Ladysmith Dragon Boat Society - Success at the Comox Dragon Boat Festival ‘26!

Firsts, Fortitude, and Friendships!

What a day for the Ladysmith Dragon Boat Society!
On Saturday, September 19th, three of our four teams headed up island to compete in the Comox Dragon Boat Festival, hosted by VI Paddling.
Every single paddler brought their absolute best to the water - from debut races to impressive wins, LDBS showed up in full force!

Set up side by side in the paddlers' village, our three team tents practically merged into one giant LDBS headquarters!
Throughout the day, paddlers were constantly back and forth between the tents, sharing laughs, strategies, and energy, and snacks!
Whenever a crew wasn't warming up or heading to marshalling, you’d find many of them right out on the dock yelling encouragement to each other at the top of their lungs! (You can hear some of this cheer-leading in the race videos!).

The Sea Dragons: Setting the Standard

Our self-described "fun-petitive" Sea Dragons proved once again that high spirits and fierce paddling go hand in hand, bringing both the "fun" bit and most definitely the "petitive" bit to the water!
Hitting the course in the standard boat category, the team glided into the Silver Division through times of 01:03.16 in their first race and 01:03.07 in their second, showing their well known race spirit with every stroke.

With Coach Mary setting the rhythm on the drum, the team was locked in, and as their usual steer couldn't make the event, Chris L from the Nanaimo Dragonslayers stepped in to take the helm and did an amazing job guiding the boat down the course.

The Sea Dragons dug deep in the Women’s Standard Silver Final. Crossing the finish line in an impressive  01:01.73, they earned first place and some bling in the form of  gold medals in the Silver Division! 
Plus, to top off their victory, a thoughtful teammate even crafted custom, handmade Comox medals for the crew…
A true mark of team spirit and heart.

Ladysmith Rising: A Debut to Remember

We couldn't be more proud to officially welcome our newest team to the Club….. Introducing Ladysmith Rising!
Formed largely of paddlers fresh out of LDBS’s ‘Learn To Paddle’ course, and progressing to the ‘Paddling Course’, this team stepped up to their very first race event with true grit and determination. 

Coach Lesley had got the team race ready, and she proudly took the drummer's seat to guide them down the course in her exceptionally capable hands.
A very special shout-out goes to Wayne, Ladysmith Rising’s excellent Steer!
Despite being completely new to steering, Wayne did an incredible job keeping the line straight and the boat moving fast under pressure. It was an exceptional first outing and we hope he’s as proud of himself as we all are of him!

After laying down strong times of 01:05.06 in their first race and 01:05.55 in their second race, coming in an impressive second place, Ladysmith Rising earned their spot alongside experienced crews in the standard boat Silver Division final.

What an incredible achievement for a first event!

In a heart-pounding race, they pushed hard across the line at 01:04.24 in an incredible final…. Awesome!
Their lead stroke, and upcoming 2027 season Coach Janine, commemorated their huge achievement by surprising everyone with special homemade medals, and the team was thrilled to take home celebratory festival cookies to mark their fantastic debut (which, rumour has it, needed to be closely guarded from the other LDBS teams!).

We genuinely could not be more proud of this fantastic group;  we know they have got the Dragon Boat racing bug, that’s for sure and we’re looking forward to following their adventures in 2027!

Well done Ladysmith Rising… Way to go!!

Check out Ladysmith Rising & The Sea Dragons race highlights here 🎥…… here🎥……‍ ‍and here 🎥

Sync Or Swim (SOS): Grand Final Champions

Members of the race team, Sync Or Swim (SOS), took on a unique challenge at Comox, entering the small boat (10-woman) category for the very first time. After the tough decision not to travel to an away festival this year, the club added Comox late in the season, meaning the full roster couldn't all be there.

Shifting from a standard 20-paddler boat down to a 10-woman crew is no small feat demanding rapid acceleration, intense power, and a relentless cadence. While they missed their SOS sisters on the water, they channeled that team bond into every single stroke.

Going into the racing, they weren’t entirely sure how the new dynamic would play out on the water, and were pleasantly surprised to find that, despite having half their usual numbers, they put up times that actually out-paced quite a few of the full-sized, 20-paddler standard boats across the event. It was an inspiring day of racing against so many wonderful teams, and the club couldn't be prouder of this small-boat debut.

Led by Coach Lesley on the drum, the crew launched themselves into the day’s racing with their trademark power!

With their usual steer lending a hand on the dock to keep paddlers safe and steady, phenomenon that is Oskar W took to the helm! 
Beyond going full "beast mode" during the races, Oskar is a remarkably talented steer.
He brought incredible skill to the stern, guiding the boat with precision while liaising with Coach Lesley to offer expert feedback and tactical suggestions during team debriefs between races.

SOS dominated their category from the start, laying down top heat times of 01:05.59 in their first race and 01:05.68 in their second race to earn a spot in the top-tier Grand Final!
In the main event, they ‘brought the thunder’ to hit 01:04.11, taking First Place as overall festival champions in the Women’s Small Boat category and taking home the top official Gold Medals! (Although those cookie snagging attempts were thwarted!)

Check out race 1 here 🎥…. Check out race 2 here 🎥 … Check out the Grand Final here 🎥!

Stronger Together

At the end of the day, all the teams gathered together as VI Paddling's Coach Tom Arnold handed out the medals, event pins, and those much coveted sweet treats! 
Whether taking home official hardware, homemade medals, or festival cookies, every single LDBS member had one thing in common… Well deserved pride in our club and each other!
We all did our best to  represent the Ladysmith Dragon Boat Society with skill, strength, passion, and incredible camaraderie on and off the water.

A massive thank you to VI Paddling for hosting a wonderful event at the Comox Dragon Boat Festival, Race Marshal Peter for his tireless energy, our Coaches Mary and Lesley, our Club Steer Wayne, our guest steers Chris and Oskar, the dock volunteers, and every supporter who cheered us on from the shore. Here’s to many more victories, firsts, and shared memories on the water!

Photo Credits: Len G., Anita S., Leah B-C., and official festival photographer Douglas Bain (Blue Giraffe Photography). Videography: Dan C.