The race attracts plenty of high caliber local talent with the crème of the crop – the local fishermen competing in their own division and the feature of the day the 50-man dragon boat race!

What a sight to behold!

Cuke Nation took to the waters in two divisions: Mixed team & the invitation-only International Friendship Cup.

Mixed Team competition was fierce! At the starting line, there was no steersman rope so our drummer held us on the line. It was tense and all paddlers needed to be focused. Then, with just the blast of the horn, it was ON!

The fishermen mixed crews were in a league of their own – and for good reason, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits. The Cukes mixed team of 10 men & 10 women paddlers held their own, competing against teams of 12 men and 8 women in their crew. We stuck to our game plane, executed a new finish and qualified for the silver cup finals. In the end, we earned a respectable 5th runner-up.

The International Friendship Cup was an honor to participate in. Only 6 teams were invited to attend this unique cup which consisted of men’s & mixed teams. The line-up included teams from Japan, Canada, local fishermen and of course Cuke Nation, which itself is a true international team! We had an excellent first race – finishing a comfortable 3rd (behind two men’s teams) putting a target on our backs for the remaining race of the day.

After a local lunch supplied generously by the race organizers, it was back for the finals. We nailed the start and held our position down the 350m-course finishing strongly, nabbing 2nd runners up and a very sizeable trophy and bronze medals all round.

The highlight of the day belonged to the local Fisherman teams and the showcase of the 50-man boat. Seven boats in all took part and it was absolutely stunning to watch! The start was nothing short of frantic! The transitions were seamless and a thrill to watch. Never have we witnessed such complete synchronicity the full length of the boat – and given just how far away the tail of the boat is from the strokes & drummer, it was quite something to behold. Sadly though they generated so much pace that the race was over all too quickly leaving us staring gapping mouthed in their wakes.

Thanks, Tsuen Wan it truly was a pleasure!