POWERBOATS will once again take to the waters at Barrow docks this Saturday in what is sure to be an exciting spectacle.

The Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club have completed testing and are ready for their opening day of action on Buccleuch Dock.

Windermere MBRC chairman Will Wood is one of many who will take part in races this season and he is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I’ve got a new boat this year and it all seemed to go pretty well in testing but you never really know till you get on the water,” said Wood who, along with fellow members, recently spent a weekend transferring their set-up - including rescue boats and timing equipment - from the club base on the shores of Windermere to Cavendish Dock Road, in Barrow.

“We come down to Barrow early in the season to have a real good tidy up of the area,” he explained.

“It may look like a bit of a holiday site when you get there but it’s geared up to go racing. We give it a mow, pick up litter and do some odd jobs around the site.”

After the big tidy up was completed, the practice started, with seven boats out on the water, including a training vessel for newcomers to the sport.

“We test the boats and try to get the handling set up and move some weights around, depending on the conditions,” said Wood, who wants to encourage the Furness public to go down and watch the action and maybe even have a go themselves.

“We’ve got a lot more drivers this year than we’ve had in the past few years, so this weekend will be a good time to come down," he said.

“You don’t all need to look like Lewis Hamiltion to take part, anyone can do it!

“We have a full rescue team there at all times. They go on the water before any race boat is allowed to go out.

“We encourage people to come and join in and come in the big caravan where we’re watching the racing from.

“We’ve had a few people join in from Barrow over the last few years.

“We just do club racing and it’s all handicapped. Anyone can race any boat as long as it meets the safety standards.

“The faster you are the further back you start and you’ve got to catch the slowest boat up.

“What happens is, you start with club racing then nationals, then international racing if you want to progress further.

“It’s a hobby kind of sport. There are no professionals till you get to the very highest level.

“It’s got a stigma attached to it because it’s a powerboat and not everyone has a powerboat on the drive, but we’ve got people from all walks of life joining in."

Wood is very grateful for the warm welcome the club have received from the authorities and the public in Barrow and he hopes that continues for a long time to come.

“We will never plan on moving away from Barrow, because it’s such a good circuit and set-up for us,” he said.

“We have a good relationship with the dock authority, the canoe club and the diving club who all share the water with us. We will never leave Barrow, well that’s our plan anyway.

“We’ve got two races a year back on at Windermere and we’d like more, but equally everybody at the clubs knows the importance of Barrow quite clearly. Barrow has been good to us over the years.”

People wanting to watch or take part this Saturday are encouraged to get down to Cavendish Dock Road early to get a good view. The first race starts at midday.