FINALLY. Finally, finally, the Dragon Boat Festival came and went. I’ve legitimately been waiting for this since we decided we were moving to China. Even though I have a healthy respect for water, being on it is one of my favorite places in the world, regardless of where in the world I am. The size of the boat is irrelevant: ferry boat, fishing boat, kayak, dinghy… I’m a happy girl in a boat.
Fiery passion for the dragon boat
My excitement for dragon boats hatched when I lived in Vermont years ago. The high-end lighting manufacturer I worked for sponsored a team to paddle in a real dragon boat race on Lake Champlain in northern Vermont. This annual race, coordinated by an organization known as Dragonheart Vermont (DHVT,) raises funds to provide support to breast cancer survivors. Fifteen years ago, DHVT began with just one team of cancer survivors and today has ten teams. They compete internationally! Their teams vary in age, gender and skill level but all have one thing in common: passion for the sport and passion for raising money for their cause. One of my favorite memories of Vermont was this race. I even had a mohawk! When you’ve finished reading my business, please check out their website here.
Here in the homeland…
Because I have such fond memories of that experience I was beyond excited to witness a genuine Chinese dragon boat race. Ambitious Jamie asked around about getting on a team despite being in less-than-perfect physical condition. Sadly, there were no open teams here near us in Shenzhen BUT there’s a group of expatriates from all over the world that get together and make a team in Hangzhou, where we will be moving at summer’s end. Next year it’s my goal to paddle an authentic Chinese dragon boat!
So this year I “settled” for being a spectator. Our friend Marshall went with Kim and me to a river not too far from where we live to catch a race. It was exciting! Soon after we found a spot on the riverbank, two boats came racing toward us down the river. They seemed a little smaller than the boat I had paddled in Vermont, maybe half the size. They had about ten paddlers seated in two rows in the middle of the boat, one person in the stern steering and one person in the bow, beating a drum. Our boats in Vermont had 20 paddlers.
Peril on the river
Suddenly one of the boats lost its bearing and turned sharply, nearly T-boning the other boat and sending them both toward the stone-lined river side. Luckily they survived with minimal damage and kept racing down the river past us.
We were able to see the final two heats of the day and while they were not as fast-paced as I remember Vermont was, I still got caught up in the excitement of teamwork and competitive spirit. I cannot wait to get in a boat again.