The Vancouver Island University Ancient Mariners dragon boat team didn't see any albatrosses this weekend, but they were looking for something that rhymed with “win.”
The Ancient Mariners took top spot in the Mixed Gold Final A division at the Save-On-Foods Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival, which took place at Maffeo Sutton Park between Friday through Sunday. The Ancient Mariners defeated Team Phoenix and Nothin' Dragon Masters with a time of 2:32:033 in the final.
Dan Brydges, Ancient Mariners' team captain, was happy with the result, especially given some of the team were novices.
“About half our team is new, so I'm pretty satisfied with how we did,” said Brydges. “Our first few races, they're trying to figure out what division we're in, so they were challenging races and we didn't come in first, but the last race was exciting. It was very close – I think we won by half a second.”
Leslie Sutton, Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival Society marketing chairwoman, said despite the rain on Saturday the weather cleared up Sunday, adding the event was a success.
“The rain didn't stop one minute of the fun,” said Sutton. “Rain isn't that much of an issue as wind, so paddlers have no problem paddling in the rain. It's the wind that can cause issues, but this year there was just not enough wind to have to cancel races, so it actually worked out fine.”
Proceeds from the event will benefit Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation and Nanaimo Community Hospice Society. Sutton said exact figures for the 2016 event aren't yet known, but the event has raised about $600,000 in the last 13 years.
For full results, please go to www.nanaimodragonboat.com, under the Paddlers tab.