No 'dragon' the chain in Sydney

THE Grafton Dragon Boat Club competed in the Chinese New Year festivities in Sydney on Saturday in Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour.

The annual dragon boat races are a highlight on the dragon boating calendar drawing clubs from all over NSW.

Saturday's racing featured over 51 registered clubs competing in categories from Juniors (12-18yrs) to Grand Masters (50+yrs).

Grafton performed well in their heats qualifying second fastest for the Regional Club Finals.

Unfortunately, they were narrowly beaten into 4th place by Rainbow Dragons from Lennox Head and the 23 members who made the trip returned exhausted but pleased with their efforts.

Considering the club has been unable to train on the river for the past 2 weeks, the club's results were still impressive.

The Torpedoes Junior Dragon Boat Racing Team had a very successful weekend.

After winning all their heats, they convincingly took out 1st place in the Junior Mixed Team Final.

Eight juniors from the Grafton Dragon Boat Club were joined by juniors from other NSW Regional Clubs and competed against teams based in Sydney and Wollongong.

The team have enjoyed success in State and National competitions around Australia over the past 3 years and are well known in the sport as the team to beat.

The team, which is coached by members of the Grafton Dragon Boat Club, is now preparing for State Titles in March, National Titles in April and World Club Crew Titles in Hong Kong in July.

Seniors and juniors interested in having a go at this fast-growing sport should contact Martin and Leanne Thompson on 0438 453 794.