PWC Offshore, PWC Endurance Racing 

The Premiere Site for The Personal Watercraft Offshore Racer, Rider and Enthusiast
Personal Watercraft (PWC) Offshore Endurance Racing  Home page

Welcome NorCal Watercraft Club to PWCOFFSHORE!

"There's nothing better than screaming across the water at 68 mph on a PWC fifteen miles offshore"
  
About PWCOFFSHORE:Our Core Group Of Endurance, Offshore and Catalina Riders
 are athletes with years of experience in endurance racing and offshore PWC riding.  A few of us have also completed marathons and Iron Man races.  But we are not limited to a finite group of riders!  We solicite feebdack from all offshore riders and consolidate their feedback on our site.  Have you differentiated yourself in offshore or endurance riding?  If so, then we want your tips, input and feedback!  We have learned a great deal through multiple 60-mile round trip Long Beach to Catalina Island PWC rides in varying types of Southern California offshore weather.   This experience has made our group of aggressive offshore riders extremely knowledgeable on what it takes to effectively ride endurance.  It has also resulted in our getting to Catalina Island and back 100's of times reliably, safely and faster than anybody else.  One of our contributing riders, Iron Man Trithlete and 6 time National Champion Kim Bushong has done Long Beach to Catalina and back in excess of 170 times.  Our location in Southern California enables us to ride year round.  The gear we use needs to be the best, fastest and most reliable PWC's and accessories currently on the market.   We run our gear in the harshest ocean conditions requiring a completely different approach to maintenance, racing and endurance riding & offshore racing.   If our riding methodology and gear makes it in this environment, it will likely do well in standard riding conditions.  Welcome to our site!  We want to hear from you!
      

Billy Womack Inducted Into PWCOFFSHORE Hall of Fame!  Click on Hall of Fame above for more information.
Craig Warner wins the 2008 LB2CAT!  Kawasaki ULTRA250X
Congratulations Kawasaki and Craig Warner!


Congratulations top three - 2008 LB2CAT!
1 Pro/Am Class 1 Craig Warner, Corona, CA 1x 1:03:22 KAWASAKI - ULTRA
2 Pro/Am Class 1 Curtis Reinberg, Houston, TX 116 1:04:39 GFORCE ULTRA
3 Pro/Am Class 1 Mike Younts, Beeville, TX 800 115 GFORCE - ULTRA


Pictured Above: ProAM1 National Champion and Overall 1st Place: Craig Warner, ULTRA 250X - KAWASAKI
AmateurClass1NationalChampion: Robert Carreon ULTRA250X  
PWCOFFSHORE
AmateurClass2 National Champion: David Tew Polaris Matrix 
Vet Master National Champion: David Walker RXTX
Sportsman Open Winner:  Jim Walker RXP

Big Gun and 2007 Offshore National Champ Nick Vanis mechanical at start of race.  2004 Champion John Anick returns to complete the LB2CAT only 6 months after major knee surgery! 

Want a play by play overview of the helo footage video frames? Go to race results page click above 

Helicopter Video Highlight: 
Mark G of PWCOFFSHORE pushing the envelope /battling for 2nd in the rough at mile 19 on his 79 mile hour RXT with Curtis Reinburg of GFORCE RACING on his ULTRA250X out in front - first part of the video is of Lee Phan in 4th place on his extrememly fast RXT: 


 
Can you see what happened in the endo and WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THE VIDEO?:  Look closely at the front of Mark's craft just before he does an endo.  There is a good size Kelp/Seaweed patch on his bow.  Mark sees patch and reacts by quickly letting off the throttle to attempt to drift through the patch and avoid Seaweed ingestion.  At that very high speed and in the chop the pump disengages, letting off the throttle even for that split second pushes the bow and Mark's body weight forward, the bow drifts, sinks and digs, and without the pump engaged to propel the craft forward, the bow hunts to the right and hooks throwing Mark - all in a split second due to the high speeds involved.  See the seaweed flying at the back of the craft?  "My mistake" says Mark, "I know better". Shawn Alladio of K38 Safety says:  What's critical; is 1. Trim (boat/body), 2. Throttle/helm control (accelerating/decelerating changing phases), 3  Read Water/weather.  Depending on type of intake screen, if one backs off the throttle at planing speed, you will probably have a higher incidence of debris entrance to water intake...you are better off to throttle over it.  Even a slight hesitation off throttle loads the hull fast and suctions almost quicker into the water intake against the hull.  Take the higher line on throttle over debris, do not BURP the throttle, keep it pegged.  Same goes for going over sand bars, but it also has to have the other two, all 3 have to work in unison.  

