bar
11am Race Control Operational
11am-5pm Crane & Ramp Operational
12pm - 4pm Race Boat Testing

Sunday, September 11, 2022

10am Race Village Open
7am Team Physicals - Jack's Water Front Bar
8am Racer Meeting - Jack's Water Front Bar
8am Race Course Buoys set up
8:45am Medical and Dive team briefing - Jack's Water Front Bar
8:45am Patrol Fleet Briefing - Jack's Water Front Bar
8:30am Race Control Operational
9am Crane & Ramp Operational
9:45am Race Patrol Fleet & Course Support Fleet on station
10am RACE 1 - JSBR races
11:30am RACE 2
1pm RACE 3
2:45pm RACE 4
6pm Awards Presentation - Jack's Water Front Bar

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Crystal Coast Grand Prix set to return this weekend; OPA races slated for Friday, Sunday

MOREHEAD CITY — Morehead City will welcome high-powered offshore boats this weekend for the annual Crystal Coast Grand Prix.

Boats will arrive at the Race Village on the waterfront on Thursday, with official Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) races taking place on Friday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Lookout Shootout Poker Run, which is put on by McCann through Jack’s Waterfront Bar, will take place on Saturday.

The event has also paired with the U.S. Coast Guard to close the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and adjacent waters surrounding the Morehead City Port to local boaters on Friday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. when races are being held. The course extends from the tip of Radio Island Access across from the U.S. Coast Guard station to just past the west end of Sugarloaf Island across from downtown Morehead City.

This will be the third straight year of the event after it took an eight-year hiatus. Organizer Jeff McCann was thrilled with last year’s success.

“There were over 1,000 boats in the water watching the race,” McCann said. “It was incredible. I had a lot of support (last) year. The town really came together to make it happen.”

Two years ago, the county provided a $20,000 jumpstart to bring the attraction to his Jack’s Waterfront Bar. The move paved the way for a successful return, which turned into a bonus event when the OPA needed a host location for its world championship. The traditional site at Englewood, Fla. wasn’t available, so McCann stepped in to host what turned out to be two of only three races during the entire OPA season.

“When they canceled Englewood (in 2020), I had everything still in place,” McCann said. “It was routine to put it on because everything was still ready for it.”

McCann, a longtime powerboat driver, jumped back into the seat of his 42-foot Fountain for last year’s event. He traveled with the boat to Engelwood for the world championships in November, too.

The final classes and participants will not be established until Friday. Last year, Knucklehead Racing got the solo spot and the win in Vee Extreme division.

Marker 17 Marine won the Modified Vee over Absolutely Not, and Wazzup was the top boat in the Stock Vee over NMB RV Resort and Twisted Tea.

Class 6 had the largest fleet of boats in the competition. CRC took first place, followed by Rum Runners and Wicked.

In Class 7, Nauti Boyz finished ahead of Goofin Around and Jackhammer.

There were four teams in the mix for Class 4, with Predator winning over Saris Racing and Old School.

In the three-boat Class 5 field, Shoreline Plumbing finished in first, followed by May Marine and Mean Streak.

Bat Boat was the winner in the Class 2 category, followed by Strickly Business.

Jersey Outlaw/Ammo Camo also raced solo in the Class 3 to win that division.

“A lot of teams came out to compete and support us,” McCann said. “They like the event, and they love Morehead City. All of the hotels and motels were full, which is what we want to see.”

For more information, go online at www.oparacing.org/mhc.

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Crystal Coast Grand Prix brings speed, power; charitable proceeds go to Sidney Dive Team

MOREHEAD CITY — County powerboat enthusiasts got a treat last weekend when the annual Crystal Coast Grand Prix brought 34 state-of-the-art racing vessels to its waters.

Boats ranging from 20-foot single-outboards with open cockpits to the Jack’s Waterfront 46-foot, all-white Skater with twin 1550 Bowers Performance engines dotted the race village around the downtown bar.

On Friday and Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard closed off a portion of the intracoastal waterway to make room for sets of high-powered Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) races that drew hundreds of spectator boats. Weather interrupted the Lookout Shootout Poker Run on Saturday, but Jack’s Waterfront Bar owner and event organizer Jeff McCann was pleased with the turnout.

“It was an awesome turnout,” McCann said. “Even though the rain came up on us on Saturday, we sold all of our race T-shirts and had a lot of people walking around the race village. People came from all over, all the way from Arizona to Canada.”

The event streamed to viewers globally through Triworks media, while land-locked spectators tried to sneak a peek of the action from the waterfront. This year marked the third straight year for the race after it took an eight-year hiatus.

“I want to thank everyone in the county who was involved. We can’t do it without you,” McCann said. “We had a lot of help and a lot of sponsors, and we can’t wait to do it again next year.”

In addition to the races, the weekend event also included a casino night on Saturday following a weather-shortened Lookout Shootout Poker Run.

“The hardcore people like myself were out there on Saturday,” McCann said, “but we went all the way to the mouth of the Neuse River and it turned black, so we had to turn around. The casino night was still a huge hit.”

SIDNEY DIVE TEAM

Proceeds from the Poker Run and casino night went to benefit the Sidney Dive Team out of Beaufort County. The all-volunteer dive team was instrumental in the recovery of the eight victims of the Pilatus PC-12/47 plane crash in February.

Dive Chief Steve Swain remembers getting the call the evening of the crash, working with Olympus Dive Center to get extra equipment and air and eventually discovering the location of the crash. He says making recoveries like that one are a calling for his dive team.

“When we get the call, 95 percent of the time it’s a recovery situation,” Swain said. “Our ultimate goal is to do our very best to locate whomever is involved and bring them home so their loved ones can find closure and start the healing process.”

The dive team, which began in 1994, consists of only volunteers and relies on a budget made up almost entirely of charitable donations. The divers who were involved with the recovery of the plane were Ted Wallace, Tre Teel, Stephen Persche, Leonard Hudson, Chris Chrismon, Thomas Wierbowski, Daniel Brinn, Joey Williams and Swain.

Swain was humbled by McCann’s choice in donating proceeds of the events on Saturday, but he was quick to point the spotlight back on the efforts in whole in February.

“We appreciate being recognized, but truly, all of the attention needs to be on those families,” Swain said. “They’re the ones hurting. We were just one of many groups of boaters, searchers and everyone involved. Just one of many tools during a difficult situation like that one.”

RACE RESULTS

The OPA has yet to release results from the second day of races, but on day one, two of the top classes were made up of one competitor.

The Jack’s Waterfront boat captured the Unlimited division while Knucklehead Racing was the Vee Extreme winner. Mr. Herbotto was the sole competitor in the Class 3 division.

In the Modified Vee, BoatFloater.com won, Xinsurance/Phantom placed second and Marker 17 Mariner third.

Wazzup captured the Stock Vee, while Fastboys placed second and Shocker third.

In the Class 4 division, Predator won, while Full Send placed second and Control Freak third. Class 5 went to Mean Streak in first, Bulletproof in second and Team Woody in third. Rum Runner won Class 6, while CRC Smith Brothers placed second and Wicked third. The Class 7 winner was Goofin Around, followed by Nauti Boyz in second and Mini Gini in third.


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