The Fast On Water Charity Mission Statement
'To create, for the public good, a definitive collection of circuit powerboats,
engines, memorabilia and archive and to display these in a dynamic and interactive
museum setting that will inspire and educate.’
Fast On Water was formed early in January 2013. Its founding aims are to create a lasting legacy that will preserve honour and record the history of powerboat racing in the UK and Europe. We became a registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales in 2018 (charity number 1177837).
Britain holds a pivotal place in the history of powerboat racing, both circuit and offshore, producing some of the world’s top designers, boat builders and racers as well as some iconic race venues.
For various reasons there is no longer a complete archive or museum dedicated to the history of our powerboat racing heritage.
The Fast On Water charity has been set up specifically to develop a permanent home so this, and future generations can enjoy and learn about those people and craft that put Britain in the forefront of what was, and is, the most exciting of motor sports.
The task ahead of us is not an easy one. Many records and archives have been lost or destroyed. Many of the racing craft, especially circuit boats have not survived the rigours of racing and time.
We have the privilege of becoming the custodians of some of the archive and craft originally held by the old Basildon Motor Boat Museum. Our intention is to build on this collection to create as complete a history of the sport as possible.
It is our aim to find permanent premises in Lowestoft, Suffolk, for the charity’s home and its collections, which will include a restoration workshop and courses in engine maintenance and boat design and construction, along with a library, cafe and gift shop.
We owe thanks and gratitude to all those who have been kind enough to take the time and trouble to contact us, give advice and guidance, and to send photos and other archive material.
We would also like to give a big thank you to all those who have donated funds, archive material, memorabila, engines and craft. We couldn't do this without you.
Join Fast On Water Today
Join the 'Friends of the Fast On Water Charity' for full access to the website,
a quarterly online magazine and regular updates,
along with the opportunity to get involved.
Membership is £25.00 (£26.50 if using PayPal or credit card)
Use the buttons below to either print off a membership form (with payment options)
or use the PayPal or Credit Card buttons
Ethos behind the ‘Fast On Water’ website
It was June 7th 1975. I had known about the powerboat racing in Bristol’s Floating harbour, but although I had been a long time fan of Formula One cars and lived in Bristol, I hadn’t really taken in just how exciting circuit boat racing might be. My life would never be the same again.
That first experience of the sights and sounds of powerboat racing had me totally hooked. For me ‘as good as it gets’ was watching Billy Seebold and Renato Molinari fighting it out for the lead on a hot summer’s afternoon with the sun glinting off the rooster tails – sheer magic!
The highlight of my year was the weekend of the powerboat racing, from the first moment of Friday qualifying, through to the presentations on the Sunday afternoon. For that one weekend a year Bristol was transformed into something it never had been before and never has been since.
For that initial brave venture into the unknown we must thank the persistence and determination of Charlie Sheppard and the power of WD and HO Wills.
The red print inside race programmes, which read ‘powerboat racing is a dangerous sport…’ was never truer, than for those racing between the granite walls of Bristol’s Floating Harbour. In those days before safety cells and enclosed cockpits, Bristol was an incredibly challenging circuit that did not always allow driver error or boat failures to go unpunished. Even safety cells did not guarantee protection from the dreaded dock walls. Nonetheless, even those drivers that hated the circuit would return year after year because it was ‘the circuit’ to compete and win at.
Those 19 years of racing were some of the most outstandingly skilful and brave I, and many others, have had the pleasure to see.
I hope you find the site interesting and informative.
Roy Cooper