Regarding the LB2CAT DVD for 2008: 
We are already seeing many emails requesting status of the DVD.  Thank you for your interest!  We have generated some of the finest PWC OFFSHORE racing footage I have see to date.  The sea- state, speed, combined with the intensity of many of the racers resulted in some truly awesome footage.  Thank you for your interest!  PWCOFFSHORE has received the necessary support from sponsors and it looks like the DVD will happen!  It is our intent to have it ready for sale by World Finals!!  Please stay tuned!

YOU HAVE SIX MONTHS TO TRAIN FOR THE MARK HAHN 300 MILE ENDURANCE RACE, SATURDAY FEB. 28, 2009 - LAKE HAVASU, AZ USA 
CLICK HERE FOR ENTRY FORM AND RACE INFORMATION!
ENTRY FORM NOW AVAILABLE

FLORIDA OFFSHORE CHALLENGE RESULTS - KAWI AGAIN! CONGRATULATIONS TOP THREE:
1st - Kirt Divine -G-Force/Team Kawi - Ultra 250
2nd - Curtis Reinberg -G-Force/Team Kawi - Ultra 250

3rd - Tyle White-Noble racing - RXT-X

The following offshore riders have been selected by PWCOFFSHORE.com to receive sponsorships for the 2008 season:    
Steve Friebe, Pat Roque, Kim Bushong, M. Gerner, Paul Pham, John Belton and  Robert Carreon:   These riders have truly differentiated themselves in varying ways and have been identified as an elite group of offshore and endurance riders and racers.  There is a truly awesome amount of combined experience with this group. Between them, there is 94 years of offshore and endurance riding experience and over 1100 round trip, 58 mile Long Beach, California to Catalina Island and back rides!  That's over 63000 miles of offshore Catalina Island runs!  PWCOFFSHORE will honor these riders with sponsorships for 2008. Congratulations!  Check out the Sponsored Racer page for detailed information about each racer.  Sponsored by R&D Watercraft Racing Products, and Hydro-Turf

Your Add HERE!  Are you interested in advertising on PWCOFFSHORE.com?  Send us a note and let us know 



Our mission is to provide a forum for other PWC endurance enthusiasts and provide unbiased feedback on PWC products, services, accessories and riding methodology associated with hard core offshore/ocean PWC endurance riding and racing.    


SNAPSHOT OF UPCOMING RACES

Thunderboat Regatta, San Diego: The Best Western Mission Bay has been selected selected as the PWC host hotel for the San Diego Thunderboat Regatta, September 19, 20 & 21, with a room bloc under RPM RACING for the race teams.  The racer rate is $96/night single/double occupancy and the reservation bloc ends on August 29 so make your reservations ASAP! - See Below
 For those of you that haven't participated, this is the largest race on the West Coast with 100,000 fans over the three days at beautiful Mission Bay (Ski Beach).  This is a chance to be a part of a tremendous event with tremendous exposure for your sport!  Ross Wallach will have the entry forms for  San Diego shortly and will email them to all participating race teams.
If you have any questions or problems with the hotel please contact Stephan Toops (see below).  Sincerely,  Ross Wallach, RPM RACING ENT.  Please call  619-275-5700 and ask Front Desk to make a reservation for the RPM Group  for September 19th and 20th.  Room rates for Thursday and Sunday can also be made at that time. 
 
   Stephan Toops - Director of Sales
      Best Western Mission Bay
                By SeaWorld
           2575 Clairemont Drive
            San Diego, CA 92117
        Tel. (619) 275-5700 x 200
            Fax  (619) 275-1703
          www.bwmissionbay.com


October 25, 2008:  Texas Aqua Moto 8 Hour GP at Lake Summerville, Texas. 8 Hour race at Lake Sommerville in the great state of Texas!  5 Mile Enduro Course with many turns. Pit Crew Competition.  Boats will be required to be pulled out of the water for fueling.   Stay tuned for more informatiion!  Primary Race Organizer:  Mr. Larry Ham  

February 28, 2009Mark Hahn 300 Mile Race, Lake Havasu, Arizona 


The Alaskan Wet Dog Race (now this is hard core, you have to check this out) - click here 

RESULTS OF THE FEBRUARY, 2008 MARK HAHN 300 Mile PWC ENDURANCE RACE:

Top Three Finishers Overall:
1.  Andy Wise and Bobby Hall, Noble Racing - RXP #5
2. Steve Friebe/Matt Legerski, Clawson Motorsports/PWCOFFSHORE - R&D, Slippery, Riva RXP #3
3.  Andrea Ferrell/Lezli Wienke, RXP #11

Below - Friebe tearing it up at the 08 Hahn

Check out the PICTURES PAGE on this site (click above) for the 2008 Mark Hahn Photo Album.  Send us your pics and we will post.  Please send no more than two at a time on each email. 

