Race Weekend: Pictures and Videos

More than 30 Leatherneck Warriors teammates made the 7 hour drive to attend the Atlanta Hong Kong Dragonboat festival on the September 6 weekend. The event took place at the 1996 Olympic venue in Gainesville, GA on Lake Lanier. The event brought together more than 50 teams which included established and competitive teams along with corporate and community teams. Grand Masters was represented by 2 Leatherneck Warrior boats and 2 Blackhearts boats.

This event did not have age classifications, so the Villages teams competed with teams of all ages.

The event was planned to include 2 preliminary heats for each team. Following the preliminary races where teams might compete against boats across different divisions and skill levels. The best time for each boat was to be used to set lane position for division-specific finals. Divisions included Manufacturer, Finance, Industrials, and Healthcare recreational teams. There were also the more experienced teams which were in 10- and 20- person boat Open Mixed, Open Men and Open Women Divisions. In the 10-seat open division there were 2 mens, 6 mixed and 6 womens teams. In the 20-seat open division there were 2 mens, 13 mixed and 2 womens teams. The Leatherneck Warriors entered a 10-person mixed boat and a 20-person mixed boat.

September 6, 2025 2nd 20-person race

September 6, 2025 1st 20-person race

September 6, 2025 1st 20-person race (from steer position

The morning was filled with races, talking, visiting team tents and enjoying the comraderie. The 20-person boat won both of their heats with a best time of 59.385 seconds, but that time only placed the Warriors 6th out of the 13 open mixed 20-boat teams. The Mekong Dragons won the division with a stellar 50.874 seconds. The 10-person boat placed second and fourth in its heats with a best time of 1:09.583 seconds giving an overall 4th place. The Jacksonville Dragon boat team won the division with a 59.603 seconds.

Around 1pm it became clear that heavy thunderstorms were coming toward the Olympic Park. As a result both the Division championship races and the Grand Championship races were cancelled and the morning results were used to decide division champions. At 2pm, the heavens opened, everyone gathered our belongings but we all got soaked. It was not what any of us expected, but the event was memorable.

September 6, 2025 1st 10-person race

September 6, 2025 2nd 10-person race