Dragon Boat Racing Day.

Sunday 2nd July 2017 in Worcester.
It was a beautiful sunny morning, perfect for today's Charity Dragon Boat Racing Festival on the river, with the finishing line just a few yards down river from MM.
Our friends Vanessa and Mike from Birmingham are coming to join us for the day; we met them three weeks ago in Kinver. M had offered to make them lunch, so R walked in to town for a "few bits". On the way, he found this exquisite cut-out card (which folds flat) and couldn't resist it, not least because we are moored under a weeping willow tree and M loves bicycles.

Mike and Vanessa arrived mid-morning. After coffee and cake, we took them for a quick trip down the river.

The Dragon Boat racing had already started and the bank was crowded with participants, helpers and spectators. We had to thread our way down river between races.

We sailed down as far as the Cathedral and then R turned MM and sailed back to our mooring.

Again we had to weave carefully through between races.

More than 20 teams participated in the racing. Each team provides 16 paddlers and one person beating a drum to keep time. The organisers provide the boats, lifejackets, paddles and an experienced steerer/coach.

Every team gets three races (three boats race at a time) and their time for the three races is added up to decide who goes into the semi-finals and finals. There were three different divisions - so six semi-finals and three finals. Some of the racing was very close. This is just yards from the finish!

Mike and Vanessa left after tea. We really enjoyed the day with them and hope to see them again when we are in Birmingham in a few weeks' time.

We stayed up on the bank to watch the finals. It was a hot afternoon so, during the last final, we treated ourselves to an ice cream.

After the last race, we walked back to MM who looked lovely under the willow tree.

Just look at those geraniums said M.

The evening sunset was brilliant and M took this photograph of a cyclist crossing the Sabrina Bridge.

MM only went less than a mile today up and down the river.