Spicy Ending to Sea Dragons Season
It was a thrilling day at the Comox Dragon Boat Festival on Saturday, September 13 in more than one way.
The Sea Dragons looked forward to their second race of the season, with some of our paddlers participating in their first race ever. There were clear skies and the perfect temperature for racing at the marina. Our first race was timed at 1:05, which was faster than we had raced a 200 metre before, but unfortunately not fast enough. It was a challenge to get used to a BUK dragon boat, and racing in the wide open ocean, but the team was determined to do better for the next race.
As we waited on the dock to file down to our second race, the teams that had just raced passed us. There eyes were wide, their clothes were wet, and they said it was “pretty spicy” out there. The wind had increased, and there were whitecaps to be seen. We boarded the boat, and headed away from the dock. As we rounded the corner out of the marina, we came to a full realization of what we had to battle. This was not little protected Ladysmith marina. This was churning ocean water. The waves were coming right into the boat, and our trusty steersperson, Carol Ann, was holding on with her toenails.
There are no words to describe the effort and energy that the whole team put into staying on track and on time throughout the race. Each and every one of the paddlers were focused on that finish line, and getting er done! The race was a close one, with only 2 1/2 seconds difference between gold and silver. Sea Dragons came in at 1:03.28 and took a silver medal in the B division. The gold in that division was 1:00.85, and bronze was 1:03.86. The top ladies team in the festival was timed at 00:58.64, which was less than 5 seconds better. An incredible result for our little “funpetitive” team. Unfortunately, the races were called soon after our race because of the wind, and we were lucky to get 2 out of the 4 races in. Some teams only paddled in one race.
It is an experience that we will all remember; especially Carol Ann, who kept us on course all the way to the finish. We couldn't have done it without her.
