Victoria Festival - Pearl Final

It was that close. Secrets in Boat 4. Thanks to Trish and Trish's friends for these shots.

We were steady in the heats, and the heats were our first taste of racing as a team outside the relatively calm waters of the Selkirk water and the Gorge. The team handled the boat well on the start line. We didn't have any episodes on the line or during the race as some boats did.

We were strong in the semifinals and the final. We led the final into the finish and through the finish. It was a fast close race. It was just that close.

Race Day - August 9/08

Victorious paddled in the GO Center's Gorge Fun Fest on August 9, coming home with bronze medals in the Green Event.

The day started sunny, but turned to clouds and rain. The tide was running up the course, which contributed to the fast times. The event is competitive, with the majority of teams, outside the very top flight, turning in teams between 2:10 and 2:20 in their final races.

How did our day go? We have pictures. We warmed up. We marshalled, we paddled out. We raced, with good starts and powerful finishes. We took pictures on the grassy knoll in the traffic circle. Captain Nina collected the bling.

We debriefed in the bar at the GO Center, being too snobbish to sit it the beer garden in the rain with the other teams.

We were satisfied with our races. We placed in the middle of the middle. We could have done better, but we felt like we were working and moving the boat. We knew we had been in a race. We were sweaty, sore, tired and happy.

Our teammate Raymond Patts works for Canada Post, and he organized and coached a team of his co-workers in June, the First Class Dragon Boat team, which won the gold medal in the yellow event. They had some rough spots in their first race - they could have taken medals in higher divisions. It felt like he was abandoning us, but he was working on something important.