Following a successful Corporate event in November, the Docklands Cup in December and the Chinese New Year Dragon Boat Festival in February, the organisers, Dragon Boats Victoria are now gearing up for the major event of the season. On Sunday 21 March 2010 Victoria Harbour will come alive to the sounds, sights and excitement of the Melbourne International Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon boats carry a crew of 20 paddlers, a drummer and a helm to steer the boat. To win, it is essential that the paddlers keep in time with the drummer and paddle hard. Teams have been known to rate over 2 strokes per second. Paddlers will come from across Australia and organisers are hoping for teams from Hong Kong and China to return once more.

The traditions of this spectacular sport reach back 2,300 years to China when Qu Yuan, a respected sage to the Royal Kindom of Chu advised his Emperor of the corruption he saw everywhere and demanded that something be done about it. Alas, the corruption was so deeply entrenched that Qu Yuan was banished. After years of wandering, he settled in a fishing village by the Mei Lo River where the villagers came to hold him in high esteem for his wisdom, honesty and kindness.

Qu Yuan eventually learned that his beloved province had fallen into anarchy and civil war with death and destruction everywhere. He was so distressed that he went down to the river with a large stone tied to his body and threw himself into the water. The fishermen rushed to their boats and paddled furiously out to try to save Qu Yuan, beating drums, thrashing the water and throwing "Tsung Tze" dumplings to appease the spirits of the river, all to no avail.

On returning to shore, the fishermen decided that had they been better paddlers the outcome could have been better and thus they began to train. From this humble beginning dragon boat racing is acknowledged to be the fastest growing sport in the world today.

Dragon Boat Festival
– Sunday 21 March at Victoria Harbour
www.dragonboatsvictoria.com.au