The Sea Dragons Drop Seconds in Sproat Lake Showdown!
The Preparation:
In the early morning light, paddlers warm up together, sharing a relaxed moment before the shift from land to water. Warm-ups set the rhythm, leading into loading from the beach, where the team climbed carefully along the inside of the boat to take their benches all set for a full day of racing!
The Prow’s Pulse
Our “Funpetitive” team, Sea Dragons, had a great day on the water at the Sproat Lake Festival on June 7th. There were 3 x 300 metre races, with 3 teams pitted against each other. Times for all three races were totalled to get the top teams for the day.
First Race – 1:29.66
Sea Dragons had our best start ever, and ended up second in this heat. The lake was calm and so was the team. They dug in and gave it their all.
Second Race – 1:30.56
Despite a very windy, choppy lake, we managed to make good time. Our steersperson, Rick, held on with everything he had and brought us across the finish line in second place again. Everyone was soaked, as the waves were lapping over the sides and into the boat—not pretty, but it showed what a gritty team we are.
A steersperson race was scheduled after lunch to assess conditions, and luckily the wind had died down, allowing everyone to complete their third race.
Third Race – 1:31.59
This race really felt like our best. The team clicked together, timing was good, and it was a great way to finish the day. We were surprised the time wasn’t our fastest, but conditions are always different. Again, they came in second.
Overall, the Sea Dragons showed clear progress over last year, shaving around 10 seconds off their race times and delivering consistent performances across all three heats.
An avid Sea Dragons Fan captured this video of the team in action!
The Paddler’s Perspective
The day started out very promising - sunny and calm winds. There was an air of excitement and anticipation as all teams gathered in preparation for the competition. Familiar faces were everywhere, and there was a shared sense of looking forward to a beautiful day on the glassy calm waters of Sproat Lake.
The races were well organised and efficiently marshalled, with loading assistants helping everyone in and out of the boats with ease. As the day went on, conditions became more challenging as the wind built, adding intensity to racing on the water.
By midday, all teams had completed two of their three races, and a lunch break was called while conditions were assessed for the final race.
Fortunately, the wind relented, and all teams were able to complete their final races of the day.
The Sea Dragons finished 7th overall in the Women’s division, with a total time of 4:31.97, narrowly beaten by West Coast Warriors by just 11/100ths of a second. In fact, the finishing times from 6th to 9th place were all within a second of each other - what a tightly contested field.
Looking across the results, the margins told their own story: every race was decided in seconds, sometimes fractions of a second, with crews separated by the smallest of gaps across all three heats.
More importantly, the underlying progress was clear. Compared to last season’s times—1:41.74, 1:39.80, and 1:39.49—the Sea Dragons showed a noticeable step forward in speed and consistency across all three races.
Although we didn't win any medal (only the top 3 teams out of 14 did), our Captain, Suzanne, made us all a beautiful souvenir for the day.
Many thanks go to WCDBS, Coach Dawn, Race Managers Sharon and Barb, and most importantly steersperson Rick, for navigating the boat safely through some challenging conditions.
It was a really fun day, and we topped it off by celebrating together at the Rod and Gun Club in Parksville.
We are looking forward to more racing this season!
Paddles Up from The Sea Dragons! 🐉
