It's our P-Day - (preparation day) - a Saturday. A day to get caught up on laundry, shopping - and enjoy the celebrations of the 2015 Dragon Boat Races! Just a short walk from our apartment on the promenade, thousands of spectators lined the rails overlooking Hong Kong Harbor, braving the oppressive heat to catch a glimpse of their favorite team compete in the International Dragon Boat Races.
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| Teams lining up at the starting point |
A standard dragon boat has 18 paddlers, one drummer and one steersman. The dragon boat is 12 meters in length. The drummer keeps the beat as the paddlers keep time to the beat. Synchronization is the key!
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| The drummer is key to keeping the beat for the paddlers |
Dragons in Chinese culture were believed to be rulers over water. They were in charge of seas, lakes, and rivers. Today they are an icon and a colorful master-head for each carefully crafted boat.
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Team paddles and vests line the promenade
as they wait their turn. |
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Photography lovers came out in droves -
take a look at the size of that camera!
 | | And the drones catch the action from above. |
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At the end of their race, these teams slowly paddle back to the boarding pontoon,
under the gaze of the Hong Kong Convention Center and Mount Cameron in the distance. |
