BOAT RACING

Boat racing is usually organised during the months of October and November, towards the end of the annual Buddhist lent, when the rivers and canals are flooded with rainwater. It takes place all over the country wherever there is a major waterway.         A racing boat is long and narrow and is manned by 15-30 pairs of oarsmen depending on its length. The course is normally 600 or 650 metres long, marked by pontoons at one hundred-metre intervals . The competition is organised on the elimination basis of pairs of boats, the winner being the best of three races. Paddling downstream, competitors pick lots to choose the racing lane for the first heat. They swap lanes for the second heat. Should there be a tie, a third and deciding race is run.