New B.C.-made dragon boat to race in this year's competition
Experienced boat-builders and aerospace engineer assisted with job training project
North America's biggest dragon boat festival in Vancouver will celebrate its 31st anniversary with a new lightweight dragon boat unveiled Thursday.
The new dragon boat was a year in the making from design to finished product and will take part in this year's competition from June 21-23, which is expected to have a record 5,500 paddlers.
The demonstration of the new boat began with a race against an older model in False Creek. To no one's surprise, the new boat won.
It's made with western red cedar from B.C. as well as high-tech materials that make it light and responsive on the water.
The new design was made possible by a job-skills program funded by the B.C. government, which gave Dragon Boat B.C. $288,000 to train participants to build both a prototype as well as the final full-scale dragon boat.
"It really did change my life," says Angela Gleeson, one of the participants in the job skills program. She now works for Dragon Boat B.C. as a special projects coordinator.
Coun. Michael Wiebe attended the unveiling and recounted his experience of riding with his mom in an assisted dragon boat the morning after he was elected to Vancouver city council last fall.
