CANADA, CANADA, CANADA

Hello to everyone at home. Thanks again for visiting our blog. I am having a great time doing the daily posts. Today is July 31, 2:45pm.

It was quite an eventful day. The GD's were at the race site around 8:30am and our 2000m heat was scheduled for 10:15am. Upon arrival at the dam, you could feel the energy....teams were arriving by the bus full and many had already set up their tents. Banners and flags everywhere.

We were all on high alert and the nerves were going as we all had to use the "facilities" right away. Did I mention the bathrooms at the race site are all "squatters"? Yep...just another cultural experience to take home with us. Even the portapotties were squatters.

I know...you are all wondering how we did.

Here are some Pictures first: Walking to Marshalling Area, Marshalling, Getting Ready to Start

We were first off the line and had the most amazing start. Spray and wash everywhere, but our timing was very precise and our supports on land said it looked strong. The air was dense and moist in the boat...not a breath of fresh air to be had, but we dug deep and the boat never lost momentum. We raced exceptionally and in my opinion, probably the best 2000m we've ever done. The course seemed a bit longer than 2000m.

Results: (approx. times)

1) Mayfair 9:48

2) Sudbury - Chiros 9:58

3) Gorging Dragons - 9:59

Canada took Gold, Silver and Bronze !!!!!!!! and apparently we also took 4th and 5th place too

So there you have it....we are over joyed and tired. Time for a nap. Tomorrow we have 200m races....what a great way to start this world event.

Bye for now.

July 30th Practice

There is not much to report today. The GD's were up early and out the door for our final practice session. It is currently 2:15pm on Wednesday Jul 30. The routine has been that we arrive back from practice around 10:30am and then shower, then eat, then nap, then do some light exercise, then eat, then sleep...pretty exciting eh??

Tomorrow we will compete in the 2000m event around 10am. We are in the second heat or round. I believe there are approximately 25 premier mixed teams and 2 heats of 12-13 boats. It is the same set up as at the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival; 4 lengths of 500m with 3 turns. We are all very excited.

There was a bit of a breeze today at the dam which makes the sun seem not as hot. Other Canadian teams were present as well as Germany, Australia, Iran, Phillipines, etc....

Below are some pictures from today...enjoy.

July 29th Practice

It is 2pm on July 29th. Today we began our day with the usual breakfast buffet around 6:30am. Again, I have to mention that the breakfast is awesome; just to give you all a small taste of the menu, there are eggs (cooked anyway you want), pancakes, museli, yogurt, coconut rice, fried rice, salad, hashbrowns, toast, fruit, etc.....

Enough about food, you all want to know about our practice.

At 7:15am we boarded our designated bus and headed northwest to the Teluk Bahang Dam (the race site). It is a 20minute bus ride along a windy road which reveals some beautiful coastal

scenery.

At the race site we were reunited with our paddles and began our warmup before heading out on the water.

Many teams started arriving shortly after us. The tent assigments show a large contingent of Canadian teams, let's hope we hear that Canadian Anthem over and over and over again when it comes time for medals.

The boats are not BUKs, but similar. Seat #1 has the most challenging position since the seats are very close to the drummer, not nearly enough leg room for Rick and Mel. The boat feels fast and the wake is large. Seat's 1, 2, and 3 are definately in for some wake bashing during the start.

The weather was tolerable when we first arrived, but the sun started to peak out from the clouds and we all felt it. We spent 45mins on the water and retreated to our A/C bus for a ride back to the Dorsett Penang Hotel.

Until next time......

Arrivals

It is Monday July 28th and the GD’s have been reunited in Penang. Most of us have been in SE Asia for a few days now; some in Bangkok, others in Singapore and some have been acquainting themselves with Penang. Acclimatization is our goal because the heat is SERIOUS out here.

Our hotel is very comfortable, equipped with a gym, pool, friendly staff and an extremely yummy buffet breakfast. You can start to feel the energy of the races. Other teams are arriving as this is one of many official event hotels (Dorsett Penang Hotel).

We were notified that racing will begin on THURSDAY, not FRIDAY. The GD’s race in the premier mixed category. We will race the 2000m on Thursday before Noon, 200m Friday Morning, and 500m Saturday afternoon.

Today will be spent getting over our jet lag, exchanging money, stocking fridges with water, juice, fruit, snacks, finding laundry services, some light exercise and maybe even sneaking in a nap. Tomorrow we will head out to the Teluk Dam for the first of two practices.

Did I mention the HEAT and HUMIDITY?? Yep, it’s hot and humid. The overcast weather is keeping us out of the direct sun but the humidity keeps you sticky and moist all day if you are not in an establishment with A/C.

Tomorrow will be exciting as we will be paddling together in Penang for the first time. The boats are slightly different than the BUK boats we are used to, but more similar to a BUK than a millennium.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates.

Departures

Departure week is upon us. Today is Monday July 21. Two more group practices on Tuesday and the GD's head off to Malaysia. What a surreal moment; for months we have been engaged in 8 weekly group practices and now there are 2 left.

Departure dates and times differ for all of us, but we will all be overseas by Saturday.

We would like to thank everyone who came to our fundraisers, bought tickets and donated to our journey to Malaysia. The Gorging Dragons will represent Western Canada in Malaysia, but we are also representing all of our supporter too.

Stay tuned for more updates.....

4 Weeks to Go !!!!!

2.5 weeks to race day
1.5 weeks to our departure for Malaysia