This is it. Year one. DONE.

This past weekend we were in Pawtucket, RI at the Taiwanese Festival and Dragon Boat races. It was supposed to be work, but as usual it just seemed like a mini-vacation. The coolest thing ever was that I got to try steering their boats.. which are NOT like any dragon boat I have ever seen. These are floating BATHTUBS and about as agile as you'd expect an old cast iron one to be! Impossible to turn on a dime, wide enough to lay crosswise, and steered from the wrong side with an oar that weighs.. well, seven tons at least. Ok, maybe not seven tons, but definitely more than I'm used to. The paddles too were shorter, thicker and heavier than conventional ones.. didn't get to try paddling but it looked quite interesting to say the least.

What dragons do for play :) We were going for the Titanic look...

The boats were gorgeous, the teams a lot of fun, and the day just brilliant - hot, sunny and perfect. (And did i mention that even though i couldn't turn the boat around with anything even resembling finesse or elegance, i was able to keep the thing straight down the course and won my first raceout?! Whoop! Oh it was awesome.) It was the last festival we're gonna work for the season - and next weekend is the last festival we're going to compete in. The Quebec Cup is the mother of all festivals for me - I think for G too. This is because of the insane 2000m race we have to do. It's full of aggression, determination, skill, and just plain old brutality. The steers are in the spotlight in this one.. and they do all they can (most of it legal) to get the edge they need to win. Raced around a 250m course, there are 7 turns to be made (and they need to be tight around the buoys so as not to lose time or allow another boat to get the advantage) and it can get really rowdy. Just our kind of fun.

Can't believe we're here. Yesterday was our last weight training session of year one. We have two last on-water practices this week, and then a weekend of crazy racing, and FINITO. (then three weeks of "vacation" and right back into murderous indoor training. Can't wait!)