The Great Race - Trinidad to Tobago Powerboat Race

The Great Race runs every year, typically in mid-August, from the Gulf of Paria in Trinidad to Store Bay, Tobago, over a course of roughly 80 to 90 miles depending on the source, passing through the Bocas, Trinidad's North Coast and Maracas Bay before the open-water crossing. Organised by the Trinidad & Tobago Powerboat Association (TTPBA), the race brings together several powerboat classes, from Spec up to categories exceeding 130 mph, competing both for their class title and for the title of fastest boat to Tobago. According to the organiser, the event has been running for over 50 years, making it one of the oldest offshore races in the world; according to Global Voices, its first edition dates back to 2 August 1969, with 62 boats starting from the Trinidad and Tobago Yacht Club over a course then 72 miles long.

The course, which shifts from the calm swell of the Gulf of Paria to rough, shallow waters near Tobago, makes it as much a technical challenge as a display of speed: the organiser puts the current record at 47 minutes and 43 seconds, set in 2018 by the boat Motul Monster. For yachting professionals based in the Bocas area (Chaguaramas) and in Tobago, the race is a unifying fixture on the local nautical calendar, bringing together crews, shipyards and marinas from both islands around a single event.

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