The shores of Englewood will be covered by thousands of boat racing fans from around the world as Englewood Beach WaterFest is set to kick off Friday.
The main attractions are the Offshore Powerboat Association National and World Championships.
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“It’s like a combination of NASCAR, motocross and off-road racing all in one. It’s fast boats. Big powerful engines on an unpredictable course,” said Scott Begovich, who races on the “Miss Geico” boat.
Thousands from around the world are expected to attend. But for the Krizen brothers, a local racing team from North Port, they hope to get a big win in front of a home crowd on their “Knot Krazy” boat.
“We kind of just know where to go. We’re familiar with the waters, currents, things like that. So it is like a home-field advantage. We sleep in our own bed at night,” said Brian Krizen.
This is WaterFest’s second year, but it’s the first time it’s being held in November, and the first time it features the races.
Charlotte County leaders said it’s great exposure.
“Englewood is a community that is heavily built on tourism. So having these kinds of events and being involved in these kinds of events as an organization is what we’re all about. So we are very, very excited,” said Charlotte County Deputy Administrator Kelly Shoemaker.
The races officially kick off Friday at noon and will continue throughout the weekend until Sunday at 3 p.m.