The island’s rowers braved the elements and got stuck-in to the annual World Championship Viking Longboat Races on Saturday.

More than 600 participants from 60 different teams took to Peel harbour’s western waters in large Viking-style boats, racing throughout the day in a historic event which has been a Manx staple since 1963.

Kicking off at 10am, ten-person crews pulled 11-foot oars in a challenging 400-metre sprint.

The decision to go ahead with the races was made early on Saturday morning after organisers considered postponing due to high winds.

And despite the recent spate of poor weather hampering many of the participating teams' practice sessions, the rowers showed up in full force on race day.

In the mens competition, the Farghers Liftmen won with a time of 2 minutes 21 seconds.

In the ladies competition, the Viqueens won with a time of 2 minutes 56 seconds.

And in the mixed event, the Clarity Cougars and Liftmen won with a time of 2 minutes 30 seconds, beating Raven Raiders by just over a second.