SEATTLE – An ancient Chinese tradition and a popular Northwest water sport will meet on Saturday to help open the 33rd annual Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival as 20 paddlers in a 45-foot Chinese dragon boat will attempt to establish a Northwest – and possibly a world’s best speed record with a wake-boarder in tow.
The 100-meter feat – or pull in this case – by the Seattle Flying Dragon Boat Club takes place at 10 a.m., Saturday in front of The Center for Wooden Boats at Lake Union Park.
The current record for “fastest time for a water-skier towed by a rowing boat to travel 100 meters” is believed to have been set in March by an eight-oared rowing crew of the Imperial College London Boat Club on the Thames River near London, England. The crew hauled a professional water-skier the necessary 100 meters in 19.58 seconds.
With 20 paddlers, a drummer and steersperson aged 30 to 74, a 45-foot-long wood-hull dragon boat can reach speeds as high at 15 mph. Plenty of paddle-power to zip a wake-boarder to a successful record and potentially keep them on plane even further – assuming perfect timing and technique.
“The only way it can happen is with absolute timing and team work – especially when you have 20 paddlers lined cheek-to-jowl in a boat,” said Lee Bjorklund of the Seattle Flying Dragon Boat Club.
In a practice run Monday, during breezy and choppy conditions, the Flying Dragons managed to keep boarder Anne Kagi, 27, of Seattle on plane for about the length of two football fields before she slipped back into the clutches of Lake Union. The practice run was not timed.
“When we tried it the first time, they asked if I wanted to do a water start or a dock start,” said the 115-pound Kagi. “The dock start is easier on the motors.”
“On Monday, it felt like I was behind a speedboat. They stayed at a pretty consistent clip for about 300 feet, then it was just survival,” said Kagi. “I’d love to try to jump the wake, put their paddling is so smooth they don’t leave much wake,” she joked.
The Seattle Flying Dragons believe their record attempt is the first in the Northwest and could possibly set a world record for time if not distance.
“We have never done that before and certainly not aware of that distance anywhere else,” said Bjorklund. “We did find a couple of instances on the Internet in Canada and Hong Kong, but were not able to tell how far they were pulled.”
The 33rd Annual Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5, features hands-on exhibits of some 150 classic sail, steam and human-powered wood boats of all sizes, free boat rides, toy boat building for the kids and maritime skills demonstrations from some of the Northwest’s most experienced boat builders and maritime experts.
Admission is free and donations are accepted. Admission donations benefit The Center for Wooden Boats hands-on public programs including the “pay what you can” youth sailing program and free public programs to work on and restore some 50 classic wooden boats each year.
Festival attendees can explore the many styles of boatbuilding in the Northwest, ranging from modern skiffs and cedar strip kayaks to traditional Native-American cedar canoes by Haida carver and CWB artist in residence Saaduuts and the 4,000-year-old art of Aleutian skin-on-frame boatbuilding by local expert Corey Freedman.
Activities for the kids include toy boat building, treasure hunts, pond boat racing along with nautical coloring contests and sidewalk chalk art and Pirate Storytime featuring the nautical yarns of Pirate Lou.
Dates: Saturday, July 4 / Sunday, July 5
Times: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
Location: The Center for Wooden Boats at Lake Union Park 1010 Valley St, Seattle, WA 98109
Cost: FREE (donations accepted)
Getting There: From Interstate 5, take the Mercer Street exit, turn right onto Fairview Ave N., left onto Valley Street. Metered-street parking and several parking lots in the area. Or park in downtown Seattle and take the Seattle Streetcar to the Lake Union Park stop. Metro Transit information on bus service, 206-553-3000 or tripplanner.metrokc.gov
More Info: Log on to www.CWB.org or call 206-382-2628
Daily Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival Activities
Free Boat Rides
Enjoy free boat rides on the 100-year-old, 21-foot steamboat Puffin, the 28-foot sharpie sailboat Colleen Wagner, a replica of a late 19thcentury Florida mail-carrier built by students of Seattle Central Community College’s Marine Carpentry School, and two Native American canoes, including the 20-foot Steve Phillips, a traditional Haida canoe carved from local cedar by CWB artist in residence Sāādūūts.
Maritime Skills Demonstrations
Learn the traditions and skills of the Native American canoe building journey from CWB artist in residents Sāādūūts and the art of cedar strip kayak building from Northwest expert Joe Greenley. Other onshore demonstration include knot tying bronze casting, rig tuning and varnishing.
Kids Activities
While building their own toy boat, kids learn boatbuilding skills from CWB experts as they build their own toy boats. Other activities for the kids include a treasure hunt, coloring contest, sidewalk chalk art, pirate story time and racing miniature sailboats in the model boat pond.
Competitions and Contests
Watch teams build a boat in 24 hours and cheer them on as they attempt to keep it afloat through the sail, paddle and anything goes course on Lake Union. This hilarious regatta on Sunday stretches a boatbuilder’s creativity, planning and construction skills.
