One of the biggest buzzes in Boracay last summer was the "Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival." It was a massive outbreak of paddlers from 41 international and Philippine rowing teams.

The Boracay International Dragon Boat Festival was a 4-day festival celebrating everything unique and amazing about this island that we are all proud to offer. This festival was organized by the Boracay Island Paddlers Association in cooperation with the Philippine Dragon Boat Association.

We tipped our hats big time to these organizers. Imagine there were about 1,000 participants in the races. Once they all arrived on the island, there was no way to stop the massive dragon boat bash.

Dragon boat first came to Boracay in 2001 and ever since, the enthusiasm for this sport has been escalating more and more each year. This year’s event was the biggest so far.
The festival was very attractive to the spectators because it combined tradition, talent and of course the treasures of Boracay.

The 300-meter distance was the final leg of the race. The lady paddlers of the Bugsay Boracay Team set the tone. Who were the Bugsay Boracay women paddlers you may ask? Well, first of all they live on this island paradise, so in a way they already are winners.

The Bugsay Boracay women paddlers are housewives, mothers, business owners who during the habagat season here get into dragon boat to keep active and use this rigorous sport as a regular fitness routine.

The Bugsay Boracay Women’s Paddlers have won medals in international races, but they are not the only ones who go abroad to compete.

The Aqua Fortis team also represents our country in international competitions too. This team was composed of women from all walks of life. Some are professionals and some are students from various schools.

Another strong contender was the PNP Team. These policewomen were just as tough on the water as they are on the job.

The home team won the 300-meter women’s finals. The Bugsay Boracay Team became the champs. The policewomen came in second and the Aqua Fortis team third.

The men's 300-meter final was also anticipated and very hotly contested. Both Boracay teams, Bugsay Boracay and the Boracay Sun Paddlers made it to the finals. Obviously, the Borakenyos want to see a one-two finish. Well, they have home advantage so a one-two finish is very possible. Though they do have the the Camsur Dragon boat team that could foil that possibility.

This Camsur team from the beginning of this competition has been blowing everyone watching them. They glided through the water with speed, and the strength in their strokes is impressive. The Camsur Dragon Boat Team is relatively a rookie team. In just over a year, this team has been a record breaker in Philippine races and they have defeated teams that were the toast of dragon boat aficionados.

This men's team from Camsur is composed of boatmen backed up by paddlers. Under the training program of Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte, this team has definitely raised the bar as far as what it takes to win in men's dragon boat.

As predicted, the Camarines Sur paddlers once again proved their dominance in the men's division, and so did the Boracay teams. Bugsay Boracay took second place while the Boracay Sun Paddlers was right behind them in third.

There was also a 300-meter Mixed Team Final. I would assume that in this mixed team tere is more strategy involved when racing. They strategize where the men sit and where to put the women.

The key would be how much stronger the women are on your team compared to the women on the other teams, plus, how the women keep up with the paddling pace of the men. Remember in dragon boat racing it's all about unison.

In this race, the Bugsay Boracay Team crosses the finish line first. The PNP rowers get in the way of a one-two Boracay finish by coming in second with the Boracay Sun Paddlers having to settle for third.

In the more rigorous 500 meter races, the men of Camarines Sur were the convincing champs again. In the women's event, the Bugsay Boracay Women won and came up unbeatable as well in this competition. And in the 500-meter mixed team event, a foreign entry was dominant, the Hong Kong Island Paddlers Club.