IT'S the perfect fundraiser for people who like to make waves - even if they receive a dunking in the process.
Every year thousands of spectators turn out to watch crews scramble aboard a whacky collection of homemade craft and battle it out in the RNLI Great Waterside Raft Race.
The fun-filled spectacle provides plenty of thrills and spills - and this year's event was no exception.
The first race was still in its early stages when one of the craft came to grief and all four members of the crew ended up in the sea.
They were helped aboard an RNLI inflatable which took them and their raft back to the shore, where they received a round of applause from the crowd.
The annual event is organised by the Hythe and Calshot branch of the RNLI. It raises thousands of pounds for the charity, which has saved more than 143,900 lives since it was founded almost 200 years ago.
This year's line-up included a kayak race - the only contest for which entrants were not required to build their own vessel.
The contests were held in the comparatively calm water between Hythe Marina Village and the village's Grade II-listed pier.
A large number of spectators sat on a sea wall facing the pier while others watched the action from nearby Prospect Park, where colourful yarn bombs made by Hythe and Waterside Poppy Ladies were attached to the railings.
Onlookers at the marina included Stewart and Helen Thame, of Marchwood, who arrived in a 1933 Austin 10.
Competitors assembled in an area near a public slipway, with crews talking tactics as they waited for the races to start.
As the countdown to the event began in earnest skippers were taken to one side and given a briefing about the course, plus an all-important safety talk.
Two RNLI crews sailed into view shortly before the first race and received a round of applause from the crowd as they approached the shore.
Five raft took part in the first race, which was reserved for decorated craft.
Dusty Barrell led the way as crews headed for the first of three yellow buoys that were used to mark out the rectangular course.
Nine rafts crewed by a total of 40 people took part.
Race winners:
Best Decorated: Hardley Fire Station
Formula 1 Race: Ebenezers
Ladies' Race: Ebenezers
Pub Race: Ebenezers
Kayak Race: Darren and Sarah Ashmore
Handicap Race: Jubilee 70 (Hythe Marina Association).
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