After persistent rain put a dampener on last year's event, the bright, if blustery conditions saw The Embankment in Peterborough packed with spectators.

They were there to cheer on a bumper field of 52 teams, making the competition – which was celebrating its tenth anniversary – one of the biggest of its type in the country.

Race director Merklyn Hauck said he had been relieved to see good weather greet the festival, which raises cash for its official charity, the Peterborough SportsAid Foundation, and other good causes.

He said: "We are very pleased with the weather, which has brought the people out and pushed attendance well up on last year.

"We have got a full complement of teams representing about 1,200 competitors, and we've seen some fantastic times of 56 to 57 seconds, which is very fast."

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The festival saw teams of up to 16 paddlers crew 40-ft long dragon-prowed boats on the River Nene, with drummers sat on the bows beating time. Among the colourful line-ups was Lord of the Bins, a crew of city council refuse collectors.

Dressed in cut-up green workwear with matching hats, they were in confident mood despite never having raced together previously.

As they prepared to board one of the dragon boats, which were supplied by festival organisers Gable Events, team manager Gemma Ellington said: "I don't think some of them have been in any type of boat before. But they were all up for it. In fact, I've got 19 people, so there are three spares.

"We've got some big lads, so that should help us."

Matthew Bennett (25), of Oakdale Avenue, Stanground, was confident life on the rounds would stand the team in good stead.

He said: "If you can pull organic bins around all day, you can do this."

The Runaway Train was a group of First Capital Connect employees who had ditched their normal form of transport in favour of a dragon boat.

Their first two heat times of 73 and 89 seconds will have done little for the company's punctuality ratings.

But train driver Andy Swallow (41) said the races were "great fun", adding: "You can't practise – you just get in and that's it!"

With broken blisters on their hands from gripping the paddles, The Flintstones were not from Bedrock but Lynch Wood, Peterborough, where they work for accountancy firm GreenStones.

Team captain Amanda Hussey said after one heat: "It was brilliant.

"We were second behind Peterborough United (The Posh Paddlers), so that's quite impressive."

The final in the late afternoon produced a thrilling blanket finish, with three teams separated by less than one-third of a second.

By a dragon's nose, the winner was Bourne A Board, with Gabba 1 runners-up, SportsAid Speedsters in third, and Crightons Cruisers were fourth.