Inlet Spirit Makes Its Mark at Concord
Early morning group shot (missing our coach and several of our Sr C crew)
What a day! Inlet Spirit had a fantastic time at the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival on August 22, and we couldn’t be prouder of what our crews accomplished.
For a brand-new club, this was another important step in our journey. Our crews are still getting to know each other on the boat, our newer racers are gaining valuable race experience, and every race is helping us build something special.
And Concord certainly gave us plenty of challenges to work through!
The water at Concord was tough, with a strong headwind and the tide heading out. That made for challenging racing conditions, but our crews dug deep and rose to the occasion.
Women’s Crew
Our women’s crew battled their way into the Women’s B Division Final, finishing 5th.
It was a hard-fought day, and the crew showed tremendous determination as they navigated the challenging conditions. Getting into the B Division Final was a great accomplishment for a crew that is still coming together and finding its rhythm.
Women’s race results:
Race #10: 02:39.217 — 5th
Race #24: 02:37.125 — 7th
Race #35: 02:45.218 — 5th in B Final
Inlet Spirit Mixed crew paddles up to the start line
Mixed Crew
Our mixed crew faced the same challenging conditions and also earned a spot in the Mixed D Division Final, finishing 5th.
There was no podium this time, but there was plenty to celebrate. The crew continued to build experience, learn how to race together and demonstrate the grit that is becoming part of the Inlet Spirit identity.
Mixed race results:
Race #6: 02:26.773 — 4th
Race #16: 02:38.883 — 8th
Race #: 02:32.451 — 5th in D Final
🥇 Senior Cup Gold!
Our Senior Cup racers (60+) gave us one of the day's biggest highlights.
The crew put down the fastest time of the day for Inlet Spirit — 2:20.724 — and took GOLD! 🥇
And they did it with an open-water finish, making the result even more impressive.
Congratulations to everyone who climbed into that boat and showed what experience, determination and teamwork can do!
PODIUM: Most of our Senior C crew, missing Susan, Carol, Kathy, Amanda, Janet and Howard.
A Huge Thank You
A successful race day takes far more than the people sitting in the boat, and we want to recognize the many people who helped make Saturday such a great experience.
A huge thank you to Coach Denise for not only preparing us for the event, but guiding our crews through another important day of racing, and to Regatta Manager Paul for keeping everything moving behind the scenes.
Thank you to our steers — Jason, Rob and Harvey — and our drummers — Trish and Sandra — for keeping our boats on course and our crews moving together.
Welcome to Regatta Life, Newbies!
Saturday was also a big milestone for several of our paddlers who were competing in their first regatta ever, or first regatta with Inlet Spirit.
Congratulations to Braidey, Niki, Mihir and Jeff! You jumped right in, took on the challenge and represented Inlet Spirit proudly.
And congratulations to Amanda, who raced in her first ever 500-metre regatta.
We hope Saturday gave all of you a taste of what's to come. There will be plenty more racing, learning and opportunities to improve.
A Special Shout-Out to Our Multi-Race Women
We also want to recognize the women who raced multiple times throughout the day, taking on the Mixed, Women’s and Senior C divisions.
The effort, energy and can-do attitude you brought to every race was something to see.
You humble us with your effort and determination.
Inlet Spirit Women’s crew paddles up to the start line
Building Something Special!
When you start a new club, you know it takes time for crews to gel. You learn each other's strengths, figure out how to move together, develop race-day routines and build confidence with every event.
That's exactly what we're doing.
And when we look at how far Inlet Spirit has come in such a short time, we're incredibly proud.
We've built three competitive crews, welcomed new paddlers, raced through challenging conditions, brought home a Senior Cup gold medal and created a team that continues to grow stronger every time we get on the water.
This is just the beginning.
Next Stop: Penticton
Our next race adventure is already on the horizon. Penticton Dragon Boat Festival — September 12–13
We can't wait to see what this crew can accomplish next. Paddles up, Inlet Spirit!