Steve Curtis – Powerboat Racing Royalty
- BoatBlurb Contributor
- 19 hours ago
- 4 min read
By: Koushik Paul
The 2016 Cowes–Torquay–Cowes race was the kind of race that separates legends from the rest. Ten-foot seas hammered the fleet, swallowing up some of the world’s fastest boats before they ever saw halfway. But Steve Curtis made it through. At the helm of a scarred aluminum Cougar catamaran — a boat older than many of the competitors he was up against — he pushed on through the chaos and crossed the line first. It wasn’t just another win. It was the kind of victory that becomes part of a racer’s myth.
For more than 40 years, Curtis has been the face of British offshore racing. He’s the steady hand in a sport defined by violence -- the one who proved that a 175 mph catamaran could be more than raw horsepower, it could be an instrument of precision. With eight Class 1 world titles to his name, more than any driver in history, Curtis carries the weight of royalty in the sport.
Born Into Speed
Curtis didn’t just discover offshore racing — he grew up in it. His father, Clive Curtis, co-founded Cougar Marine in the late 1960s, during the heyday of Thunderboat Row. That Miami strip was alive with pioneers like Don Aronow and Allan “Brownie” Brown, who were reshaping what offshore boats could do with deep-vee hulls, surface drives, and new composites. Cougar’s speciality? Offshore cats that were as tough as they were fast. Steve’s childhood was spent in that world.
By the early 1980s, when he finally strapped into a cockpit, he already spoke the language of racing. And in 1985, at just 21, he claimed his first Class 1 World Championship. He wasn’t just a quick learner — he became the youngest champion the sport had ever seen.
A Career of Championships
Class 1 racing is not for the faint of heart. Twin-engine cats with nearly 2,000 horsepower tear across the sea at speeds pushing 175 mph. One wrong call, one bad wave, and the boat doesn’t just lose — it can cartwheel out of the race entirely. To excel takes bravery. It takes nerve, stamina, and an almost mechanical synchronicity with the machine. That’s what set Curtis apart. From 1985 through the 2000s, he stacked up eight Class 1 world titles (1985, 1987, 1998, 2002–2006) -- more than anyone else ever has. Fellow racers respected his calm as much as his speed. While others pushed too hard, breaking gear or flipping boats in the pursuit for glory, Curtis always found a way to bring the boat home — and sometimes in offshore racing finishing can mean winning.
The 2016 Cowes–Torquay–Cowes
If one race defines Steve Curtis, it’s Cowes in 2016. The Cowes–Torquay–Cowes isn’t a regular race; it’s the sport’s original endurance test, running since 1961. That year, the sea was merciless. Waves stacked like walls, tearing up boats and forcing a gut check for both machine and driver. Competitors dropped out one after another.
But Curtis and his co-pilot Richard Carr pressed on in a Cougar catamaran that had no business keeping up with modern machines. It was built long before carbon-fibre, long before racing electronics became the norm. Still, they pushed it, read the sea, and endured. Against all odds, they crossed the line first. It wasn’t technology that won that day — it was seamanship, grit, and judgment.
Cougar Marine: The Other Side of Curtis
While Curtis’s record behind the wheel is unmatched, the Cougar name is the other half of his story. Founded by Clive Curtis and James Beard, Cougar Marine became one of the most respected builders in offshore history. Their cats were light, strong, and brutally quick. Steve carried the torch forward, helping run the business while racing its creations.
Cougar wasn’t just about trophies. Their designs found homes in navies and coast guards around the world, adapted into patrol boats and military craft that needed the same mix of speed and seaworthiness. Curtis wasn’t only a champion racer — he helped shape boats that served beyond sport.
Legacy of a Champion
Call him Britain’s most successful offshore racer. Call him Cougar’s heir apparent. Either way, Steve Curtis has been the standard-bearer of powerboat racing for decades. His eight world titles remain unmatched. His Cowes victories are the stuff of legend. And through it all, his calm focus and relentless drive kept the sport alive during years when offshore racing struggled for attention.
He still races. He still mentors. And he still embodies that rare breed — the racer who doesn’t just drive the boat, but builds it, understands it, and makes it better.
Offshore racing has had its designers and dreamers. Fabio Buzzi built the machines. George Linder sketched the lines. But Steve Curtis was the one who strapped in, hit the throttles, and pushed them to their limit.
From his first title at 21 to the legendary Cowes win in 2016, his career is a reminder that greatness in this sport isn’t measured in horsepower alone. It’s built on endurance, judgment, and nerve. For anyone who loves the sea and the thrill of speed, Steve Curtis isn’t just a champion — he’s the defining driver of his era.
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