Grab your paddle!

Riverfront Park in Downtown Nashville is the starting point for the 4th Annual Nashville Dragon Boat Race and Water Festival. The date is Saturday, August 14, 2010.

The race and festival raise awareness and earns money for the Cumberland River Compact and the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association. If you kayak or canoe in Tennessee, you’re probably familiar with the great work that these two associations do in the way of conservation and making our river accessible to people to enjoy.

Register your team early to save on fees. Last year there were 38 teams registered to race – so don’t lose your spot, register today!

Dragon Boat Racing is a great team-building experience. Even if you’ve never raced before, this may be the event to consider. Competitive yes, but also a great experience whether you’re racing with friends, family or any group of people. Dragon Boat racing differs from other team sports in that no one person on the team is more important than another. Winning a Dragon Boat race hinges on how well a team works together at paddling in sync at the same time, and how well each paddler perfects the stroke technique. The popularity of Dragon Boat racing has exploded, with an estimated 50 million people participating in the sport around the world annually.

If you’re not a racer, feel free to volunteer or just attend the event. There will be music, art, food and lots of vendors. Watching the race from the downtown banks of the Cumberland River is an exciting way to spend a summer afternoon.

Some info for racers:

• The dragon boat race course is a 250-meter run roughly between the Shelby Street walking bridge and the Woodland Street bridge. Your team will be outfitted with paddles, personal flotation devices, and a Dragon Boat.
• You’ll be racing in a four-boat heat in river water with the current.
• Start and finish lines are marked with buoys. The lanes are not marked but the course is straight.

Find out more about the Nashville Dragon Boat Race and Water Festival, visit our Races and Events Page.

If You Go…Let Us Know! Click here to send us a note about the Nashville Dragon Boat Race and Water Festival and we may publish your report right here on BornToPaddle.com!

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Dragon Boat Festival – fun on the river for the whole family! There’s nothing quite like a dragon boat race! If you’re in Nashville, TN on August 23, you’re in luck! If you’re not…get there! This will be a paddling event extraordinaire.

If you want to race, teams are still being registered for this great event.

If you just want to experience the fun atmosphere and spend a day on the Cumberland River, come on down. This is an event for the whole family.

 

Here are the details for the 2008 Nashville Dragon Boat Festival:

When: Saturday, August 23, 2008

Where: Riverfront Park, Nashville, Tennessee

What: Opening Ceremony 8:30 AM – Races Start at 9:00 AM

 

Teams of 22 people will race along the Cumberland and need your help to cheer them along. Bring your friends and family down for a fun day celebrating our wonderful Cumberland River. Opening ceremony at 8:30. Races begin at 9:00 with the Grand Championship Finale at approximately 3:45

Who Benefits: The Cumberland River Compact

Click Here to Register for or Learn More about the Nashville Dragon Boat Festival

What’s The Cumberland River Compact?

The mission of the Cumberland River Compact is to enhance the water quality of the Cumberland River and its tributaries through education and by promoting cooperation among citizens, businesses, and agencies in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The Cumberland River is 697 miles long. The Cumberland River watershed covers 18,000 square miles and is home to almost 2 million people. Since 1997, the Compact has set out to create a Watershed Outreach Program in each of the 14 watersheds that make up the Cumberland Basin.

What is a watershed?

A watershed is the land area that drains into a stream. An area of land that contributes runoff to one specific delivery point; large watersheds may be composed of several smaller “subsheds,” each of which contributes runoff to different locations that ultimately combine at a common delivery point.

Click Here to Learn More About the Cumberland River Compact