Windy conditions no problem for Penticton dragon boaters

PENTICTON – High winds altered the race course on Sunday, but overall the 2016 version of the Penticton Dragonboat Festival was a success.

Race director Don Mulhall says windy conditions “challenged” the festival, but some changes to the course made for some exciting races on Saturday, followed by a return to a normal 500 metre course on Sunday.

“We had a bit of wind delay on Saturday to reset the course, but by the end of the day everyone was racing on schedule,” he says.

Mulhall says the vendors and beer garden were busy, noting the changes in the race course made for some “out of the box” racing.

“Everybody pulled together to make the changes we made happen, and everyone had a good time at it,” he says.

Eighty-seven teams consisting of 2,200 people in women’s and mixed teams participated in this year’s event. Mulhall says this year’s competition was stiffer than other years with teams from False Creek participating, considered some of the best in North America.

“During the weekend people were already asking about next year’s dates,” he says.

Team Survivorship won the Breast Cancer Challenge match with a time of 2:31:51, beating competitors North Shore Dragon Busters, Sistership Calgary, Breast Friends DBRT, Abreast in a Boat and Bust N Loose.

Go here for a full list of results.

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