Dragon boat paddlers battle it out in winter series

NEARLY 20 dragon boats and outrigger canoes took to the water for the third of four races in the Henley Winter Series at the Eyot Centre.

Freezing conditions and thick fog delayed the race start, but did not deter the competitors, which included a team of breast cancer survivors and a mixed-ability group of para-canoeists.  

In total seven 20-person dragon boats, one 10-person dragon boat and nine six-person outrigger canoes took part in the race. The dragon boats covered a 7km course, and the outrigger canoes covered a 12km course, under Henley bridge and down towards Hambleden Lock.

A team of breast cancer survivors, the Pink Royals, were one of the teams to take to the water. They were made up of women from around the country.

Wendy Grose, 62, from Bournemouth, led the team. She said: “Twenty years ago if you had breast cancer you were told not to do upper body exercises.

“Now there are about 300 groups like us around the world. Other teams are fit and young, but our only criterion is that they have to have had breast cancer. I came out of hospital for my last day of chemo and I was paddling two days later.”

Shaun Cook, 36, from Norfolk, took part in the mixed ability boat. He had competed for Great Britain in Portugal in August.

He said: “It’s awesome. You put me in a boat and apart from a few straps I’m the same as everyone else, you don’t see a wheelchair.

“It’s my first time doing a winter series. It’s a friendly competition, like a festival.

“It’s going to be interesting. I’ve got some gloves but I reckon they’re going to come off.”

Tom Barnard, the organiser of the mixed-ability boat, said: “We run as a para team. We’ve got two wheelchair users, two amputees and a core issue and one person was not able to come.

“At the world championships we won four gold medals and a silver in August at Dorney Lake. We’re not put off by the fog.”

The final race of the series is scheduled for Sunday, January 29.