Rose Festival 2013: Dragon Boat Races hit the water with new, faster craft

By Becca Stanek, The Oregonian

2013 Portland Rose Festival dragon boat races

Red paddles and rainbow boats added a splash of color Saturday morning to the Willamette River for the 25th anniversary of the Rose Festival’s Dragon Boat Races.

Sixty-nine teams and hundreds of spectators gathered at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park to compete and cheer each other on throughout the daylong event. Teams of 20, ranging from high school students to corporate representatives and groups of breast cancer survivors, paddled across the river in heats of four boats.

The excitement at this year’s event was about more than the races though.

Eight new boats replaced the old fleet, which had been used since 1989. The first two new boats were donated in 2009 and the other six were made and donated by Portland’s sister city Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this year. The boats cost about $20,000 apiece.

Teams were enthusiastic about the updated boats. Carolyn Stewart, who has competed in the Dragon Boat Races since 1996, said she thinks the boats will help improve her team, Liquid Asset’s, performance.

“We love the new boats,” Stewart said. “These boats are lighter; the seating is different because now we can seat 20 instead of 16; it’s more comfortable; it’s easier to get up and out of the water. I’m excited.”

The races will continue throughout the day and are scheduled to conclude at 4 p.m.