Sports
Get on the Boat!
Friday's "Happy Hour" regatta offers an easy and fun way to learn about dragon boat racing.
If you've ever seen the dragon boats surging through the Garrison Channel and thought, “I’d like to try that,” you’ll have an opportunity this evening at happy hour.
Not the typical happy hour.
We’re talking about the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute’s (TBDBI) Happy Hour Mini Regatta, an early evening get-together that just happens to include a boat race.
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TBDBI’s mini regattas are small, informal races in which paddlers of all skill levels rub elbows. Experienced dragon boaters - like the Canadian National team, who participated in March’s mini regatta – can work on refining their skills. Amateurs can practice and grow. And newbies can learn about the sport and maybe try it out.
“Mini regattas are pure fun! There’s no real pressure. Everyone gets to relax and have a beverage and enjoy being on the downtown waterfront,” said Christine Canevari, executive director of TBDBI.
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The quarterly, mini regattas were started in an effort to keep dragon boats on the water year-round – not just for the annual Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races in the spring. TBDBI also uses the mini regattas to attract new paddlers and encourage them to form teams.
To participate in the mini regatta, paddlers can sign up in advance at the TBDBI web site (www.tampabaydragonboats.com), or show up at the regatta and be placed on a team. Full teams also may register for the event. It’s $10.00 per person, and teams participate in two 250-meter races to start. After the initial races, single gender teams are formed to participate in an additional series of races.
Afterwards, participants enjoy a beer, a glass of wine or a cup of coffee complements of TBDBI. Canevari said that about 200 people participate in the mini regattas, and they come as far as Punta Gorda and The Villages.
“It’s a great way to try out dragon boat racing, because with 19 other people in the boat, your performance is more or less hidden,” said Pam Korotsky, member of the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Club. “You can try something new without exposing your athletic ability.”
The TBDBI’s Happy Hour Mini Regatta takes place this evening from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Sail Pavilion, between the Marriott Waterside and the Tampa Bay Convention Center docks.
