Wed, 11 September, 2024
Two teams from TWI entered the 18th Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival on the River Cam at Fen Ditton on Saturday, 7 September, 2024.
Our two boats – ‘The Winner Is!’ and ‘Speed Boaty!’ – were joined 37 other teams being watched by hundreds of spectators on the day, including supporters from TWI.
Along with the dragon boat racing, the day included a range of activities including traditional Chinese dancing, drumming, and more. There were also a range of food and drink stalls to make sure the competitors and spectators were kept refreshed during the day.
The races took place along a 200 metre stretch of river with up to 10 people paddling 30-foot boats as a drummer beat out the time for each boat.
The TWI boats finished in 18th (‘Speed Boaty!’) and 12th (‘The Winner Is!’) places overall, although ‘The Winner is!’ managed a time of 62.68 seconds in their second round heat – which would have been fast enough to win the final! In the end, first place went to ‘Paddle Shifters’ from Cosworth Electronics with a final race time of 62.96 seconds.
While the day provided an exciting opportunity for teamwork and socialising, the real winner was Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, as the event raised a total of around £35,000 for them.
We would like to thank everyone who took part or turned up to support on the day – as well as helping to raise money to support cancer research – and we look forward to doing it all again next year!