Above from left to right-Lee Phan (2nd in 2007 LB2CAT) , Steve Friebe (2nd overall at 08 Hahn) and Pat Roque (2006 Offshore National Champion and LB2CAT World Record Holder) at the 2008 Mark Hahn 

Above: Robert Carreon attacking a turn at the 2008 Mark Hahn  300 Mile Race

Above: Gerner on craft at Mark Hahn 300 Mile Race with Aaron Cress looking on. Sponsored by, PWCOFFSHORE.com  R&D and Hydro-Turf

The 2007 Long Beach to Catalina & Back Race DVD is now available for sale on this site!    

HIGHLIGHT VIDEO OF THE 2007 LB2CAT RACE DVD!  CLICK HERE TO VIEW
Make sure your volume is on and up!  The top couple craft have just left the frame , closest to the camera you will see Roque, Warner, Pham, Friebe, Gerner and Bushong screaming across the water - among others!
 

Watch Peter Gilliam of G-Force on KAWI ULTRA250X taking the turn boat / Highlight from 2007 LB2CAT:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW

DVD Of The 2007 Long Beach To Catalina Race: (Click on the DVD page above to order) 
PWCOFFSHORE.com put a helicopter in the air and four cameras across the course to film the race.  The DVD provides exciting footage of the entire race including racer interviews and cool video of all of the new state of the art technology / high end watercraft that participated in the race.  This was a great event!!                  

Need an APBA Membership?  (link below) or  you can call Patrick Mell at (586) 598-2856 or email him at patrickmell@aol.com

Contact PWCOffshore Via Email

Other Reference Sites:

PWC Racing Sites:
APBA Racing (PWC Racing)

Safety Sites / Navigation Support:
ABC's of Boating In Cal.
Sailor's Choice (Nav)
www.seatow.com (Towing Service)
www.vesselassist.com (Towing Service)
US Coast Guard
PWC Safety School
Rescue Voices

Product Sites:
Hot Products
Race Numbers -mention discount code PWC and get the PWCOFFSHORE discount of 10% off

GPS Mount
West Marine (Safety & Nav Gear)
R&D Racing
Garmin
Landfall Navigation
Hydro Turf
Maritime Institute (Nav Training)
Online PWC Performance Parts

Weather Sites:

Wave Modeling
Wave Heigths /NWS

Performance Forums:
Greenhulk
WatercraftWorld Magazine
PWC Today
"Engine Break-In Secrets" editorial

Club Sites
Southern Cal Watercraft Club

Upcoming events in the Southwest:






DISCLAIMER: READ THIS IN ITS ENTIRETY PRIOR TO LOOKING AT THIS WEBSITE:
This website is informational only. This site is intended for the review by adults only. No representation is made or warranty given as to its content. User assumes all risk of use. PWCOffshore.com, its owners and its suppliers assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use. Warning - although PWC riding is great fun, riding personal watercraft (PWC) in the ocean is not for the beginner and is for adults only. Offshore PWC riding can be extremely dangerous resulting in serious injury or death. The information on this site is for adults and strictly the opinion of the writers on this site. We are only PWC enthusiasts - please do your own research and make your own judgments regarding what products you purchase and how & where you ride your watercraft (PWC). We are not certified mechanics nor are we certified mariners or certified maritime navigators. Do not take anything you read on this site as guidance from a "professional." By reading this site, you agree to take whatever information or input you receive on this site at your own risk. If you are inexperienced or a beginner we recommend against riding in the open ocean. We encourage you to take a boating safety course and consult with the Coast Guard regarding PWC, boating, rider safety and maritime navigation before you consider riding PWC offshore, in the ocean. For more boating safety information, go to the Coast Guard's website at
http://www.uscg.mil/ or call the US Coast Guard at (310) 732-2042 for more information. Seek out formal boating and PWC related safety and training courses prior to riding in the ocean. Have fun and be safe and never ride in the ocean unless you know what you are doing.


