ENTRIES are now being taken for all races. Entry details below.


PHUKET has definitely gone quackers. We can say this with certainty because the newest addition to the island's great sporting festivals centres on the Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race.

Laguna Phuket, where the island's triathlon and marathon traditions have been well nurtured, now has a waterborne event to add to its sports catalogue: a Lagoon Race Day.

Dragon Boats, kayaks and a raft race will all take place on the first celebration of this new sporting festival, at the resort's Canal Village on Saturday, November 7.

There's also a cardboard box race for kids . . . and a rubber duck race for just about everybody.

Phuket Community Foundation spokesperson Alasdair Forbes and the foundation's new director, Janyaporn Morel, introduced the concept to local media this week, wearing distinctive bright yellow t-shirts that marked them not as backers of the PAD, but as supporters of the DD (Donald Duck.)

''Anyone may enter any of the races apart from the Great Rubber Duck Race, which will be reserved for rubber ducks alone,'' Mr Forbes said.

The concept is simple. Buy a duck for 150 baht on Phuket (or online from anywhere in the world) and you're a Great Rubber Duck Racer.

The swiftest duck along a 500 metre course on the day wins for its owners a prize that is definitely not Mickey Mouse.

The winner can take his or her duck to share the winnings, worth about 100,000 baht: four days and three nights at the Banyan Tree, with extras thrown in.

The winning duck also gets to use the lagoon at Laguna Phuket whenever it wants.

Ducks are now available from outlets all over the island, including Woody's Sandwich Shoppe, Mike's Bikes, Phuket Radio 91.5FM, Mom Tri's Boathouse, Kopi de Phuket and Lee Marine.

Included in activities and races from 2pm will be a bouncy castle and other activities for children, and Western and Thai food at reasonable prices.

The ducks are expected to remain on the pond well after 7pm, when the partying will continue.

The aim is to raise 500,000 baht for the Phuket Community Foundation, a relatively new concept for Phuket that aims to fund all kinds of charitable activities on Phuket with transparency.

More can be found about the Lagoon Race Day and the PCF at www.phuketcharity.org