A new name at the top
The Cowes Torquay Cowes Offshore Powerboat Race 2025 delivered the drama it’s famous for: tough seas, retirements, and a fresh champion.
Good Boy Vodka, a 52-foot Outerlimits, driven by Rob Lockyer with Americans Alex Pratt, Kirk Britto and Tim Linden, surged to victory in 2h 14m 26s at an average speed of 92.5 mph. Their win secures the Beaverbrook Trophy and ends a long streak of Silverline dominance.
It was a patient, tactical effort. Lockyer’s team shadowed the leaders on the outward leg before striking when Airos Developments GoGPS faltered. “Were you holding back, just waiting?” one fan asked online. The stalking strategy worked, leaving Good Boy Vodka clear to Cowes.
Good Boy Vodka, an Outerlimits SV52
Good Boy Vodka is a 2023 52-foot Outerlimits Offshore Powerboats V-bottom powered by Mercury Racing 1100 engines. The Outerlimits SV52 is a carbon-fibre Super Vee racing boat built in the United States. At 15.39m (50’6”) long with a beam of 2.79m and a shallow 0.60m draft, it is designed for extreme offshore performance. Weighing just over 5 tonnes and carrying 948 litres of fuel, the SV52 combines lightweight construction with long-range capacity.
The model features a small open cabin layout with one cabin, two berths, and a single bathroom, though its primary purpose is speed rather than comfort. Classified as a racing “cigarette-style” V-bottom, it was built for showing off and competition. No longer in production, the SV52 remains highly regarded as one of the brand’s flagship offshore racers.
Two years of build up
In 2023, Good Boy Vodka’s hopes of conquering the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes ended in frustration when double gearbox failures forced retirement while running second. Rivals Silverline, with Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings, went on to win, giving Jennings a record seventh Cowes victory.
The following year, the team’s fortunes didn’t improve. In 2024, Good Boy Vodka started strong but retired before the finish, while Laa Laa took overall victory and Silverline again made the podium.
For Rob Lockyer and brand founder Alex Pratt, it meant two consecutive years of promise undone by mechanical gremlins and attrition. But it also built the tension for what was to come.
Cowes Torquay Cowes offshore powerboat race: timeless endurance
In 2025, persistence finally paid off. Lockyer, Pratt, and their crew kept pace with the leaders before surging past when Airos Developments faltered. Their Outerlimits SV52 crossed Cowes first in just over two hours, seizing the Beaverbrook Trophy and ending Silverline’s grip on the race.
After years of heartbreak, Good Boy Vodka’s triumph was not just a victory on the water — it was the culmination of a long pursuit, a reversal of fortunes, and proof that patience and resilience still win offshore racing’s toughest test.
The battle behind
Airos Developments GoGPS, driven by Gary Aldington and Tom Gardner, had looked strong but slipped back to second after mechanical issues. They finished in 2h 23m 03s, nine minutes off the pace.
In third came the familiar Silverline of Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings. Their time of 2h 30m 03s was steady but not enough to extend their list of wins. For supporters, the shake-up was welcome. “Makes a change from Silverline winning all the time,” one observed.
Cowes Poole Cowes
The festival’s shorter race, the Cowes Poole Cowes, brought its own stories. Over 60 nautical miles, 66 Racing with Malc Dopson and Tim Spink took the win in 1h 25m 13s, averaging 54.4 mph.
Second went to Back Once Again (Andy Foster and Charles Morris), followed by Carpe Diem (James and Harry Winkworth). Behind them, Thunderstreak and Blast from the Past crossed the line, while several others retired.
The British Powerboat Racing Club hailed both Good Boy Vodka and 66 Racing as worthy winners, celebrating a weekend of offshore racing at its most demanding.
Attrition strikes again
The English Channel was unforgiving. Last year’s winners Falcon Multispark retired early, as did Smokin’ Aces and Swedenalupowerboat. Class 80 contenders fared little better, with only Dry Martini completing the distance in 3h 40m 34s. Piston Broke made the finish in over four hours, while several others fell by the wayside.
One spectator called it “brutal on the tracker — you’ll need weeks to get over it.” That sentiment matched the exhausted expressions of crews hauling themselves back into Cowes after hours of pounding seas.
A brutal test, a new champion
For Good Boy Vodka, the breakthrough shows the value of patience and preparation in a race where horsepower alone isn’t enough. For Silverline, another podium keeps them near the front, but the story of 2025 belongs to Lockyer’s crew.
