The drumbeat of dragon boats in Pamlico County

Just a block away, where the dragon boat is stored, birds sound small and delicate, and trees remain still and unbothered this early morning. But on the water, at the wildlife ramp in the town of Oriental, the wind becomes a rival and seagulls shriek as they’re propelled by its power.

Here, the long canoe-like dragon boat, called the Minerva, is sliding into small but fast-moving waves, helped by 14 people and a hand-pulled boat trailer. The boat is white with red triangles — like the scales of a dragon.

The tradition of dragon boats comes from central and southern China where they decorate the boats with a dragon’s head and tail and race, propelled by 10 to 90 paddlers. Unlike rowing, where people sit backwards, paddlers on dragon boats sit facing forward, one paddle each. The sport has developed a niche following around the world, including here, in the town of Oriental.

Tom Ginty, who has been part of the Dragon Masters team for four years, explains the basics to me.

The first three rows, the “stroke box” (of paddler duos), set the pace. The next four are called the engine room; they supply the power. The last three, the “rocket section,” basically have to stay in sync with the rest, he explains. “You row roughly 10 strokes really hard, then speed up with the second 10 and third 10, then race pace. You stay there for maybe 70, 80, 90 strokes. Then you start up again. The race is about 300 meters.”

Last year, this team won the annual Dragon Boat Festival race at River Dunes by one-tenth of a second. This year, the Oriental Dragon Boat Festival will take place on Nov. 2 and 3. (It was rescheduled from Aug. 11 and 12 due to a car accident that damaged the trailered dragon boats.) A big part of this season was preparing for the race in honor and memory of longtime captain, president, and friend Bob Parker.

“OK, lets GO,” someone calls out, hushing laughter and small talk about pickleball.

“I’m a newbie; this is only my second time,” paddler Bobbi McKinny tells me quickly.

“Let’s load!” yells another organizer. The crew carefully climbs in, one by one, to sit very close together. The individual wooden paddles thunk in the boat.

“This team has been together for several years,” Laurie Stockwell explains. She has been a member since the beginning, about 13 years ago. “Normally, we struggle to have enough people. In the past, we have been begging our neighbors. We made ads. But we keep winning, so now the word is out. I think this will be the first year we have extra people. Never has this happened before. We have to find a way to give everyone water time.”

She says Larry Summers started the team as a “senior” dragon boat, for older folks. Larry and a few others eventually raised money to buy the boat.

“Diane, four!” an organizer calls people, one at a time, to their assigned position in the boat, loading it carefully and balancing it by weight. “Dave’s gonna steer today?”

“Good morning, everybody. Linda asked me to fill in. I’ll be leading the training today,” announces Laurie. “What I want to focus on today are proper strokes and staying synchronized. The outside leg is a brace, against the boat. Inside leg is under you — though do what you can.”

She grabs the paddle, speaking loud and clear over the wind. “Loose grip on the top. Lean and a twist. Fully in the water for more power. Flare the paddle, and bring it back in. Little twist, using your core, pull, twist and back in. Just focus on this. The mechanics of the stroke. Going slow.”

They leave the dock, paddles up, in position, heading toward Smith Creek. Sylvia Nelson is the drummer. When the drum stick comes down, that is the signal to put the paddles in the water. She hits the drum roughly every second. The skills of hinging (building strength in each stroke while leaning forward), synchronization and strong start-strokes are key.

Then the beat pauses to readjust or change positions. They try having each duo paddle alone for 10 strokes.

“Four! Five! Six! Power in the back!”

From the dock, I watch the boat navigate around other fishing boats and disappear down the creek. The drum is no longer audible. I notice the clank of sailboat masts. A jellyfish floats below.

Learn more about the Oriental Dragon Boat Club here.

Watch the dragon boats in action in this amazing video by the late Bob Parker.

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