Power boaters spanning the nation crossed over land and sea piling into the Sunshine State’s southernmost tip for the 31st annual Key West World Championship.

The Super Boat World Championship opened with 12 distinguished racing classes ready to rumble on three alternate days, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Superboat Unlimited featured five aquatic beasts - CMS, Gasse, Maritimo Offshore, Cintron and Big Thunder Marine - at Wednesday’s drop of the flag and then finished with four after the accident of Big Thunder Marine. Charging into the harbor on their third lap, the monster quad 1400 hp 46’ Skater came down onto its starboard front hull before catching more air, forced bow up and landing backwards. Sadly enough Bob Morgan - the 74-year -old throttleman out of retirement for one last race, as well as his racing partner and co-owner in the boat, 47-year-old Jeff Tillman did not survive the impact.

The remaining four teams carried on with CMS dominating and Cintron calling it quits after PSI blower motor drama took over. Again on Friday, CMS glided across the water adding another first place finish against the international boys in Maritimo and Gasse, while the Cintron crew “hydrauliced” two new 1700 hp Stotler Racing Engines into the 50-foot Mystic.

During round three’s marquee event, Cintron checked out at the start to the finish line over a half a minute ahead of the troops. Having already garnered 500 points from previous wins, CMS climbed furthest up the winner’s podium followed by Maritimo Offshore in second and Cintron in third.

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