The Sunshine Coast has a new boat made in Germany - and it isn't a new B.C. ferry!
The Sunshine Dragons dragon boat division of the Gibsons Paddle Club welcomed their new boat to Mackenzie Marina in Porpoise Bay last Saturday. The sleek craft was brought by ship to Montreal and then transported on a trailer to B.C with four others.
The boat, called a BuK, is lighter and faster than the present boat. The BuK is modelled on the original teak dragon boats brought to Vancouver for Expo in 1986 and is now the official international racing boat. The Sunshine Dragons Abreast team raced in them in the Australian regatta last September. The boat is owned by the Gibsons Paddle Club and half the funds were raised by the dragon boaters.
The new addition means that more teams can be accommodated at prime practice times and that paddlers can get used to a regatta boat and have experience in actually racing alongside another boat. Perhaps there might be a mini-regatta coming up, now that Pender Harbour has a dragon boat team, and a team could come from Powell River. Not all teams enter regattas, however, and many people just like to get out on the water.
Any interested paddlers should contact Judy Malnarick at 604-885-0491 as registration for the new season closes at the end of January. There are opportunities for men, women, youth, corporate teams and breast cancer survivors. It's a great social, inexpensive and fun sport, with the main season running from April to June.
