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The Races At River Dunes
August 13, 2013

Letter to the Editor,

Dragon boat racing at River Dunes was great Saturday.

It reminded me of the crew regattas that I used to go to on Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, NY. It was also safe. I have raced every year in Oriental and have also raced twice on the Neuse in New Bern and on Lake Wheeler in Raleigh.

There were weather problems, capsizing problems and/or cancellations of heats every time except in Lake Wheeler and this time at River Dunes. Last year my team, The Gnarly Dragon Pirates, practiced for a couple of months by paddling the dock at the Wildlife Ramp, paid $650 as an entry fee and were in the last race of the first heat on the Neuse. We paddled out with three other teams and with 30 knots winds could not even get lined up. They cancelled our race and the rest of the races for the day. We capsized, along with one other boat, returning to the Town Beach (which should be renamed “Bond Beach” ) and never got to actually race.

This year was wonderful. No weather problems, no capsizing and no race cancellations. The events Friday on and off South Avenue were a lot of fun. I was a skeptic of the River Dunes venue but have come around to believe that it was the best way to provide a great experience in the local area. The young Marines and other military members had a great time. I had eight Marines on my team and all of us really enjoyed it. Jeff Aydelette and Flora Moorman did a fantastic job.

Larry Summers
Team Captain – “Gnarly Dragon Pirates”
Oriental, NC
8/11/13

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