2019 Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival to feature new boat design
Posted June 6, 2019 2:49 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The 31st annual Concord Pacific Dragon Boat Festival has added a new attraction to its annual festivities at False Creek.
In addition to the typical live performances, food trucks, and the races themselves, the festival will also feature a new prototype vessel, which is faster, lighter and much cheaper than a traditional one.
“It’s very responsive, very quick, and very easy to carry which is one of the big challenges with dragon boats,” says executive director Ann Phelps.
Made in part from western red cedar, the boat is able to break apart into three pieces.
“One of the big problems with paddling clubs is you don’t have storage, especially in small communities,” Phelps explains. “In the summer, that’s fine, the boat is out on the water, but in the winter where do you put it? Not everyone has a 60 foot storage space.”
The new boat is the result of a skills training initiative funded by the BC government.
Jill Barber, Yukon Blonde, and K-OS are among the acts headlining the main stage.
The festival runs from June 21st to 23rd.
With files from NEWS 1130’s Dean Recksiedler
