Sixty dragon boats will zip across the Fraser River this weekend for the 3rd Annual Steveston Dragon Boat Festival.
We are very excited because we are sold out, said Ann Phelps, one of the organizers of the event. Our goal three years ago was to sell out by year three and we did it.
The first year we had 20 boats and last year we had 42.
Last year, nearly 20,000 people came out to line the shores near the Britannia Heritage Shipyard and cheer on the rowers, who come from across the province as well as a few from the United States. The competition has attracted teams with rowers as young as 13 and as old as 80-plus.
Thats the great thing about this sport, its very inclusive, very diverse and nobody is left behind, she added. We even have a vision impaired team this year.
The ladies from Abreast in a Boat women who have all fought breast cancer are looking forward to dipping their oars during the friendly competition.
Abreast in a Boat consists of 150 members split into six crews. The team competing in the Steveston Dragon Boat Festival has rowers from various teams.
The squad of 25 has been practicing twice a week at the UBC Boathouse, as well as working out separately at the gym.
Nine of us are from Richmond, said Margaret Hobson, who has been a member of Abreast in a Boat since 1999. It is great to compete in your own backyard this regatta is really fun. When you hear the cheering from family and friends, it is just fantastic.
Hobson, along with Richmonds Rena Pratt (who was an extra), Georgina Patko, Heather Trenholm (the captain of the dragon boat team), and Yvonne Stitch, recently returned from England, where they took part in the massive flotilla down the Thames River for the Queens Thames Diamond Jubilee.
When Pratt, 44, joined the team five years ago, she had never held a paddle in her life.
To say I was athletic would have been a stretch, Pratt said with a laugh. I was very apprehensive at first, but they put me with a novice team, that eased things a bit. I learned Im stronger than I thought I was and that I can face anything.
Both Hobson and Pratt are determined to win their race on their home turf.
Renas team won a medal in Nanaimo and we got first race ribbon for our division, said Hobson, adding their biggest threat for their race to the podium is the North Shore Dragon Busters.
Both say regardless of whether they win or not, the camaraderie and the exercise make it all worthwhile. We are all women who have learned to really embrace and love life, said Pratt. Since Ive joined the team Ive never felt healthier or stronger.
Throughout the day, each team will compete in four races, lasting about 15 minutes each. If all the races are done by 5 p.m., we will have the medal ceremony at 5:30 p.m., said Phelps. This year, weve added a womens division and we have 12 to 14 all female teams taking part.
The 2012 Steveston Dragon Boat Festival will be held on Saturday, Aug. 25 beginning at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., outside the Britannia Heritage Shipyard, at Westwater Drive and Railway Avenue. The all-day festival features entertainment, childrens crafts and arts, vendors and food.
Everything is free, except the food its a great family event, said Phelps.
At 10 a.m., the public is invited to hop on a boat and try dragon boating for a donation to the Richmond Food Bank. At 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., there will be live entertainment on the main stage.
For more information, visit www.stevestondragonboatfestival.ca.
Anyone who has fought breast cancer is invited to join Abreast in a Boat. For more information, visit www.abreastinaboat.com.
