A large crowd from across Jamaica and overseas witnessed a successful second Jamaica Dragon Boat Festival in Port Royal, from June 13-14, as competitors produced faster times and more races than in the inaugural staging.

Fifty-four races were contested over the two days on Kingston Harbour, with 16 held on Saturday and the remaining 38 on Sunday.

The Caribbean Cup, contested by national teams from The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, was one of the highlights of Sunday’s programme. The Bahamians captured the title with a winning time of 1:06.24, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago (1:11.59) and Jamaica (1:15.07).

Bahamas Captain Patrick Kluck was pleased with his team’s performance.

“I think we did well,” he said. “We did what we came to do and we wanted to win it, and that’s exactly what we did. We felt good. Our times were good.”

Kluck said the conditions were familiar to his team.

“The water was a little difficult but we’re used to that kind of difficult water in The Bahamas because we’re in the ocean just like this, so it’s not as controlled,” he said.

“We’ll be back here again next year; and we’d love to see more Jamaican teams coming up to The Bahamas for their festival as well. It would be great fun.”

In the Open Category Division A, BahaMar Buoys and Gulls of The Bahamas won in 1:02.24, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Vanguards (1:07.60), while the Chinese Embassy in Jamaica placed third in 1:09.02, the best finish by a Jamaican-based team.

Chinese Ambassador Wang JinFeng welcomed the result.

“I think this is the second time that the Chinese Embassy has sent a dragon boat team to the Jamaica Dragon Boat Festival,” he said. “I’m very glad that our team won the bronze medal. I think they produced their best performance and I’m very satisfied with the team. I’m even more glad that our participation contributed to the friendship between China and Jamaica.”

He credited teamwork and preparation for the performance.

“I think teamwork is the most important thing. They trained very hard — three times every week,” he said. “The teamwork made a great contribution.”

The Vanguards won the Mixed Category Division A in 1:09.72, with JDF Wave Riders second in 1:10.24 and McKay Security third in 1:12.46.

The Women’s Category Division A, contested exclusively by Jamaican teams, was won by Hydra in 1:19.50, ahead of Port Royal Blazers (1:20.62) and Generals (1:24.39).

BahaMar Buoys and Gulls recorded the fastest times of the festival, clocking 58.07 seconds and 58.95 seconds in separate races. They were the only team to break the one-minute barrier over the 200m course.

Vincent Chang, chairman of the organising committee and a past president of the Chinese Benevolent Association, said he is pleased with the growth of the event.

“It was very good. I think everything cooperated, even the weather — a little hot, a little breezy but we got everything done,” Chang said.

“I thought we got a fairly good-size crowd on Saturday and we had a steady crowd on Sunday. We had 18 teams competing in three classes of races and I think we have done wonderfully. It is showing that dragon boat racing is going from strength to strength — and this is only our second year.”

The festival opened on June 13 with the traditional dotting-of-the-eye ceremony, a long-standing Chinese custom held before major dragon boat events.