Monday, 18 August 2008

Dragon Boats

Saturday 2nd August - I spent the day at Dover Regatta. Stormy weather caused cancellation of several displays, but the Dragon Boat racing went ahead. Now these are fine for lakes and rivers, but the sea adds another element. The boats are quite shallow and a modest wave can easily slop over the gunwale. So they fill up and then become unstable. A slight lurch to on side will send the water in the boat to that side and overturn it in a flash. Or it starts to go down at the head. One boat sank three times before the crew, treating it all with great hilarity, paddled it out to race. I took many photos from the shore or the pier, and there are some hilarious sequences. The two photos here are of a boat having capsized and the drummer taking a dive.
Posted by Picasa

No comments: