After more than a decade since its inception, The Fraser Valley Dragon Boat Club is hosting their 12th annual Harrison Dragon Boat Regatta on July 23.
Members of just under 70 teams will meet on Harrison Lake to participate in races all day. While six of these teams are members of the Fraser Valley Dragon Boat Club, the rest of them come from False Creek, Fort Langley, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vancouver Island, and even Washington.
Each team competes in four races with the top three teams in each division taking home medals. With just under 50 races happening throughout the day, Scott Farrell, president of the Fraser Valley Dragon Boat Club and the regatta director, explained that the event is one of the largest of its kind.
“You’re always seeing activity and that’s unique for our regatta,” he said. “Most regattas will do the same type of thing over two days and we do it all on one day, so there’s an energy there that a lot of festivals do not have.”
The club has been based out of Harrison Hot Springs for 15 years, and Farrell finds the village the perfect location for dragon boating.
“With Harrison, the lake is so big that everybody can enjoy it and not be in each other’s way,” he said. “You look out and it’s gorgeous, whether it’s raining or whether the sun is out. It’s just a nice, great environment.”
While the boating is the main attraction, it will also include vendors, and even a group of ukulele players from the Chilliwack Academy of Music.
The regatta takes place on Saturday, July 23, with the first race starting at 8:30 a.m.