UKOPRA Round 5 2026: Gunwharf Quays Grand Prix, Everything You Need to Know

UKOPRA closes out its 2026 Offshore Championship at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 September, for the Gunwharf Quays Grand Prix. Round 5 is the final round of the five-round season, presented by Mumford Marine Services Ltd and organised by World Powerboat Events UK.

Classes 1, 1L, 2 and 3 race across two starts on Saturday afternoon, both off Dean Elbow buoy in the eastern approach to Portsmouth Harbour. Classes 1, 1L and 2 run the full course twice round Lap B after an opening Lap A, a combined 101.4 nautical miles. Class 3 covers the Start Run, Lap A and a single Lap B, 76.0 nautical miles.

What Spectators Will See

Race boats leave Gunwharf Quays Marina at 11:15 on Saturday, mustering between Horse Sand Fort and Cambrian Wreck ahead of the first start. Classes 1, 1L and 2 get away at 12:00 off Dean Elbow, with Class 3 starting ten minutes later at the same line.

Lap A runs east from Dean Elbow past Bembridge Ledge, West Princessa and Outer Nab No.1 towards Owers, then loops up to a mark off Selsey and back down past the Street before returning to Dean Elbow. Lap B is the tighter of the two, staying closer to the Solent approaches via South Pullar and Boulder before rejoining the finish gate. Dean Elbow is taken to starboard on the opening run and to port on every lap after that.

Racing is scheduled to finish by 14:30, with podium presentations at the Race Paddock, Gunwharf Quays Marina, from 16:30.

Rough Weather Course Provision

UKOPRA holds a shortened course in reserve if conditions in the eastern Solent are too rough for the full route. Any change is confirmed at the Drivers’ Briefing on Saturday morning. On the rough weather course, Classes 1, 1L and 2 run the Start Run plus three laps of Lap B, 77.5 nautical miles, and Class 3 runs the Start Run plus two laps of Lap B, 52.1 nautical miles, with Lap A dropped entirely.

Event Timetable

Entry List

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
1-25		Good Boy Vodka	Rob Lockyer Adrian de Ferranti

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
1L-86		Double Two Shirts	Dan Bentley Shaun Bentley
1L-69		Sixty9 Offshore Racing	Alex Welham Neil Raven
1L-7		Oceanus Racing / VT	Richard Truscott Rob Bingham

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
2-66		66 Racing 2	T P Spink Malcolm Dopson Louis Spink Robert Hingston
2-69		Lightning Strikes	Dean Stoneman Harry Thomas
M-31		Unipart	Robin Ward Jeff Hall
2-800		Great White Racing	Ian McCulloch Ben Metcalfe Chris Doran

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
B-26		Team JB-R	John Bunyan Luke Cloudsdale

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
C-35		Charlie Thirty Five	Elliott Holman Jon Gray

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
D-50		Carpe Diem	Harry Winkworth James Winkworth

No.	Nation	Boat / Team	Crew
E-56		Fabergé / Whiskers Racing	Marc Antoine Poullier Jean Charles Nocera
E-77		Wight Knuckle	Jason Field Tom Trotman
E-16		Rush Racing	Gary Godden Abigail Godden
E-79		UFO / Eastlands Offshore Racing	Richard Watson Oliver Watson
E-35		Wight Noise / Team SMS Racing	Tristan Ormiston Adam Leal TBC
H-400		Thunderstreak	Peter Hall Brian Pelham Trevor Squibb

Venue and Practical Information

Gunwharf Quays Marina hosts Race Control, the paddock and the wet pit for the weekend, with signing on, scrutineering and the Welcome Aboard Dockside Drinks all based there or at All Bar One on site. Craning, storage and the tow vehicle and trailer park are across the harbour at Victoria Quay, Weevil Lane, Gosport, with the drive around by road taking about 25 minutes. UKOPRA recommends teams have access to a support boat for the weekend, sharing with another team where possible.

Craning starts at 10:00 on Friday, with recovery by crane available until 18:00 on Saturday only. Boats crossing the main harbour channel, in either direction and whenever race teams are operating in Portsmouth Harbour outside race conditions, must get permission from Portsmouth VTS on VHF Channel 11 before crossing, and keep to a maximum of 10 knots with minimum wash inside the harbour.

Saturday’s tide at Selsey Bill has low water at 10:54 and high water at 17:31. The weekend closes with the Parc Ferme After Dark Party at Spinnaker Kitchen from 19:30, with live music from Jonny Moody and views across Portsmouth Harbour to mark the end of the 2026 UKOPRA season.