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The Offshore Super Series (OSS) is an offshore powerboat racing organization founded in December 2003 by 2 of the top offshore race boat teams in the United States. OSS is organized as a not for profit corporation, run by a democratically elected Board of Directors. OSS is organized into classes of race boats. Each class bringing 5 or more member boats to OSS has a right to nominate two directors on the OSS Board. The basic principle is “one boat, one vote.”
The OSS founding board consisted of nine directors. Each OSS Board member is elected for a two-year term.
The OSS Not-For Profit Corporation was represented by Paul Whittier, President, Billy Mauff, Vice President, Gerry Chastelet, Treasurer, and Bertel Schmitt, Secretary. Gerry Chastelet served as Director At Large, and Paul Whittier served as Chairman.
Since inception, OSS added three more classes:
The class speeds range from approximately 90mp/h for the OSSVL boats to 200 mp/h and more for the OSSTX boats.
Each year, OSS conducts approximately 10 OSS races which are held in a circuit racing format, usually close to shore to achieve a better spectator experience. At each of the races, points are awarded, which are tabulated in the national standings. The highest points count at the end of the year determines the OSS National Champion. Usually in November, OSS conducts a World Championship, which is held over the course of a week. This World Championship is open to members of other race organizations. In 2006, OSS entered a 5-year contract with Destin, Florida, to host OSS World Championships.
The foundations of OSS are fairness and safety.
The races are governed by two sets of rules: The OSS General Membership & Racing Rules, and the OSS Technical Rules.
To assure the highest level of safety, OSS only allows fully canopied (closed cockpit) boats which should meet or exceed the internationally accepted Lavin Guidelines. Each of the OSS races is covered by a large safety and rescue team. At each race, OSS has two of its own rescue helicopters (“Angel Ships”) with specially trained rescue jumper/divers. Their target is to come to the assistance of a boat, when needed, within 50 seconds of an accident.
Offshore powerboat racing is a type of racing by ocean-going powerboats, typically point-to-point racing.
Yacht racing is a sailing sport involving sailing yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing, which involves open boats. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course marked by buoys or other fixed navigational devices or racing longer distances across open water from point-to-point. It can involve a series of races with buoy racing or multiple legs when point-to-point racing.
A maxi yacht usually refers to a racing yacht of at least 21 metres (70 ft) in length.
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other water-borne craft for as long as such watercraft have existed.
World Sailing (WS) is the world governing body for the sport of sailing recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The Fastnet Race is a biennial offshore yacht race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club of the United Kingdom with the assistance of the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and the City of Cherbourg in France. The race is named after the Fastnet Rock off southern Ireland, which the race course rounds. The race is considered one of the classic big offshore races, testing both inshore and offshore skills, boat and crew preparation and speed potential. From its inception, the Fastnet Race has proven highly influential in the growth of offshore racing, and remains closely linked to advances in yacht design, sailing technique and safety equipment.
The International Offshore Rule (IOR) was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) rule.
Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages of each class of boats, so that results reflect crew skill rather than equipment superiority.
The International Dragon Boat Federation is the international governing body for the team watersport of dragon boat racing. The Founder of the IDBF was Mike MacKeddie-Haslam and the IDBF Founding Members in Hong Kong the on June 24, 1991 were Australia, China, Taiwan, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States. There are currently 72 countries or territories with membership in the IDBF, with many other countries with a known interest in the sport. The IDBF is a Full Member of the Global Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF), formerly known as SportAccord. The IDBF is also a member of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS), one of four subgroups of GAISF.
Coastal and offshore rowing is a rowing sport performed at sea. In North America, this sport is often called open water rowing. Coastal rowing also made its Olympic debut during the final day of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
A radio-controlled boat is a boat or ship model controlled remotely with radio control equipment.
A sailing hydrofoil, hydrofoil sailboat, or hydrosail is a sailboat with wing-like foils mounted under the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils lift the hull up and out of the water, greatly reducing wetted area, resulting in decreased drag and increased speed. A sailing hydrofoil can achieve speeds exceeding double and in some cases triple the wind speed.
IRC is a system of handicapping sailboats and yachts for the purpose of racing. It is managed by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in the United Kingdom through their dedicated Rating Office, and the Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) in France.
Pwllheli Sailing Club is a yacht club in Pwllheli, Wales, founded in 1958. Over the years its clubhouse has moved several times, and it has also become an organiser of national and international yachting and dinghy sailing events.
The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is an international organization of cruisers whose objects are to promote cruising and racing by amateurs, to encourage the development of suitable types of cruising craft, to stimulate interest in seamanship, navigation and handling small vessels, and to keep on file all information which may be of assistance to members in cruising in any waters.
The Mid America Off Road Association (MAORA) is an American off road racing sanctioning. It has sanctioned off road racing events since 1972. Web site www.maoraracing.us
The sport of sailing involves a variety of competitive sailing formats that are sanctioned through various sailing federations and yacht clubs. Racing disciplines include matches within a fleet of sailing craft, between a pair thereof or among teams. Additionally, there are specialized competitions that include setting speed records. Racing formats include both closed courses and point-to-point contests; they may be in sheltered waters, coast-wise or on the open ocean. Most competitions are held within defined classes or ratings that either entail one type of sailing craft to ensure a contest primarily of skill or rating the sailing craft to create classifications or handicaps.
The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship is an international motorboat racing competition for powerboats organized by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). It is the premier class of offshore powerboat racing in the world.
Virtual Regatta is an online web browser sailing race simulator, though the development of a mobile app version of the game has seen a significant number of users shift to this platform in recent years.
The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship is a powerboating sports competition. The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship is the premier class of jetski racing, founded in 1992. Aquabike jetskis are personal watercraft vehicles purpose-built for racing and modified according to class. The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship is organized and promoted by H2O Racing Ltd on behalf of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the governing body of powerboating and the exclusive entity recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). ABP refers to Aquabike Promotion.