Lochore spring 2023
Getting ready for the water. On Saturday we turned Isla Mae right way up in readiness for launching in a few weeks time. She is very heavy and muscles are required, however with good planning and teamwork we managed the job before the co-opted muscle arrived. Well...
Christmas night out #1
Unfortunately our Nordic night out on the canal was cancelled so we moved venue to a local Dragon's house. Drinks around the firepit until the rain came on, so inside to continue. Photos are prohibited from this event as the content may prove embarrassing!! Great...
The Joy of Discovering Dragon Boating
This is an amazing group of welcoming women who enjoy spending time together getting active. Breast cancer takes many of us by surprise and affects us in many different ways. This activity allows us women of all ages and backgrounds to get together in the great...
Gusty paddle and gutsy Dragons on the canal!
With strong winds forecast all over Scotland on Saturday 19th we decided to paddle Emma, our small dragon boat on the canal. After a briefing for new paddlers, we set off towards Ratho focussing on timing to keep the boat stable in the wind. It sure was...
Lochore Meadow in May
Lovely photos by Fiona Nicolson from today’s paddle at Lochore Meadows!! The weather was nice, the water was pleasant and we all had smiles on our faces. Learn more about dragon boat paddling, Port Edgar Dragons and breast cancer recovery by clicking...
Dragons Capsize!
We all know that it COULD happen and we had a vague sort of plan about checking for our buddies and blowing a whistle but I don’t think any of us really knew what it would feel like to capsize and how we would react and if we would know what to do!! So on Saturday...
Training Techniques
The biggest challenge of dragon boating is managing synchrony. Since there is no gym exercise for building synchrony, teams that spend more time practicing on water tend to have an advantage. PaddlingSome teams that emphasize stroke rate might put their...
Flower Ceremony 2017
The flower ceremony has become an important tradition in breast cancer survivor Dragon Boating. On our first paddle of the season, we come together to remember the Dragons who we have lost but whose spirit lives on in each of us. Sally, our helm, took the opportunity...
Awakening the Spirit of the Dragon
Each year we honour the ancient Chinese tradition of dragon boat racing with an Eye Dotting and Dragon Blessing Ceremony. The climax of the ceremony is the eye dotting ritual, which officially awakens the Dragon. Ancient Chinese dragon mythology has it that the Dragon...
Flower Ceremony
The breast cancer flower ceremony is a tradition that has become a major part of dragon boat festivals. In 1997, a breast cancer survivor team in Vancouver carried pink carnations with them as a sign of hope for a fellow teammate who had recurrence of the disease....