The ever-strong relationship between Jamaica and China was on display last weekend as a mixture of competitors from both countries battled for supremacy at Jamaica’s first-ever Dragon Boat Festival.

“I’m very very happy and humbled by all of the people who have come, everybody — I’m happy if it gets much bigger!” said president of the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) Vincent Chang.

The Chinese Benevolent Association team tied with the Jamaica Coast Guard for the top spot in the competitive final, claiming victory in 1.04.257, in a tight race that brought spectators to their feet, screaming from the deck of boats and prime viewing spots on land. In second place was the Chinese Embassy team.

The festival attracted entire families filling all the seats at Grand Excelsior hotel in Port Royal as patrons crowded the dock to cheer on their favourites.

Dragon boat racing, a traditional Chinese paddled watercraft activity for more than 2,000 years, requires teams to paddle a straight line and keep within their allocated lane/line from the start to the finish of their race. It is forbidden to knowingly impede other boats.

A standard dragon boat race is 500 metres and takes about two to three minutes. Some festivals include short 200-metre races and longer 2,000-metre “guts and glory” races.

The two-day event in Jamaica began last Saturday with 11 teams competing in 200-metre races.

Only nine advanced to day two — Hydra Jamaica, Hydra 2, The Confucius Institute, McKay Security, Chinese Benevolent Association, CHEC Construction, Jamaica Coast Guard, Generals, and the Chinese Embassy.

All the teams — which were a mixture of Chinese, Chinese-Jamaicans, and afro-Jamaicans — had to learn how to paddle in time with a drummer who sits at the bow of the thin boat and beats a drum to direct the pace of the rowers.

After a ceremonial Dotting of the Eye, to ‘open the eyes’ of the dragons mounted on each boat the teams were set off.

Some of the teams had trouble initially finding their rhythm and more than one race was delayed either because a dragon boat drifted too close to the motor-boats marking the lanes, or to each other, or got turned around completely, or drifted off course.

The Jamaica Guard, Chinese Benevolent Association, and Chinese Embassy teams proved themselves, taking the top three spots after the times from two heats were combined.

The table remained mainly the same for the second and final day of events.

All nine teams had a chance to win a gold medal as the finals were separated into three races consisting of the three lowest times (novice), the three next fastest times (intermediate), and the fastest three times (competitive).

CHEC Construction won the Novice Finals, with Hydra Jamaica and the Confucius Institute placing second and third, respectively.

McKay Security took the Intermediate Finals beating Hydra Jamaica 2 and Generals, respectively.

Chairman of the festival’s Organising Committee Dalton Yap indicated that the event had been over a decade in the making, with the proverbial stars aligning in 2023 leading to this year’s inaugural staging.

The event was launched in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith, Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica Chen Daojiang, and Pan American Dragon Boat Federation President Franco Sui Chong.

It closed the chapter on Ambassador Chen’s tour of duty which ended on June 2.

Sui Chong, representing the International Dragon Boat Federation, officially inducted Jamaica into the Caribbean, Pan American, and International federations, presenting the country’s official certificate of membership.

In that vein a Caribbean cup race was held with teams from Jamaica, The Bahamas, a mixed team of Caribbean and North American participants and the CBA. Jamaica secured the top spot with The Bahamas and mixed team in second and third, respectively.

Chang indicated that the hope is to stage the event biannually and eventually introduce longer distances than the 200-metre race.