Dragon fever

July 29, 2010 · Filed Under Festivals in the News, News

Ottawa womens’ dragon boat team hopes to make waves in Macau at world championships

By Janet Wilson, The Ottawa Citizen

Galley Girls Janet Wilson and Carol Belanger try to keep dry while enjoying Macau’s night life.

Photograph by: Stephanie Brousseau, Image supplied

Ottawa’s Galley Girls are now in the land where it all began. The heat is up and dragon fever has infected the tiny island of Macau, where the world club crew dragon boat championship is set to begin Thursday, July 29.

The crew of 25 are the first Ottawa women’s team to qualify for a world meet and will compete against 15 crews from around the globe including two teams each from Montreal and Toronto. The Galley Girls, along with longtime coach Bruce Raymond, a captain on the Ottawa Fire Department who has paddled in several world championships, arrived Monday after a gruelling 27-hour flight.