← Oil Rig Regatta

350 Miles of California Coastline

Four checkpoints. Newport Beach to Monterey — then reverse. Currently on Checkpoint 2, heading for Santa Barbara.


Race Route

From Newport Beach to Monterey — approximately 350 miles north along the California coast across four checkpoints. Next edition reverses the route south.

Complete
Active
Upcoming
Race route

The Four Legs

Checkpoint by Checkpoint

Checkpoint 1
Newport Beach, CA
Complete

The race begins at Newport Beach. Platforms staged south from the Santa Barbara Channel before the starting gun — a journey that itself took three weeks and is not counted toward official race time. The Checkpoint 1 Beach Beer Festival drew an estimated 400 attendees, none of whom witnessed any platform movement.

Festival August 23, 2025 · Newport Dunes Waterfront
Checkpoint 2
Santa Barbara, CA
In Progress

Checkpoint 2 brings competitors north to the city that inspired the race. The finish line at West Beach is expected by late June 2026. Race officials have described progress as 'consistent with prior estimates, which were zero.'

Festival August 22, 2026 · West Beach, Santa Barbara
Checkpoint 3
Morro Bay, CA
Upcoming

The third leg rounds Point Conception — the defining turn of the California coast, where the shoreline pivots from northwest to due west before swinging north again toward Morro Bay.

Festival August 21, 2027 · Morro Bay State Beach
Checkpoint 4
Monterey, CA
Upcoming

The grand finale. Competitors must navigate the full stretch of Big Sur coastline — 90 miles of dramatic cliffs and open ocean — to reach the finish at Monterey Bay.

Festival August 26, 2028 · Monterey State Beach