Lake Cumberland was host to the inaugural Offshore Super Series race on May 16th and 17th. The race weekend saw nine different classes of boat competing and as many as five boats per class. Spectators saw 100 mph Pro Am stock boats and even a 200 mph GEICO turbine boat. The turbine boats were impressively quiet, yet the fastest machines on the lake. It was an awesome sight as boats flashed by at 150 mph or more, shooting a rooster tail of water 300 feet!
For the spectators, the weekend even turned out well. Most of the rain forecasted for those two days either went north or south of the lake. In all, there were over 150 houseboats tied up alongshore and hundreds of other cruisers and boats anchored around the course. Many folks were able to sit in the bleachers up by the dam or walk down along the shoreline to get a view of the speeding boats.
The race village was a big hit among the many fans who wanted to see the boats up close and meet the crews. A water taxi service was provided around the course to accommodate hospitality parties, such as the large crowd on the Thoroughbred houseboat. Over 100 people hung out for the day to watch the races, meet other customers, play corn hole and even watch the Preakness horse race, in keeping with the Thoroughbred heritage.
In all, the race was a big success for Lake Cumberland, which showed it has plenty of water, beautiful shorelines and events such as this OSS race to attract the public. The 2010 OSS race is in the works.