UKOPRA heads to Hamble on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July 2026 for Round 4 of the 2026 Offshore Championship, the MDL Marinas Mercury Offshore Grand Prix. The fleet moves to Mercury Yacht Harbour for a weekend of scrutineering, racing around the Isle of Wight and a dockside after-dark party to close out the round.
Classes 1, 1L, 2 and 3 will compete across two starts on Saturday afternoon, with the course running out into the eastern Solent, around the bottom of the Isle of Wight via the Needles, and back up the western Solent to the finish off Hamstead Ledge. Round 4 is the penultimate round of the five-round 2026 UKOPRA Championship.
What Spectators Will See
Race boats leave Mercury Yacht Harbour at 11:15 on Saturday, mustering four cables east of the East Bramble buoy before the first start. Classes 1, 1L and 2 get away at 12:30 off the South East Ryde Middle buoy in the eastern Solent, with Class 3 starting ten minutes later at the same line.
Classes 1, 1L and 2 run the full course, a Start Run plus Lap A and Lap B totalling 90.3 nautical miles. Class 3 covers the Start Run and Lap A only, 58.2 nautical miles. Lap A takes the fleet east past No Man’s Land Fort and Bembridge Ledge, south around St Catherine’s Point, and round the bottom of the island to the Needles before running up the western Solent to the lap and finish line off Hamstead Ledge, near Yarmouth. Lap B, for the bigger classes only, is a shorter loop confined to the western Solent between the Needles and Hamstead Ledge.
Racing is scheduled to finish by 15:00, with podium presentations at Race Control from 16:30.
Event Timetable
| Friday 24 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) | |
| Safety Briefing | 20:00-21:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Saturday 25 July 2026 | ||
| Drivers’ Briefing | 09:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Safety Briefing | 10:00 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Race boats depart marina | 11:15 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Muster | 12:15 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Start 1, Classes 1, 1L, 2 | 12:30 (BST, UTC+1) | |
| Start 2, Class 3 | 12:40 (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.
Venue and Practical Information
Mercury Yacht Harbour and Holiday Park hosts the round, with The Gaff Rigger restaurant, bar and terrace on site running all of the weekend’s hospitality. Hamble Village, a three minute drive or 10-15 minute walk away, has a range of cafes, pubs and restaurants, along with a convenience store. Coronation Parade on Hamble Lane has further amenities close by.
Welcome Aboard Dockside Drinks take place at The Gaff Rigger from 17:00 on Friday. Saturday morning starts with breakfast and drinks from 08:30 ahead of the briefings, with wristband holders able to claim event deals. The weekend closes with the Parc Ferme After Dark Party at The Gaff Rigger from 19:30, with live music on the waterfront terrace.
Parking on site is free.
UKOPRA Race Instructions, Round 4
The Mercury Offshore Grand Prix will count as Round 4 of 5 of the UKOPRA 2026 Championship.
2026 UKOPRA Standings
See how the championship stands heading into Round 4.
2026 UKOPRA Offshore Championship StandingsFollow UKOPRA
Powerboat News covers every round of the UKOPRA Offshore Championship through the 2026 season.
More 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.
