Kingston's annual Dragon Boat race got off to a roaring start on Sunday as the sun shined on the 39 teams taking part in the river spectacle.

After last year's event was postponed until October because of a fast tidal flow on the River Thames, organisers Kingston Rotary Club breathed a sigh of relief as the event went off without a hitch yesterday.

The sponsored boats were all raising money for Born Too Soon, Kingston Hospital's neo-natal unit, and more than 3,000 spectators came out to enjoy the Sunday sun and watch the excitement unfold.

Keith Maund, from Kingston Rotary Club, said the event was a great success and after 39 heats, six hours of racing and a grand finale, Kingston Rugby Club were crowned the champions, beating a team from the Canbury Arms pub in Kingston by just a fraction of a second.

They picked up a trophy from mayor of Kingston, Councillor David Berry.

"It was a really great day and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves," he said.

"We had some great costumes and a team from Reside Housing Association on Old London Road won the best dressed category for racing in hula skirts!

"The teams all put in great times so the spectators certainly had quite an exciting day of racing to watch."

Plans for next year are already under way and the Rotary Club has set aside in July 19, 2009 for the next event.