OWS speed compared to pool speed

That seems like quite a lot to me. If I do a 1000yd timetrial in a pool I will complete it in about 15:30 or so mins, so about 1:30 - 1:35/100 yds. In the 4 race OWS I have done, my pace was 1:49 (terrible navigation on my part), 1:32, 1:35 and 1:41/100yd, so right in the ballpark of my pool times. The fastest two of those swims were with wetsuits on (OLY and HIM distance swims) and the two slower ones were for 750m OWS without wetsuits. So I would say for the two non-wetsuit swims I have averaged maybe 5-10s slower than in the pool. This isn't exactly a representative sample but thought it might be helpful.

So what is going on with you? Several things come to mind (and they might all be wrong!): Race course measured wrong, pool is not the distance you think it is (25yd vs 25m...unlikely but possible), you are navigating poorly in OWS (but you said you did OK),  you have mega-strong legs that give you a huge kick off the wall in the pool, coupled with lightening fast turns in the pool, you are stressed about the bike and run so you take it easy in the OWS in races, you start in the back and waste a minute or two at the start, the swim time only ends after a run out of the water, which adds time, endless other possibilities. How many OWS have you done in a race setting? Have you done a pool race? I'm curious how your pool race times compare with your pool training times.

maybe a dumb question, but how far away is the timing mat from where you get out of the water? Are you going by what your watch says, or what the race results say?

It's been awhile (15-20 years) since I did a pool race but I do do flip turns. For a test at the pool I actually swam a 100 with no flip turns and it was also a 1:35-1:40. At this last race the timing strip was a ways away from the water, but unlike a lot of the guys I ran there. I've swam in 2 different pools so maybe I've got the meters and yards messed up but I'm kind of doubting it. I'm pretty much guessing that I'm just not swimming as well. At this last race I started at the front row thinking I would be burning it up with my good 100 times and although I did well, I thought I could do better. Going by what you guys are saying it's not normal and perhaps I'm just getting all worked up with the whole race deal and swimming badly. I actually didn't feel like I was hitting my stroke right till the last 1/4 of the race. Maybe it's just more practice!

This is in line with the question I had about doing flip kicks in the pool. I'm sure those lower your pool time a little, don't they?

Won't most ows have currents which can slow you down as well?

I'm not experienced so these are more questions for the discussion rather than direct answers.

my first tri had a 450m OWS that took me 24 minutes.  in a pool it would take 8.  in open water there can be a current you have to work against...so my answer is...it depends on the body of water you are swimming in.  i was in a very fast river.

I'm dreading the day of a river OWS, just seems mean. This was in a pond. It really couldn't of been better swimming conditions. Maybe someone tied a brick to my leg?

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My OWS time is ALWAYS slower than my pool time.

In the pool I was doing 100 meters in 1:40, for up to 3 miles. In my 3 mile OWS, I did each 100 meters at 1:51.

It's always like that for me.

So far my OW (in the water times) are within about 10 seconds/100 of a similar rpe in the pool, and the two races so far have had substantial runs included in the swim splits.