Racers battle slushy conditions at Ottawa's 1st ice dragon boating festival
CBC News | Posted: February 19, 2017 12:59 AM | Last Updated: February 19, 2017
Organizers have hailed event as 1st of its kind in North America
Perhaps the "slush dragon" boat festival might have been a better name.
This weekend marked the debut of the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat Festival — a highlight of Winterlude 2017, and an event organizers had hailed as the first of its kind to be held in North America.
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On a balmy Saturday afternoon, competitors from as far away as California and Florida took to the semi-frozen surface of Dow's Lake, using spiked paddles to push the hefty boats across the finish line.
"It was amazing," said Chynna Chan, who came from Philadelphia to compete. "[The] first heat was much better because of the ice conditions, and we glided through. Second one was a little tougher, but it was so worth it."
Temperatures in Ottawa soared to 8 C on Saturday, and the deteriorating conditions forced festival organizers to cancel the final heat of races and go straight to the finals.
Racers, however, seemed happy just to be on the ice — even if there might be a few soothing massages needed afterwards.
"Everybody's having fun," said Toronto's Ivan Lee. "We're glad it's nice and warm out here, but the slush is causing us a lot of shoulder and arm pain. But we're grinning through it and smiling through it."
Winterlude wraps up on Monday.