We had perfect weather for the Penticton Regatta from Sept. 6 – 8! The waters were smooth and there was no wind.
Thanks to those who went out to the park on Friday night to set up the tents. We had a great spot under some trees close to the water spray park which gave us lots of privacy, a great open space for warming up, spreading out, staying cool and relaxing between races.
Friday night was enjoyed by all those that were staying at the Riverside Motel and others that dropped by to enjoy our traditional appetizers and drinks.
Saturday was a beautiful morning with still waters. Lori and Robbin stepped in as managers for the weekend and kept track of our race times, results, gathering everyone for warmups and just being there to support. Warmups were led by Darlene with great music by DJ Grace. In our down time, we enjoyed the ambiance of Dale’s saxophone playing.
Congratulations to Dave F for steering a fabulous slalom down the race course finishing us in 10th place in the Steers Challenge. Dave’s expertise, focus and dryland practice prior to the race proved successful. Everyone had fun paddling the 1000m and many experienced it for the first time.
BIG thanks to Sandra for organizing the potluck barbecue for Saturday night. Over 60 paddlers enjoyed the potluck and BBQd chicken, burgers, smokies and grilled salmon. We were happy to invite the Draggin Divas to join us so that the teams from Rocky Point could enjoy an evening of food, drinks, socializing and dancing. Rob V was also able to join in on the fun as his team was also staying at the motel. The potluck food was endless and extras were brought to the race site for Sunday enjoyment.
There was potential for a thunder and lightning storm on Sunday, but races sped forward and ahead of schedule to keep us ahead of any impending storm which helped finish the racing early. We packed up in our usual quick fashion and headed to the beer garden for a much deserved and rewarding cold drink while eyeing the black clouds in the distance. As always, this venue never fails with spectacular beach side/water views for both racers and spectators, numerous vendors and food options.
No bling or coveted “sticker”, we know we gave it our all, and we had smiles on our faces at the end! It was a first for us to make it into the Platinum (highest) Division. We made it into the top 8 of 24 mixed division teams. Here are our race results:
Race 1 – 2:18:56 2nd place
Race 2 – 2:20:87 2nd place
Steers Challenge – 3rd out of the gate, finishing 10th out of 20 teams with a time of 6:33.17
Race 3 – 2:23:10 4th in the Mixed Platinum Semi 1 Final
Race 4 – 2:19.56 4th in the “B” Platinum Final
It was a fun weekend, with fabulous races and excellent times. Thank you to Dave F and Bob for steering us down the race course and for Trish on the drum seat yelling encouragement to dig, dog fight and finish!
We appreciated our large group of cheerleaders and family members who joined us for the weekend: Joan, Elaine, Sara, Stuey, Isla, Karen, Susan, Scott, Ronnie, Brent, Paul, Carol, Mary, John and Sophie! On Saturday we also had Robbin’s sister and nieces, one with her 10-day-old baby; and David Wood’s daughters drove in from Vernon.
Thanks to Coach Denise, who put a lot of time and effort into our training and lineups. We felt we did her proud while she was off at the World’s in Ravenna, Italy winning medals in every race with her teams – showing us how her hard work and dedication to dragon boating has successfully awarded her and NDPS. Huge thanks to Linda who filled in for Denise while she was away.
