Dragons fly down Barwon River

DRAGON Boat squads from across Victoria descended on the Geelong Canoe Club to kickstart the Dragon Boat season at the weekend.

More than 350 paddlers faced a chilly start to a beautiful Sunday morning on the Barwon River for the Battle on the Barwon Regatta.

Geelong Dragon Boat Club president Susannah Gillam said she embraced the challenge of running the event every year alongside Dragon Boat Victoria (DBV), but it was only possible with the assistance of fellow club members.

“Members were here from 7.30am helping set up for the morning, as has been the case in the many years this event has been running,” Ms Gillam said.

“But the turnout this year is great and despite some colder conditions, we are very grateful for the weather we got for the day.

“The numbers we’re seeing at these events only suggest to us that Dragon Boaters want to participate in events all year round.”

DBV, the sport’s governing body in the state, coordinates upwards of 10 regattas each year.

DBV chief executive officer Craig Ryan said there were 26 Dragon Boat clubs across Victoria with members ranging in age from 10 to 75, all of whom were ecstatic to be back competing and participating in regattas again after a tough two years.

“Despite it being one of the calendar’s smaller events, it’s still a lot of people who come down for it. This regatta essentially serves as our season launch.

“There’s a lot of different people who are part of the Dragon Boat community, the majority of which are there for social participation with an element of competition on top of that. These events are a perfect way to cater to both kinds of participants and it’s great to have them back.”

For more information, head to revolutionise.com.au/geelongdragons/home.