UKOPRA returns to Southampton on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 July 2026 for Round 3 of the 2026 Offshore Championship, the MDL Marinas Ocean Village Cup. The fleet relocates from Shamrock Quay and Poole Quay Boat Haven to Ocean Village Marina for a weekend of racing, hospitality and an after-dark party on the waterfront.
Twenty two teams are entered, with competitors travelling from across the UK and Europe as well as from the United States and Malta. Classes 1, 1L, 2 and 3 will compete across two race starts on Saturday afternoon, with the course running out into the Western Solent and around marks off the Hampshire and Isle of Wight coastlines.
What Spectators Will See
Race boats depart Ocean Village Marina at 12:15 on Saturday before mustering four cables southwest of Gurnard Ledge Buoy. Class 1, 1L and 2 boats start at 13:00, with Class 3 following ten minutes later. Both fleets cover a start run plus two laps of an offshore course, with Class 1, 1L and 2 boats running 78.0 nautical miles and Class 3 boats 61.7 nautical miles, before finishing through a gate at the Hamstead Ledge buoy. With the start and finish line off Hamstead Ledge in the Western Solent, boats pass vantage points around the course up to four times once the green flag drops. Podium presentations follow at 16:30 on the marina frontage.
The best vantage points for spectators and photographers are Fort Victoria, Hurst Castle, Headon Warren and the Needles Battery.
Event Timetable
| Friday 3 July 2026 | ||
| Teams arrive | 12:00 onwards (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Race admin and scrutineering | 12:00-17:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Welcome Aboard, Dockside Drinks | 17:00-22:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Saturday 4 July 2026 | ||
| Drivers’ Briefing | 09:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Safety Briefing | 10:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Race boats depart marina | 12:15 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Start 1, Classes 1, 1L, 2 | 13:00-14:30 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Start 2, Class 3 | 13:10-14:40 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Racing complete | 15:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Podium presentations | 16:30-17:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Parc Ferme After Dark Party | 19:30-00:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
All times shown are local UK time (BST, UTC+1). Your local time is calculated automatically where supported by your browser.
Entry List
Official entry list as of June 28, 2026. Seven classes, 22 boats.
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-25 | 🇬🇧 | Notareal / Team 25 | Rob Lockyer Adrian de Ferrenti | Cougar | White/Blue | Sterling | 1400 |
| 1-47 | 🇬🇧 | Bullett Offshore Racing | Drew Langdon Miles Jennings | Outerlimits | Grey/Red | Mercury | 1710 |
| 1-74 | 🇬🇧 | Smokin’ Aces | James Dodge Chris Dodge | Skater | Red | Mercury | 1800 |
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1L-7 | 🇬🇧 | Oceanus Racing VT | Rich Truscott Rob Bingham | Buzzi | Black | Eastwood | 1000 |
| 1L-9 | 🇬🇧 | Black Ball Racing | Rod Hawkins Martin McLaughlin Barry Culver | Formula | White/Orange | Chevrolet | 1400 |
| 1L-69 | 🇬🇧 | Sixty9 Offshore Racing | Alex Welham Neil Raven | Dragon | Blue/White | Ilmor | 1450 |
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-66 | 🇬🇧 | 66 Racing 2 | TP Spink Malc Dopson Louis Spink Robert Hingston | Berserk | White | Mercury | 700 |
| 2-69 | 🇬🇧 | Lightning Strikes | Dean Stoneman Harry Thomas | Donzi | Green/Yellow | Mercury | 998 |
| 2-800 | 🇬🇧 | Great White | Ian McCulloch Ben Metcalfe Chris Doran | Sunseeker | White | Yanmar | 880 |
| M-31 | 🇬🇧 | Unipart | Robin Ward Jeff Hall | Cougar | White/Blue | Chevrolet | 700 |
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-26 | 🇬🇧 | Team JB-R | John Bunyan Luke Cloudsdale | AYD | Blue | Evinrude | 115 |
| B-33 | 🇬🇧 | TeamworX | Clive Prestidge Scott Weldon | Backdraft | Multi | Mercury | 115 |
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-38 | 🇬🇧 | Joker | Richard Dean Michael Barnes | Backdraft | White/Grey | Mercury | 200 |
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-6 | 🇲🇹 | Team Interceptor | Michael Xuereb Kurt Mifsud | Chaudron | White/Multi | Mercury | 300 |
| D-33 | 🇬🇧 | Just Add Water | Murray MacGregor James Dodds | Phantom | Green/White | Mercury | 300 |
| D-50 | 🇬🇧 | Carpe Diem | James Winkworth Harry Winkworth | Pascoe | White/Grey | Mercury | 400 |
| No. | Nation | Boat / Team | Crew | Hull | Colour | Engine | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-11 | 🇬🇧 | 66 Racing | Ben Brown Perry Murphy | Misscat | Yellow/Black | Mercury | 250 |
| E-12 | 🇬🇧 | Mermaid / Wight Offshore | Richard Jackson Baylan Blanks | Mannerfelt | Black/Blue | Volvo | 350 |
| E-16 | 🇬🇧 | Rush Racing UK | Gary Godden Abigail Godden | Mannerfelt | Purple/White | Volvo | 350 |
| E-32 | 🇬🇧 | Licence to Thrill | Lee Ornsby Ross Macgregor | Spectre | White | Yamaha | 600 |
| E-79 | 🇬🇧 | Eastlands Offshore Racing – UFO | Richard Watson Elliott Holman | E.RI.A. Marine | Orange | Chevrolet | 672 |
| H-400 | 🇬🇧 | Thunderstreak | Peter Hall Brian Pelham Trevor Squibb | Bertram | Blue/White | Mercruiser | 850 |
Venue and Practical Information
Ocean Village Marina sits in central Southampton, with berthing available from midday Friday through midday Sunday. Signing on and scrutineering take place at Race Control in the Ocean Village Race Paddock, between Banana Wharf and the former Pitcher and Piano building. Ocean Village offers a range of cafe bars, restaurants and two convenience stores within walking distance of the event facilities.
Hospitality runs across both days. Welcome Aboard Dockside Drinks takes place on the Competitors’ Terrace at Banana Wharf from 17:00 on Friday, overlooking the UKOPRA wet pits. On Saturday, Banana Wharf opens from 08:30 for coffee and breakfast ahead of the briefings, with post-race drinks and DJ sets on the terrace building up to podium presentations. The weekend closes with the Parc Ferme After Dark Party at Banana Wharf from 19:30, featuring a buffet dinner, with entry strictly by event wristband.
UKOPRA Racing Instructions, Round 3
The MDL Marinas Ocean Village Cup race will count as Round 3 of 5 of the UKOPRA 2026 Championship.
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Powerboat News covers every round of the UKOPRA Offshore Championship through the 2026 season.
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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.
