Roar Offshore powerboat races begin

Powerboats competing in Roar Offshore revved up their engines on Saturday. While the boats took over the water, thousands of people lined the shores of Fort Myers Beach to catch the action.

Many people like that the action is right in front of them. Rose Larkin works with the Marin Rescue Task Force. “It is a lot of high-speed fast boats and different classes based on size and their engines and they are put into different categories and they race against one another for prizes,” Larkin said.

Larkin can tell you exactly what roar Offshore is all about. She’s lived on the island for 36 years. She comes back to watch every October with thousands of others.

Arthur James Blackwell is from Fort Lauderdale. “We’re vacationing for the weekend and actually my son wanted to see the boats and everything,” Blackwell said.

He brought his wife and son to see all of the boats. “Boattssss!” his son said. Arthur said,  “Boats that’s right!” He’s also relishing in all that Fort Myers Beach has to offer.

Bob Valdez is the mayor of a small town in Michigan says there’s power in what large-scale events like Roar Offshore can do for a community. Valdez is the Mayor of Blissfield Village. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen the boats like this,” he said. “I plan on staying here, grab some lunch a drink here. Spend some money.”

There were five speed boat races on Saturday. While Roar Offshoreis a fun event that recognizes outdoor activities like boating, the main goal is to bring in visitors and boost the Town of Fort Myers Beach’s economy.