At Surat's Magdalla, a boat race powered solely with wind

A race where boats powered solely with wind energy held in Surat's Magdalla port on Sunday saw enthusiastic participation by locals from coastal areas of Dumas and Hazira.

The 20 km long race that began from Magdalla on the bank of the river Tapi, has been orgsed for the last 50 years, and this time too was a crowd puller with people from across the city thronging the Magdalla bridge to watch.

Orgsers National Fighters Sports Club said around thousand spectators had gathered to view the spectacle.

Avinash Patel a participant told : "It is a 15 to 20 km long race where 8 to 10 boats participate every year. These boats run without an engine, solely on wind energy."

Many people also hire boats especially to travel to Hazira to cheer their favourite team during the race.

Kamlesh Patel another participant said: "The toughness of the sail depends on the speed of the wind, If the wind is not properly controlled, the boat can flip upside down in the water. Each boat carries 8 people at a time and for each one of them it is physically demanding and very tough."

( With inputs from ANI )