Alameda’s dragon boat racing team, the Alameda DragonFlyers, is getting ready to fly all the way to Venice, Italy.
The group, which practices dragon boat racing on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary, will head to Italy on June 8 for the 49th Annual Vogalonga Festival, a non-competitive event that celebrates the beauty and tradition of Venice. The DragonFlyers will be paddling a 30-kilometer route between the lagoon, its small island, and the magnificent Grand Canal of Venice.
Vogalonga is a tribute to past navigation techniques. The event was created to promote the use of sustainable boats and to protect the city of Venice from wave motion. It aims to promote knowledge and respect for Venice’s nature and culture.
The Alameda DragonFlyers compete in several Bay Area races a year and have traveled to races in Montana, British Columbia, and Dublin, Ireland.
The trip to Venice, will mark the second time the DragonFlyers have joined the Vogalonga. They previously participated in the Italian event in 2014. The Alameda team will be among almost 8,000 participants in more than 2,000 thousand boats.
The DragonFlyers local home is at 2531 Blanding Avenue (at Broadway) next to Nob Hill Foods, here in Alameda. You might see them practicing along the Estuary on Monday and Wednesday evenings during Daylight Saving time, weekdays during the winter off-season and Saturday mornings year-round.
To learn more about dragon boat racing and the Alameda DragonFlyers, visit the Alameda DragonFlyers website and check out their Facebook page.
