Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, November 23, 2016:  The long-awaited and much anticipated RAK International Marine Sports Club Autumn Dragon Boat Regatta 2016, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah will be held on Friday, 25th November in Ras Al Khaimah.

Taking to the waters of the RAK Corniche will be in excess of 700 paddlers, in 30 Dragon Boat teams from across the UAE and the Middle East; teams from Qatar and Iran included. Teams will compete in seven race classes; 22 teams in the competitive category and 8 teams in the corporate category.The corporate teams of RAK Hospital, Emirates Steel and St. George Dragon Slayers are just a few of those participating in the corporate race.

The Dragon Boat event will be held from 8:00am until late in the afternoon, with spectators able to watchthe teams battling it out on the waters from the Corniche area, against the backdrop of the majestic Hajar Mountains.

“Dragon boating is a thrilling watersport, full of adrenaline, sportsmanship and strategy. It is the fastest growing water sport in the world with over 50 million annual competitions, while it continues to gain much interest in the UAE.This event has grown considerably from the RAK IMC’s first Summer Regatta last May 27th, where we had 16 teams competing. After such a successful day, we knew we had to raise the next event to an even higher level of competition”, said Rina Gauer, Head of the Organizing Committee.

“With this in mind the club has built a competitive race course of international standard, exclusively for Dragon Boating and a sophisticated timing system will be used to record and capture all results and races. Teams will compete in five Standard Champion Boats; each boat sitting twenty paddlers, a steersman and a drummer. For the first time in the Emirates, races will be held using Small Champion Boats, for crews of ten paddlers, the steersman and a drummer. Training has been focused and intense, expectations are high and passions have been stirred, as the competitive teams prepare to ‘unleash the dragon’, on their quest to win medals, trophies and other prizes”, further commented Rina.

The event is supported by the office of the RAK Ruler, RAK Municipality, Police and Coast Guard. RAK Hospital continues to show its community commitment in providing the medical assistance for the Regatta; a partnership that began three years ago when dragon boating started in Ras Al Khaimah. The institution also has a team competing for the corporate cup. RAK IMC extends its gratitude and appreciation to STYL MNL and DB Connect as the official partners; to RAK Bank, Monviso Italian Water and Panaderia Restaurant as the sponsors of the Ras Al Khaimah Autumn Regatta 2016.