The "Hawaii Five-0" theme song blasted from speakers along Ala Moana Beach Park on Sunday as excitement escalated among spectators watching the final race of Honolulu’s 17th annual Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.
Three teams participating in the championship heat inched neck-and-neck along the water until about the final third of the 600-meter race. That’s when a team from Vancouver, British Columbia, blew past the other boats to take a commanding lead.
"We held our own," said Kai Low, captain of the Vancouver team, after taking a celebratory dip in the ocean with his teammates. "It’s a great festival."
The team also took home first-place titles in Saturday’s Open Division and International Division races. More than 40 teams participated this year — the Year of the Dragon — according to a race organizer. Other divisions included the Chinese division and the City and County division.
Sunday is known as the less competitive day of dragon boat racing in Hawaii — with 16 heats this year instead of the 45 that took place on Saturday, and only an open race category available.
Although Low said his team competes in dragon boat races all over North America, it was the first time its paddlers traveled to the isles. Teams from Australia and New Zealand were also in attendance.
"We heard it’s a fun festival — a great venue," Low said, adding that he plans to recruit more Canadian clubs for next year’s event.
Dragon boat races were first held in Hawaii in 1996 after Honorary Mayor of Chinatown Sun Hung Wong and former Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris visited Taipei, in 1995 and thought it would be a good idea to bring the races here.
Teams are made up of 16 paddlers, a flag catcher and a drummer.
Glenn Smyth, captain of the Australian-based Bei Loon team, said Honolulu’s race is more laid-back than others around the world.
"This sport here, this is Hawaii style," Smyth said with a smile, noting that the use of flag catchers, donated boats crafted in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and volunteers instead of officials make the Hawaii festival unique.
In China, for example, where the sport has ancient cultural ties, Smyth said the dragon boat festival features dignitaries, colorful dances and performances, fireworks and a huge post-race party.
"The Chinese government is very big about having this sport in other countries," he said. Bringing the sport over is like bringing the culture over, he said.
Low said the sport’s North American debut was in Vancouver in 1986, and the city now holds the largest dragon boat festival on the continent, attracting 100,000 people and close to 200 teams.
While Hawaii’s dragon boat festival might not be the most competitive in the world, participants agreed they are in it for the fun.
"There’s a lot of good teams," said Brent Kawahara, a member of the Kiewit team from Oahu that won second place Sunday. "I really enjoyed it. It’s a well-coordinated event, too."
Kawahara’s team captain, Sherman Wong, said it was the first time his team did so well.
"We were just out here to have fun," Wong said. "Their competitiveness just made them want to work harder."
