“We are the champions!” The crew of “Mussels and Mermaids” rules the bay in 2017, winning the North Beach Dragon Boat Festival’s Grand Champion trophy.
North Beach, MD – The Fifth annual Dragon Boat Festival in North Beach Saturday, June 10 was perhaps the most competitive contest in the event’s brief history. In the glare of the early June sun in a Chesapeake Bay that had a bit of a ripple in it, the 30 teams—each with a crew of 19—did the necessary grunt work to cross the finish line first in the series of 200-meter races. Each team ponied up an entry fee of $2,000.
“We believe that we will win!” The teammates shouted before embarking on their race. In the end, it was the crew of “Mussels and Mermaids” who hoisted the grand champions’ trophy. Mussels and Mermaids won their match with the “Village People” by a whisker. Mussels and Mermaids time in the championship race was 1 minute and 3.93 seconds. The Village People’s time was 1 minute and 3.94 seconds.
The third-place finishers were the team “Yeah Buoy, followed by “Neptune’s,” The Rup Group and Agape Avengers.
The coveted Mayor’s Cup—a traditional battle between Calvert County’s two municipalities—Chesapeake Beach and North Beach—was won for the fourth time by the host town. Team North Beach logged a time of 1 minute and 8.38 seconds while Team Chesapeake Beach posted a time of 1 minute and 9.18 seconds. North Beach Mayor Mark Frazer won a crab cake and craft beer, courtesy of Chesapeake Beach Mayor Pat “Irish” Mahoney.
The “Supernukes” won the Power Cup from SMECO for the fifth year in a row. The IFA Jungle Lions bested three other teams to win the Fitness Cup.
Additional awards were handed out to teams for best decorated tent and best decked out drummer.
“It’s been a long hot day,” declared Jackie Miller, president of End Hunger in Calvert County, the organization that organizes and benefits from the boat race event. With the support of corporate sponsors the race event—which is also a festival with several vendors—cash is raised to help feed the needy families of Calvert County. Fundraising totals from this year’s event had not been announced as this story was being filed.
Learn more about End Hunger in Calvert County by visiting their web site.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
