The UK's first sustainable power boat race hit the water in Windermere over the weekend.

Hosted by the Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club (WMBRC), the event took place on Saturday, April 20.

All petrol-engine boats were required to run on Sustain Racing fuel from Coryton.

A sustainably fuelled Catamaran also raced against an electric Nissan Leaf-powered Formula 2 Catamaran piloted by Club Commodore Ted Walsh, showcasing 'green technology's future in the sport'.

Adam Brown, Chair of Racing at WMBRC, said: "The marine industry is currently behind land transportation in its development and adoption of sustainable technologies.

"By creating a sustainable race event on Lake Windermere, we hope to further the development of sustainable technologies that can subsequently be adopted - initially within the sport of powerboat racing but also more broadly."

The fuel uses carbon recycled from the atmosphere via plants rather than releasing new carbon that's currently locked in the ground.

The sustainable fuel, which is fully miscible with fossil fuels, can be used in the boats without any modifications necessary.

As the racing club gets ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025, members are looking to the future more than ever.

"We intend to play a leading role in accelerating this transition," Mr Brown added. 

"Therefore, it's crucial that we're able to do this within the National Park and World Heritage Site as this adds the weight of history as well as international significance to the journey to net zero that we're delivering."

WMBRC is working with the Lake District National Park to explore sustainable technologies alongside a joint ambition to reach carbon net zero in the future.

Marian Jones, Area Ranger at the Lake District National Park, commented: "The zero carbon Cumbria 2037 ambition is a key priority and we're really pleased to see WMBRC committed to reducing the environmental impact of motorboat racing and promoting sustainable technology.

"While we are mindful of the cumulative impact of several race events in the same year, we think this sustainable race event will be a key step in tackling the barriers to adopting low carbon technology in motor boat racing."