Anton Modin had never seen anything quite like it. The reigning UIM Class 3A World Champion, making his first visit to the United Kingdom to race in the UKOPRA Offshore Powerboat Championship, watched from directly behind as Gary Aldington’s Kohaku went airborne off No Man’s Land Fort and the engine tore free of its mountings.
Then Aldington took off his helmet and asked if Modin had a rope.
The Champion Comes to England
Anton Modin arrived at Shamrock Quay on Saturday with a record that speaks for itself. Three UIM world titles, three European titles. In 2022 he won two world championships in a single season, taking Class 3A and Class 3B in different boats. He won the Class 3A title again in 2025, sharing the boat with Jakob Balter, his step-brother, who was alongside him again in the Frode Racing hull at the Round the Island.
The hull is owned by Jason Briggs, who also runs JB Racing in Class 3C. It was Modin and Balter’s first UKOPRA race.
Nothing in their experience had prepared them for what they found in the Solent.
Anton Modin, Frode Racing:
This was something else. I have never understood the meaning of offshore racing because this is nothing like in the Nordic countries. This was for real.
The conditions had been described in the morning briefing as manageable. The reality on the water was something different.
Anton Modin:
I was expecting rough but not this rough. It was really rough for a 23-foot boat.
Neck and Neck
From the start of Class 3 at 12:17:03 BST, Frode Racing and Kohaku (C-88, Gary Aldington / James Matthews) traded positions across the entire circuit. Aldington pushed hard throughout; Modin matched him. The two boats were rarely separated by more than a few boat lengths.
Frode Racing briefly lost their kill switch during the race, costing them time and dropping them behind Kohaku, before getting it back in and rejoining the fight.
Anton Modin:
Gary Aldington gave me a hell of a workout because he had a fast boat today. It was very fun to race. We fought all the way.
For Aldington, it was the same story from inside Kohaku.
Gary Aldington, Kohaku:
We’d been neck and neck with the Swedes all the way around. We just got ahead of them a little bit coming in towards No Man’s Land Fort.
Towards the Moon
Kohaku was fractionally ahead as the two boats approached No Man’s Land Fort on the return leg, heading north through the Solent towards the finish at East Lepe. Neither crew saw the ship.
Gary Aldington:
A massive ship’s wash. We didn’t see a ship anywhere. We just sent it towards the moon.
Modin was directly behind and watched Kohaku go.
Anton Modin:
He was just in front of me and he was flying. So high. And then he landed and the engine was just hanging in the cables.
Inside the boat, in the air, Aldington had a moment to reflect. It was James Matthews’ first ever race.
Gary Aldington:
I had time in the air to apologise to James.
They landed it. Aldington put his foot down.
Gary Aldington:
No power. No engine.
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The engine had torn off its mountings on impact but remained with the boat, held by cables. Aldington took off his helmet. Modin came alongside.
Anton Modin:
He took his helmet off and said, “Anton, do you have a rope? Maybe I can tie my engine into my trunk.”
Anton Modin:
I have seen everything today.
Kohaku was retired from the race. The engine is being recovered to Gosport. Matthews, on his race debut, took it in his stride.
Gary Aldington:
His first race was an eventful one.
Frode Racing Wins Class 3C
With Kohaku out, Modin and Balter pushed on to win Class 3C. They were the only finishers in the class. C-68 JB Racing and C-76 Bubblin’ Hot had not started, and C-88 Kohaku retired at No Man’s Land Fort. Frode Racing completed the 51.8-nautical-mile circuit in 1 hour 45 minutes 2 seconds at 34.05 mph to finish 16th overall.
It was, by some distance, the most eventful debut in the class.
The Big Boat and Rob Lockyer
Aldington is not only a Class 3C competitor. He also races Double Trouble, the Fountain hull that won the Round the Island in 2025, in the higher classes. Good Boy Vodka’s Rob Lockyer beat Double Trouble at the Cowes Torquay Cowes last year, and Aldington has not forgotten.
Gary Aldington:
Rob beat us at Cowes so we need to make it better. We don’t want him making a habit of that.
Coming Back
For Modin, the only question at the end of the day was whether the experience had put him off British offshore racing. It had not.
Anton Modin:
This is the best competition I have been to for years. The organisation, how everything works, the people, the course, everything is very nice.
He spoke to Jason Briggs, the owner of the Frode hull, after the race.
Anton Modin:
He said, now you understand what this means, and now we need to keep going. He already has plans for the boat, how we can make it better and better for each race. I think we will come back.
2026 UKOPRA Offshore Powerboat Championship
Follow the full 2026 season on Powerboat News. Round 2 takes place at Poole later this year.
UKOPRA Coverage
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
