Race World Offshore President and founder Larry Bleil knows he and his organization have staged major events in Key West over the years. Each time, they take aim to make them bigger and better. With another internationally attractive week of racing ahead, he believes that his vision has largely been realized.
The annual Race World Offshore (RWO) World Championship in Key West will bring more than 100 boats and their crews from across the country and international destinations to the island this season. Add sponsors, thousands of fans and casual spectators, just days after Fantasy Fest, and Key West revs up for one of its busiest and most financially consequential weeks of the year.
Bleil, who continues to travel the country organizing and watching offshore races, knows the allure of Key West is tough to beat.
“It’s got the best venue, the best everything,” he explained. “And it’s got what the teams are looking for when it comes to nightlife, the hotels that we have, all that.”
City Commissioner Mark Rossi, who owns the Rick’s and Durty Harry’s Entertainment Complex, agrees that the races rank among Key West’s strongest annual events. He pointed not only to what visitors spend at hotels, restaurants and bars, but also to the tips earned by service workers heading into the holiday season.
While passholders and locals will occupy numerous vantage points along the waterfront to watch the on-water action and eventual champions, some of the week’s most photographed and widely attended events unfold back on shore.
The kickoff boat parade is a colorful and almost surreal sight, with massive powerboats rolling down Duval Street and easily dwarfing storefronts and the lower levels of familiar facades. Later in the week, the block party draws crowds downtown while helping raise money for nonprofit causes.
Those venturing to Truman Waterfront Park will also see the recreational site transformed into the race village and home base for the teams and the haulers, support vehicles, motorhomes, and equipment needed to get them through the week.
The stakes and prestige will also be higher for participating teams this year.
Earlier in 2026, RWO entered a multi-year licensing agreement with UIM Events, the commercial arm of the Monaco-based Union Internationale Motonautique, the international governing body for powerboat racing. As a result, multiple UIM world titles will be decided in Key West for the first time.
For Bleil, the development marks another step toward the position he has long envisioned for the event and his organization. With RWO now focused on securing television and livestream coverage of the races, audiences far beyond Key West could have more chances to watch.
Those tuning in will also see what locals already know. During this turbocharged week, the island becomes as much a racing town as a vacation destination.
Key West World Championship
Nov. 1-8
