The Gung Haggis Fun Cranberry team takes the inside corner to pass another boat. Gung Haggis "rookie of the year candidate" Alissa Fletcher lead strokes our team, Jane and Keng in 2nd seat, rookies Brooke and Karl in 3rd seat, followed by rookies Marion and Ryan in 4th seat. - photo Todd Wongout... and it warmed us.
We had 2 teams: Gung Haggis Fat Turky and Gung Haggis Fun Cranberry. We had a strong and enthusiastic dragon boat team this year. Last year we 7 non-Gung Haggis paddlers join our two teams. But this year, we had 20 current Gung Haggis paddlers + 3 Gung Haggis alumni.
It's a crazy race finale. Put 10 voyageur canoes on the water - 100 paddlers.
Point them in the same direction up river. Sound the horn. drop pumpkins in the water.
Paddle towards a pumpkin. Fight another team for a pumpkin. Paddle under the bridge. Take a 1.5 km loop. Go around a marker go to the other side of the river, where a paddler jumps onto the beach. They balance a glass of juice on their paddle and walk up the beach, before jumping back in the boat. Go back around the marker, then under the bridge to the finish line.
Do canoes bump into each other going around turns, and along the straight-aways? You betcha!
But first of all, each team had to race 2 preliminary heats: 2 laps around a 250m length with turns for a possible 1.5 km distance.
Here's the Gung Haggis Fun Cranberry team showing good form with big reach. After lots of initial boat bumpings in their first race, they broke free of the pack in their second race, and finished 1st - sending them to the A Final.
While Karl and Raphael walk up the beach balancing glasses of cranberry juice on their paddles, the Gung Haggis Fun Cranberry team tries to catch up to the Gung Haggis Fat Turkey team. - photo Deb Martin
