A new winner emerged this year as Brandon Elliott secured his first-ever first-place finish at the 2026 Jet Around Cayman on Easter Monday, 6 April.
The 24-year-old Hi-Voltage Racing team member completed the Grand Cayman loop – starting and finishing at Seven Mile Beach – in one hour and two minutes. The race stretched across 70-85 miles of open water around Grand Cayman.
This victory marks a significant career milestone for Elliott, who has competed in every Jet Around Cayman since its 2022 return and previously secured a third-place finish in 2024.
When asked what this victory means to him, Elliott said, “Honestly, I’m still not sure how to feel about it. Before the race, I kept jokingly telling everyone I was going to win, but to actually speak something into existence and then see it happen is unbelievable.
“I also had several people, including family, telling me that this would be my year, so it really feels like the universe was listening. Either way, a victory like this is incredible. Just knowing you’ve won [this event] at least once is indescribable, and even more so when you realise how many people believed in you.”
Elliott said his biggest strengths throughout the race were “staying consistent and knowing when not to push too hard”.
“I had to fight early on to get into first, but later dropped back to third. Even after refuelling in East End, I headed back out still in third, knowing I just needed to be patient and wait for the right moment to pass the two riders ahead of me. Unfortunately, they both experienced breakdowns, and from that point on, it was just me all the way to the finish line.”
Although he claimed top spot, Elliott’s path to the podium was not without its own technical hurdles.
“Before the race, I noticed my steering nozzle – which controls the ski’s turning – was loose, and I tried to fix it near the launch ramp. By the time I reached East End, I could feel that one of the two bolts holding it in place had fallen out.
“There were also a few moments where I nearly got thrown off the ski around the Rum Point channel, North Side, and near Morritt’s channel, East End,” Elliott said.
“Despite all of that, I focused on staying consistent, and in the end, it definitely paid off.”
Remaining top 10 finishers
This year’s race featured 32 active riders out of 36 original registrants, after four vessels suffered mechanical failures before the start.
Amongst the top 10 finishers were Devonte McLaughlin of Mazzy Motorsports345 who captured second place with a completion time of one hour and 10 minutes, followed by Darvin Watson of KY1 Motorsports who finished in third 10 minutes later.
They were joined by Reno Deveaux Jr. of the Bahamas, who completed his first career race and secured fourth place, and Chase Whittaker of Nuttin 2 Lose Racing who grabbed fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 – finishing sixth through 10th, respectively – were Nathan Ebanks, Joshua Watler, Malachi Green, CJ Wisdom and Rene Ortega.
The top 10 finishers all win cash prizes, with a first prize of $10,000 for Elliott; second-place prize of $5,000 for McLaughlin, and third prize of $3,000 for Watson. Deveaux in fourth place won $2,000, while those in fifth to eighth place received $1,000 each, and the ninth and tenth finishers getting $500 each.
Lysenia Elliott, sister of the champion, stood out for the second year in a row as the only female competitor, securing a 15th-place finish.
‘One of the biggest’ years
Event owner Mario Rankin noted that the 2026 edition stands as “one of the biggest” in the competition’s history, which dates back to 1997.
Rankin, who revived the event in 2022, said, “We always look forward to hosting [the event] because it fosters a strong sense of camaraderie among the competitors who return each year.
“It’s not an event that happens every few months – it’s a once-a-year race, giving riders plenty of time to train and prepare. It’s a highly sought-after title, with bragging rights that last until the following year.”
He highlighted the expansion of the prize pool “from three top cash prizes to rewards for the top 10 riders”, which, he said, is done “to better accommodate newcomers, since Jet Around Cayman is an open-class race”.
With up to $25,000 in cash prizes available, Rankin said the event “continues to attract international riders year after year”.
Looking ahead, he said, “Next year marks the 30-year anniversary of Jet Around Cayman, and we’re planning something big to celebrate three decades.”
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