Offshore Powerboat Championships

It was a dark and stormy night... and the ships were out at sea.....

Well ok it was an overcast day rather than stormy night but the boats were definitely out at sea :)

The Wellington leg of the Offshore Powerboat Championship was held in Oriental Bay - a fantastic setting because you can see them from all around the harbour. They race right along the foreshore of Oriental Bay, turning at the lighthouse at Point Jerningham then down into Evans Bay (find a map of Wellington to see where I'm talking about)

The offshore powerboats contest two races in Wellington. A 100-mile race is contested by the super-boat and super-boat lite classes, while the super 60, classic, sports 60 restricted, sports 60 and popular formula Honda classes compete in a 60-mile race. (Yes I did lift that from the web page :) )

It was an amazing sight, these boats were huge and were so close to the shore that when they zoomed past you could feel the vibration through the ground.

For an added bit of fun look out for the helicopter chasing the boats!