Bay Bosom Buddies dragon boat paddlers off to festival

The Hawke's Bay Bosom Buddies will be teaming up with the Dragons Abreast Sydney to paddle as the Bay Dazzlers in the upcoming international event at Lake Karapiro.

The Bay Bosom Buddies dragon boat paddlers, who have all been affected by breast cancer, will be heading to Lake Karapiro soon to participate in the International Breast Cancer Paddlers’ Commission Participatory Festival.

The event is usually held every four years, although it has been five years since the last, due to Covid, and this is the first time the event has been held in the southern hemisphere.

More than 80 teams are registered and about 2500 people from around the world are expected to be on site for the two-day festival on April 15 and 16.

Twenty paddlers are required for a full team in a dragon boat so the 10 Hawke’s Bay paddlers have combined with the Dragons Abreast Sydney paddlers to form a composite team specifically for this event, and they will be paddling as the Bay Dazzlers.

For this festival everyone on each of the boats, from stem to stern, has been affected by breast cancer, including the drummer at the front and the sweep, or steer, at the back.

The Bay Bosom Buddies were delighted to recently take delivery of their new team shirts from Tony Bartlett and the team at East Coast Uniforms, says secretary-treasurer Dot Foote.

“The shirts were generously sponsored by Roundabout Pre-Loved Boutique for Breast Cancer in Ahuriri and the Hawke’s Bay Breast Cancer Trust.”

All the items in the Bridge St boutique are donated and the shop is run by the owner, Annie Dennehy, and her team of volunteers. Several times a year a percentage of the sales from Roundabout is donated to the Hawke’s Bay Breast Cancer Trust to provide resources, information, and practical support to anyone in Hawke’s Bay affected by breast cancer.

“The Bay Bosom Buddies team truly appreciates the support shown to them by Roundabout and the trust, as well as all those who have supported us in the last three years of fundraising and planning for this trip.”

The Hawke’s Bay Dragon Boat Club is always happy to hear from anyone who would like to come and have a go at paddling. The club is open to anyone, not just those affected by breast cancer. Contact the club on hbdragonboating@gmail.com or Facebook Hawke’s Bay Dragon Boat Club for more information.