2008 LONG BEACH TO CATALINA ISLAND AND BACK PWC RACE, JULY 20, 2008!

Pictures of 2008 LB2CATby Dave Santos click here

Pictures of the 2008 LB2CAT from Young Huynh  click here

Pictures from the 2008 LB2CAT by Shawn Alladio Team - click here

Video Highlight of the start of the LB2CATclick here

Rough water for the 2008 LB2CAT put the ULTRA250X into its glory!  Those who prepped for flat water let down!  Congratulations Team Kawaski / Craig Warner and GFORCE Racing out of the great state of Texas!!  GFORCE Racing our of Texas stole the day.  Robert Carreon of PWCOFFSHORE takes another Class Championship riding his ULTRA250X.  David Walker takes the National Championship in Vet Master.  Check this out - Dave Tew of the SoCal Waterrcraft Club takes the Amateur class 2 riding a Polaris (yes Polaris) Matrix and it was his first LB2CAT - way to go Dave!  Jim Walker takes the Sporstsman Open Class and loses a litte (actually a lot) of hand skin making it happen - congratulations!  Shawn Alladio was out there after a red eye flight and no sleep and completed the race on her Kawi 15F - thats hard core!  But hey, what do you expect from Shawn! 

Check out Shawn Alladio's siite at http://www.shawnalladio.com/

Below Picture of Shawn Alladio on 08 LB2CAT:

Below:  Sleep?  Who needs sleep. Shawn Alladio takes a red-eye to make the race.  Ya gotta love her intestinal fortitude! Also, see Shawns setting the example with safety gear:  "I keep the fins in case I lose my PWC and have to fin it" says Shawn. Radio, phone, flares, food, compass, knife, firstaid are on her person in case she loses the boat, "I can call for help or help myself if conscious." says Shawn.  What else does she carrY?  100MPH Swifwater Rescue Lifejacket.  Zippered front, and 9 straps so the PFD does not move upon impact with water at high speed, won't budge or break open with impact, Race Helmet, goggles, OTB Boots ful laced, Cell phone in waterproof case on left arm, ID waterproof case inside wetsuit/emergency #'s, Fin Belt:  Swim Fins, 4 carabeeners, o-ring, 2 loop straps, knife, lanyard, Wrist compass, Radio/Bag, Water Whistle 3 handheld flares, Small first aid kit, Extra webbing Energy bars, Detachable storage bag for goodies to store, fixed on back of lifejacket with reflective tape, Gloves/neoprene socks, Rash guard/john-jacket.  Yes, she was prepared. Photo by DAVE SANTOS

Below Kim Bushong at 2008 LB2CAT in third before a breakdown takes him out late on return leg back to LB.  Quote of the day prior to the race:  Kim, how have you been able to transfer your success from being a top ten Iron Man Triathlon finisher (Kona Hawaii, yes Kona / he was on wide world of sports) to PWC Racing... In typical humble, quiet Kim Bushong fashion, Kim looks down and says quietly and with humility "well, I think its my ability to deal with pain and push my body beyond the threshold  levels of pain that most people can endure"  Beautiful.... hard core. 

Below:  ProAM1 Racer Steve Friebe of PWCOFFSHORE / Clawson finsished 7th overall - on an RXP!  So for those of you that were there, you can appreciate that accomplishment on an RXP hull in that sea state!       

ABOVE - More on Friebe:  Not only did Steve finish 7th overall, Steve wrenched three (3) top ten craft and one that was battling for second until the rider was launched.  Steve is not only a professional racer, he is one of if not the best Doo mechanics we know of in the United States.  And a class act to boot.  All respects to Friebe..................!   

Below:  Amateur  Robert Carreon of  takes home class championship! 

Below:  OLD SCHOOL - Yes, it is - that is a 2 stroke Polaris Matrix Triple Pipe! (one of the fastest stock 2 strokes made back in the day).  Last we checked there are only about 12 of those left in the United States.  Dave "Pirate" Tew Vice President of the SoCal Watercraft takes 1st in the Amateur Class 2!  Phot by Dave Santos
Below: Down but not out; Personal Watercraft Illustrated’s ProAm1 Racer Kevin Shaw - aboard Project 250X “Copperhead” - comes back in after breaking down and repairing two blown hoses twenty miles from Long Beach.

Below:  Chang Leu of Fresno, Ca - always the solid performer - Mr. Dependable, shows up and does well again in the 2008 LB2CAT!
The 2008 LB2CAT sea state resulted in a number of rider's getting launched, six launches that we know of - what kind of craft were they riding?  
1 ULTRA250x
3 RXT
1 RXTX
1 RXP


================================
Do you have any cool offshore or endurance racing pictures? Please send to us at pwc@pwcoffshore.com with the name of the rider and we will do our best to post them on the pictures page!

