Last weekend was the first dragonboat regatta of the season. Our fledging wee team – Typhoons – has struggled this summer and we always seem to have six empty seats in the boat each practice. What’s with that?! Anyhow, we headed off to Woodstock on a gorgeous day for their wee regatta made up of 40 boats.
We posted a good first time in race one – 2:29 and change and managed to beat that in the second race with a 2:28:19 which placed us 3rd in our division heading into the final race of the day, the championship race. Sadly, we tanked and struggled to a 2:33 finish in fourth place.
That said, for a team of recreational paddlers, who rarely have a full boat at practice, with a crew of several dragonboat virgins, and the muscle of some last minute paddlers who joined us from CTV Lake Lizards (thanks guys), a damn fine showing me thinks.
Our next regatta is the big two-day GWN in September and I’m sure we’ll paddle all the harder on Thursday nights knowing we can do better.
2) lots of spectators; 3) Team Typhoon camp
6) loading up for the final race of the day
12 & 13) great shots from Coach Vince in the prow
14) Ryan and I mugging for the camera – we’re both stars
AppsScraps 
one of my friends from college does dragonboating in la; i think he still goes out with the team to race. i never really got into it but it looks like a lot of fun!
You knocked the head off your prow? That’s got to be inauspicious!
Congrats on bettering your time. There is a lake here that is being prepared to international specifications for crew racing and I hear even Dragon Boats!! I hope it is true!