The 44th Annual Key West World Championship brought Race World Offshore's 2025 season to a fitting close, with three days of racing across the Florida Straits that gave offshore fans exactly what they come for. From Wednesday's opening guns through to Sunday's Conch Republic finale, the competition was relentless.
Wednesday opened proceedings under the banner of the Truman Waterfront Cup, and Pro Class 1 produced immediate drama. Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil found themselves starting from lane 8 of 8 in their 40-foot Skater, powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100 QC4Vs, running under the Monster Energy / M•CON banner. The unfavourable draw could have derailed them before the race began, but the crew carved through the fleet to take the win in just over twenty-two minutes.
"We drew lane 8 out of 8. Not ideal, but the boat was on fire," Miller said after the race.
Dirty Money Racing made an equally strong impression in Super Cat, with Brit Lilly and Bill Pyburn leading from the first turn. Their 38-footer moved cleanly through calm harbour waters without ever looking threatened. Pyburn reflected on the result afterwards: "We knew after practice the boat was better than last year, and it showed."
Hancock Claims / Team Farnsworth owned Super Vee on Wednesday, and the crew also climbed the podium in Super Cat, a double that throttleman Anthony Smith acknowledged was no simple feat. "They don't give these away… not easy to win one boat, never mind two," he said. Super Stock saw Nautical Ventures take the top step ahead of Wozencraft and Coco's Monkey, while Say Less MF staked an early claim in Factory Stock. Spirit of Qatar opened its Extreme class campaign with a composed 21 minute 22 second run that left no room for doubt at the top of the standings.
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Friday's Southernmost Continental Championship brought choppier water and narrower margins throughout the fleet. In Pro Class 1, Defalco Racing timed their challenge perfectly, slipping past Monster Energy / M•CON on lap nine to take the heat win, though the points picture still favoured M•CON / Monster Energy overall. Dirty Money added a second Super Cat victory despite snapping rudder studs near the finish line, a problem the team resolved overnight to remain in contention. Nautical Ventures continued to lead Super Stock, holding off pressure from NUFF SAID and Coco's Monkey across the day.
The Mod Vee fleet provided some of the weekend's more compelling storylines on Friday. Kurt Hanna's NMBRV Resort 29 Extreme bounced back after a mechanical setback had interrupted their Wednesday, while Herbott Racing, running as number 388, used a commanding inside line to control proceedings and take the final chequered flag of the day.
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Blue skies and a packed shoreline greeted Sunday's Conch Republic finale. Defalco crossed first in the closing Pro Class 1 heat, but it was Monster Energy / M•CON whose accumulated consistency across all three days earned them the overall championship title. The season sweep that had begun in Clearwater reached its peak here in Key West. Dirty Money Racing completed an unblemished run through Super Cat, winning every heat across the week. Nautical Ventures secured the Super Stock crown, Say Less MF topped Factory Stock, and Hancock Claims / Team Farnsworth claimed Super Vee. Spirit of Qatar remained unbeaten in Extreme throughout, and Rum Runners #622 turned three starts into three victories to wrap up Bracket 5 honours.
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Ten classes, more than ninety boats, and three days of racing on one of the world's most demanding offshore courses. Key West delivered again, the kind of venue where a single wave at the wrong moment can shift a championship and where every crew earns whatever they take home.