"QUICK NEWS" Items:
NorCal wins the NorCal /SoCal Shootout on the closed course!  Congrats NorCal!

Craig Warner wins the 2008 LB2CAT!  GFORCE Takes 2nd and third!

Check out the July/current issue of Personal Watercraft Illustrated. Magazine (PWI)  PWCOFFSHORE and Kevin Shaw tested the "Flexx" handlebars in the offshore niche.  Check out the article! 

6/17/2008: New Offshore PWC Buyers Guide - click above and check it out!
 
Click Here

6/2008: Brittany Wildman of Arizona is PWCOFFSHORE's latest highlighted rider. Check it out!  Click Here

6/2008: Check out the current / July issue of Personal Watercraft Illustrated (PWI). See PWCOFFSHORE's tech article in PWI regarding the FLEXX shock absorbing handlebars.

Billy Womack inducted into the PWCOFFSHORE.com Hall of Fame!

London to Sydney on a watercraft!!
Check it out -
click here

4/2008: Nick Vanis wins April Parker Races. Lee Phan taske second. Congratulations Nick Vanis. 

4/2008: PWCOFFSHORE adds another RXT to its fleet for flat water, the ULTRA remains the craft of choice for rough water.

4/2008: Personal Watercraft Illustrated (PWI) and Kevin Shaw announce "Project Copperhead" for the Kawasaki ULTRA 250X. The project intends to build one of the best offshore craft the industry has seen.
Click here for more information!

March, 2008: Kawasaki 250X "Guru" Skip Holmes of Florida Team Moto and PWCOFFSHORE meet in Southern California to talk strategy on augmenting competitive running of 250X in the offshore niche.

Steve Friebe of PWCOFFSHORE wins 1st at February, 2008 Lake Ming Sprints. Pat Roque takes second.

Check out the articles page for featured
articles written by Ralph Perez, Ironman Nick Stanoszek, Mike Follmer, M. Gerner, Robert Carreon, John Belton and another by six time National Champion Kim Bushong (We want your articles - is it offshore or endurance related? If so, please send to
pwc@pwcoffshore.com and we will try to post!!)  Check out the articles, Click Here

PWC Mechanic Aaron Cress differentiates himself at 2007 LB2CAT: The mechanic plays a significant and critical role in the success of racers. Aaron of great support to two of the racers including M. Gerner. Long hours and hard work from Aaron and both of the boats he wrenched finished in less than 60 minutes. Nice job Aaron.

Cool Videos:
Long Beach to Catalina Cigarette Boat Race
2007 Long Beach to Cat PWC Highlight

The Kawasaki 250X is fast, quick and stable, and the ponies are thirsty! Clink above on 250X and learn more

Live in Southern California and need a good, honest PWC mechanic? Call Aaron from Dana Point Jet ski at (949) 661-4947. Or, pay him a visit at Dana Point Jet ski at 34671 Puerto Pl Dana Point, CA 92629. A few of us have used Aaron's services in the past and we have been thoroughly satisfied.

History Of The Site
I've been passionate about offshore riding for twelve years and can't seem to get enough. So what is the origin of the pwcoffshore.com site and how did it start? I was talking to a good riding friend about the various PWC related websites and their modification and race related content. I had an epiphany that none of them addressed the unique nature of offshore endurance riding and racing. Although almost all of the sites were great reads and full of community, none of them focused exclusively on content that would assist the offshore rider and racer. We found that most of the sites focused exclusively on closed course racing and or lake riding, there was almost nothing related to offshore riding or endurance racing. The next day I bought a domain and spent a few weekends creating content and the site was born. Since then, we have had hundreds of thousands of hits. The origin of the content is based on my many years of offshore riding and soliciting feedback from many extremely experienced offshore riders and racers such as John Belton and Kim Bushong, among many others. We've used the Catalina Island run as the basis for many of our observations simply because we ride the Catalina run almost every weekend.

Our objective? No Egos. Provide the reader with offshore and endurance related content only and create a sense of community with offshore and endurance riders. It is our intent to be the premiere site for offshore & endurance riders.
Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide a forum for other PWC endurance enthusiasts and provide unbiased feedback on PWC products, services, accessories and riding methodology associated with hard core offshore PWC endurance riding and racing.

PWCOFFSHORE.com is part of PWCOFFSHORE Watercraft Racing and Promotions, Inc.