Still time to get in on Dragon Boat racing

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - There's a saying in the summer "Suns out - Guns out", which means show off your biceps. Well RiverFest 2018 has a chance to show the guns with the return of Dragon Boat Racing on the Mississippi River.

This high-energy competitive paddling race has 20 people in boats carved with dragonheads and tails. Eighteen paddlers get in the boats with two paddlers side by side in nine rows with a flag catcher and a drummer in front. An oarsman is provided by the American Dragon Boats Association and steers the boat from the tail.

Nick Bauswell, who's heading the Dragon Boat racing, for the RiverFest 2018 committee said there is still room for more teams to sign up.

"We still have some room for teams and we can also put individuals who are interested in participating on a team," Bauswell said.

Currently they're are four teams signed up to compete in the double elimination dual heats. Paddlers will start from a pontoon out in the Mississippi River and race 300 meters downstream to a buoy with a flag in it. The flag catcher leans out and pulls the flag which stops the clock.

Bauswell said it's all based on timing and the best teams will be the ones with best cadence off the drum. Teams will be accepted with a minimum of 14 paddlers, and Bauswell said they can be accepted up until the last minute.

Flotation jackets are required and are provided by the ADBA. Personal life jackets are acceptable but they cannot be inflatable flotation devices.

The registration fee to put a team in a boat is still at $500. Bauswell said since it was the first year and people were just getting used to the event again, that the fee wouldn't increase for teams that registered late.

"We ended up keeping the $500 fee, but if you take $500 and divide it by 20 people that's $25 a person. This is a morning of fun competition and if you don't have a team, you should definitely come down and watch this event."

He said don't be worried about being a first timer, teams will be able to practice on Friday.

"We will be doing practicing on Friday evening and then on Saturday we'll have a captains meeting at 9 a.m. with races beginning right around 9:30."

The races are great for companies, groups, clubs and families to come out and test their skills against other groups in the area.

"The weather is supposed to be awesome and the river is predicted to be really good for racing

This is the first time Dragon Boats have been on the Mississippi River in Fort Madison in more than a decade. Lake Geode and Seven Ponds are other areas that have hosted the races locally in the past including the river.

The race is part of RiverFest 2018, the third consecutive year after organizer Charles Craft put the festival back on the schedule in 2016. Racers can then hangout and compete in more RiverFest Games on the east side of the park and then stick around for national music entertainment with Head First, Hinder and contemporary rock sensation Pop Evil rounding the Pen City Current Main Stage acts. X-Crush will keep the music going in the entertainment tent beginning at 11:30 p.m.