Paddlers delighted with Picton advantage

A struggle to find appropriate water at other venues and a well-placed question has resulted in Picton hosting its first Dragon Boat Regatta.

Paddlers jumped from venue to venue, making preparations expensive for the Aoraki Dragons’ Akaroa 10’s event last year.

So, Dana Goodwin of Marlborough’s Simply the Breast Dragon Boat team encouraged the sport’s South Island organising board to consider Picton.

Now New Zealand’s finest crews will converge on Shelly Beach for the Picton 10’s Beach Race Regatta.

Dana hopes this will start an ongoing, biannual, event as competing on home water against teams travelling to Picton also means it will be Simply the Breast’s first time having two full crews.

“It’s great for us as while we usually have a roster of 27 people that paddle regularly, the extra time and costs for travelling makes it much harder for the whole team to be able to attend regattas.”

“Our regulars are so excited to have numbers, and people who haven’t paddled in a few years are coming out of the woodwork because they’re excited to have family and friends to cheer them on from Shelly Beach,” Dana says.

The regatta is a real boost, Dana says.

“I believe the Marlborough Dragon Boat Club are experiencing the same swell too, so we’ll both be doing our best to defend home water Sunday and would love the support.”

The Picton 10’s Beach Race Regatta goes from 9am until 3pm Sunday 26 January.