The Squamish Dragon Boat Association’s ladies team captured gold.
Chawanda, which includes The Chief’s sales staffer Cathie Greenlees, took the win in the Eagle B division this weekend at the first Annual Intel Spring Regatta at Rocky Point, Port Moody.
The team took the lead in their first 2 races in the 200-metre heat with times of 1:01.003 and 1:00.156.
In the third race, they placed third with a time of 0.59.375. That was less than .300 of a second behind the team that took second.
It was a performance that sent Chawanda to the Eagle B division finals.
The last heat was in the afternoon with the tide going down and the wind picking up. However, team captain Wendy Booth felt that what might be harsher conditions for the opposing teams would actually give Chawanda an edge.
“These are the conditions we train in, wind and waves in the Howe Sound,” she said in a news release.
It seems like she may have been on to something. The team paddled to victory with a time of 0.59.500 — that was over two seconds faster than the competition.
The Squamish club has about four to five more races coming up over the season, as well as a Learn to Paddle starting April 29.
