No dragon boating happened on beautiful Slocan Lake this summer. Despite gorgeous weather, good paddling water and minimal smoke on very few days, we had COVID-19 to contend with. No group activities were permitted and the dragon boat didn’t leave land.
To make some use of the time, Herman and Shelley sanded and painted the boat. When it was dry, a call for volunteers to turn the boat brought out the muscle. Wearing masks, we got together this one time, 29 September, 2020.
The team flipped the boat so Herman could apply decals with the Dark Water Dragon logo to its side.
After Herman applied the decals it looks great with personalized logo on its sides.
The final step was to again flip the boat into its resting position.
The refreshed boat will rest on land until we can again paddle. Can’t wait!
The Dragons hold their 2020 AGM
To comply with its bylaws, the society held its AGM on October 18, 2020. That was the official part. Although serious work got done, the chance to get together after the strangest summer of non-paddling was the real benefit.
Now that Zoom is standard meeting protocol, those who aren’t in New Denver could, for the first time, also attend the AGM. Patty in Fernie (top left), Hugette in Slocan (bottom right) and Deborah in Calgary (top right) took advantage, if anything about COVID-19 can be considered an advantage. Kay (bottom left) played Zoom host and meeting Chair, managing both roles with grace.
New Denver Marina upgrades, November, 2020
The Dragons aren’t the only society that used the enforced COVID-19 pandemic shutdown for repairs and maintenance. Our home port, the New Denver Marina, upgraded its facilities in November, 2020. When we are able to paddle again, our access to the Dragon Boat will be on the new walkway and ramp.
Thank you to the Marina board and volunteers for keeping boaters safe, and to CJ, Ken and Barry for the help. We’re told that Nigel will work on the adjustments and securing everything over the winter. He also repurposed the old ramp’s rails onto the wall on the main launch, which looks good.
Now, we dream of paddles up – next year.
