The race is on - the Bay Dazzlers battle it out on Lake Karapiro.
The race is on - the Bay Dazzlers battle it out on Lake Karapiro.
Easter may be a distant memory for many of us, but for the Bay Dazzlers dragon boat racing team, it’s a time they’ll find hard to forget.
On Easter Monday, 10 Bay Bosom Buddies breast cancer paddlers from the Hawke’s Bay Dragon Boat Club headed to Lake Karapiro for the International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission Participatory Festival. Team member, Dot Foote, says the team thoroughly enjoyed the festival.
“We loved meeting paddlers from around New Zealand and overseas, and experiencing the camaraderie that is always part of any dragon boat event and is even more evident among those affected by breast cancer.”
A one-hour training session on Wednesday was the first opportunity for the Hawke’s Bay group to meet with their Australian teammates from Dragons Abreast Sydney who also had a partial team. The two groups combined to form a full crew of 20 and paddled for the festival as the Bay Dazzlers.
The HB Bosom Buddies teamed up with Dragons Abreast Sydney to form the Bay Dazzlers.
Foote says due to the lack of paddling opportunities in Hawke’s Bay since Cyclone Gabrielle hit the area, there were some nerves about the prospect of 500m races on Saturday.
“Having the chance to paddle that distance several times during training meant the team felt more confident going into race day.”
On Friday all teams participated in a Parade of Nations through the centre of Cambridge. The Hawke’s Bay team proudly wore black and white with some Art Deco accessories to represent both New Zealand and Hawke’s Bay.
The HB Bosom Buddies at the Parade of Nations in Cambridge.
The Bay Dazzlers paddled in two 500m heats on Saturday. In the second heat, they came in sixth, with a minuscule 0.6 of a second between third and sixth places.
“We were very happy to be so close at the finish.”
There wasn’t time on Saturday for the 500m finals however the team was elated to find the combined times from their two races meant they finished 30th overall for the day, out of 80 teams.
Foote says although the event is deemed participatory and not meant to be competitive, there was definitely a sense of pride knowing the team had done their absolute best on the day.
“We would have made it into one of the four finals if they had been held. To say the team was chuffed with that result is an understatement.”
On Sunday 200m races were scheduled and the Bay Dazzlers paddled in the first of those.
“Unfortunately, the wind picked up through the morning, and the difficult decision was made by the organising committee to cancel racing for the day as conditions were just not safe.”
The IBCPC Festival traditionally concludes with the Sandy Smith Global Finale and Flower Ceremony which is held on the water. Mixed crews from all around the world come together in each of the boats to honour all those affected by breast cancer, and to remember those lost to the disease.
The IBCPC Festival traditionally concludes with a flower ceremony which is held on the water.
“Due to the weather conditions on Sunday, those ceremonies had to be held on land, however, they were still a very moving and special part of the whole festival.”
The international festival is held every four years, and an announcement is yet to be made about the date and venue for the next one. After such a great experience the Bay Bosom Buddies will certainly be looking at the possibility of attending again, and hope to recruit more breast cancer paddlers so that one day a full team of Hawke’s Bay BC paddlers can take to the water for dragon boat events in New Zealand or overseas.
The team would like to thank everyone who has helped them in any way to get to this festival - whether by supporting fundraising events, providing funding and sponsorship or sending messages of support and encouragement.
