MDL Marinas Shamrock Round the Island 2026: Everything You Need to Know

The 2026 UKOPRA Offshore Powerboat Championship opens at Shamrock Quay, Southampton on Friday and Saturday, 15–16 May, with the MDL Marinas Shamrock Round the Island. Round 1 of the five-round 2026 season takes competitors on a 51.8-nautical-mile circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight, organised by World Powerboat Events UK and sanctioned by UKOPRA.

What You Will See

The Round the Island is offshore powerboat racing at its most elemental. Competitors leave Shamrock Quay in convoy and muster north-east of the East Lepe buoy. Classes 1, 1L and 2 start from 12:00, with Class 3 following ten minutes later. From there, the fleet heads west along the Solent, rounds The Needles at the western tip of the Isle of Wight, crosses the south coast via St Catherine’s Point, and returns up the eastern approaches past No Man’s Land Fort and through Ryde Roads before finishing back at East Lepe. Racing is expected to be complete by 14:30.

Offshore race boats in the UKOPRA classes range from single-engined production V-hulls through to twin-engined Class 1 catamarans capable of sustained speeds above 100mph in flat-water conditions. The Solent and south coast of the Isle of Wight present tidal sets and chop that test boats and crews across the full distance. The race is decided on elapsed time.

The best shore-based vantage points are on the north coast of the Isle of Wight and near Calshot Spit, where the fleet passes through the tighter waters of the Solent on both the outward and return legs. Spectators on the south coast at Ventnor and St Catherine’s will see the fleet pass in mid-race.

The Course

The race starts and finishes at East Lepe, on the Solent north of the Isle of Wight near Calshot. The course runs anti-clockwise, passing ten race marks and two virtual waypoints. Sconce, off Yarmouth, is the first physical mark at 7.9 nautical miles. The fleet then rounds Bridge near The Needles before tracking east along the south coast. St Catherine’s Point and Ventnor are virtual waypoints – positions the fleet must keep to port without a physical buoy – before West Princessa at 36.8nm marks the turn north up the eastern side of the island. Bembridge Ledge, No Man’s Land Fort, North Sturbridge, South Ryde Middle, and Prince Consort bring the fleet back to the finish.

Entry List

Event Schedule

After the Race

The Parc Fermé After Dark Party takes place on Saturday evening at Banana Wharf, Ocean Village Marina, from 19:30. Each team receives two complimentary tickets per competitor in the boat. Additional tickets are available at £22 each via ukopra.org/events.

During the race weekend at Shamrock Quay, Mumfords Bar – sponsored by Mumford Marine and Wight Knuckle Brewery – is open from 14:00 on Friday and from 13:00 on Saturday. Food is available from the Yellow Welly Café on site, and Liguori’s Wood Fired Pizza Van joins the paddock from 15:00 on Friday.

Venue

Race headquarters are at Shamrock Quay Marina, William Street, Southampton, SO14 5QL. Shamrock Quay is a working boatyard and marina on the River Itchen, operated by MDL Marinas, approximately two miles south of Southampton city centre. Boats arriving by water should contact the marina on VHF Channel 80 on approach.

Spectators are welcome at Shamrock Quay for the departure of the fleet on Saturday morning and for the podium presentations in the afternoon. The race itself takes place offshore around the Isle of Wight, but the start and finish at East Lepe can be viewed from the shore at Calshot Spit, at the southern end of Southampton Water.

2026 UKOPRA Offshore Powerboat Championship

The MDL Marinas Shamrock Round the Island is Round 1 of the five-round 2026 UKOPRA Offshore Powerboat Championship. Points from all five rounds count towards the season title. Championship entry information and the full calendar are available at ukopra.org.

Media coverage of the 2026 UKOPRA season is provided by Attitude Media and Snap Photography.