Vancouver dragon boaters concerned about safety after 'reckless' charter encounter

I've got a great idea to make the Dragon Boat event a real money maker with huge viewership on TV. The dragonboats run their usual silly course through false Creek annoying all the other vessels in the creek during the event as usual. However, to make the event more interesting the race course and rules are modified a little. The finish line is moved to the other side of the Burrard bridge. Here's where you turn it into a real money maker. You auction off bowling balls to spectators on the bridge who get to participate in the event by dropping the bowling balls off the bridge aimed at the canoes dashing for the finish line. After a few of the races, I think the traffic congestion problem in the Creek would be over for good.

What to call the new event.

Dragon Ball Racing?

I see a real potential for hosting a huge event to replace our city's sorely missed Indy races. With the bonus of getting the chance to not just be a spectator, but a participant. I mean if your going to close off the Burrard bridge for a yoga sit in, you might as well set up beer gardens on the bridge and make some revenue for the city. Combine the yoga sit in with the Dragon Ball Race and launch the nearest yoga clown at at the dragon boats passing underneath. Now if you thew some street mimes into the mix as eligible ballista for the event, man now you've got a huge winner on your hands. The citys money problems would be over with all the money it would generate with a huge TV contract. I'm sure the MMA would probably want in on the event too, with the Octagon ring suspended above the water with old school ropes to launch the combatants out of the ring. About time we finally put those annoying dragon boaters to some good use. Yee haw.

We might have to wait for a change in Mayor and Council to get the "Ball" rolling on this one though. But one can always dream. Can you think of any other twists to turn this into a wold class event. I mean it's been a long time since Canada invented a real world class sport.

Ha Ha :)
 
Lol my Vanier DB ramp rant

I've tried to be fair with them on the dock, slide my boat to make room ..but a few times asking them.. ALLL 30 of them on the dock at ounce could some one make
room ..hahah they all have that dumb look on there face o_O:confused::rolleyes::confused: is he asking us to break up are granola bar party .

So now i HOG the dock and make them go around me .... they ask me can you slide down :D NO ! ... :eek:why , so i explain , i'm sure after a few times maybe they will have some
dock etiquette.
 
We get your point. If we put 20 people on a dragon boat and at least 1 of them is going to be a self-indulgent loud idiot to people who are in powered vessels. Dragon boaters do a lot to get cancer survivors, disabled people exercising and participating in society and giving them a love of being on the water, not to mention raising millions for charities like BC Cancer. Self-powered vessels are destined to cause continuous problems and will eventually be regulated, once a serious harbor fatality or two happens. If you want to be a told you so, write the government about regulating them as it needs to be done, but anytime government opens up an Act or Regulation expect Fisherman and our vessels to be on the hit list as well. People do get hit by rocks and projectiles from bridges and overpasses and it does kill and injure them.
 
C'mon kaelc.. I was not seriously suggesting anyone throw anything off any bridge. I think you need to Google up the word humour. I think I made it pretty evident I was just joking around.
 
This is a very touchy subject. Look at bikes and bike lanes and what they have achieved through quiet interaction with government. Before you know it "boat launches" will have designated kayak lanes and we will have to leave them room and we will be at their mercy. This is a carefully calculated dance by them to regulate US. Should be interesting what vision Vancouver and all the greenies have to say. Have mercy. This will be ongoing until someone grows a set and tells them to bugger off. Can't wait to blow by one now.
 
I wouldn't worry too much KV1. Whether the Dragonboaters understand marine law or not: the water column is federal - navigation is British Common Law and thereby protected - and they are subject to the Collision regs (whether they know it exists or not), if they float. They can petition the Queen to change the shape, size, and/or colour of the moon if they want to - but none of this changes those simple facts. Ignorance appears to be less than bliss in this case...
 
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KV1 said:
This is a very touchy subject. Look at bikes and bike lanes and what they have achieved through quiet interaction with government. Before you know it "boat launches" will have designated kayak lanes and we will have to leave them room and we will be at their mercy. This is a carefully calculated dance by them to regulate US. Should be interesting what vision Vancouver and all the greenies have to say. Have mercy. This will be ongoing until someone grows a set and tells them to bugger off. Can't wait to blow by one now.
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we had to get this in port moody, it was a joke... lined up to launch my boat, with an elderly couple ahead of me. i always help where i can instead of standing back for entertainment.
this a-hole drives past all of us and starts to back down with six kayaks on a trailer. i ran behind him and blocked him and waived in the couple in front of me. Well that fired up kayakdickhead alot.
Jumps out of his truck and starts telling me he has a business licence. i laughed and said "ya, so do i"... directed the elder people out and before he could back in i pulled up and started launching my boat.
police and bylaws showed up for the trouble and told the guy he would have to wait like everyone else. two weeks later a kayak launch area was built.

i could not believe over the years how many times i saw kayakers and paddlers think that because they are not launching a boat that they could by pass paying the launch fee and jump line. so i guess my stance at the launch was my last straw.
 
Canoes, dragon boats, Kayaks, bicyclists, Its all the same. For the most part far too many of them have a self-righteousness that they are "saving the plant" because they are using human power. I biked to work for 17 years and always gave the cars first right on the road. I could have insisted on my "right" to be on the road, but I would have been "Dead right". The selfishness I have experienced by these "me-first" dicks is pathetic. The Port Moody launch is another example of an area that was partitioned off for boat launch several decades ago and all of a sudden the latest popular craze and they think they own the launch and the floats. That area was paid for by the 40 plus years of small boat owners launching there. Then the whiners lobby city council for more access and all of a sudden they get their own lane. Complete bullsh*t
 
trophywife said:
we had to get this in port moody, it was a joke... lined up to launch my boat, with an elderly couple ahead of me. i always help where i can instead of standing back for entertainment.
this a-hole drives past all of us and starts to back down with six kayaks on a trailer. i ran behind him and blocked him and waived in the couple in front of me. Well that fired up kayakdickhead alot.
Jumps out of his truck and starts telling me he has a business licence. i laughed and said "ya, so do i"... directed the elder people out and before he could back in i pulled up and started launching my boat.
police and bylaws showed up for the trouble and told the guy he would have to wait like everyone else. two weeks later a kayak launch area was built.

i could not believe over the years how many times i saw kayakers and paddlers think that because they are not launching a boat that they could by pass paying the launch fee and jump line. so i guess my stance at the launch was my last straw.
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Yep. Reminds me of Mabel lake. 3 years ago chick with Alberta plates launching her kayaks and parked on the ramp. Right in the middle so both lanes blocked. Me and two others waiting for her and her kids to get it together and she closes and locks her door and starts to walk away. When I spoke up she was blocking the ramp I was the asshole. No way was she going to move. Thank god the other boaters waiting to launch were more vocal than I am. Really pissed her off when one of them pointed out that she was in BC now and that her sense of entitlement meant nothing here. Even that wouldn't have moved her but park caretaker showed up and told her he was calling a tow truck. Then she screamed out of there cursing and spraying rocks all over us. Awsome really cuz after that it only took about an hour of the 3 of us giving her a taste of our wakes to drive her off the water.
 
Yes the other user groups do have an attitude of entitlement both at the ramp and in the harbour. Kayakers who do not pay to use the ramp in Vancouver often dump their boats on the ramp and just leave them there blocking the ramp while they take their sweet butt time actually putting them in the water. They do not even have to use the ramp at all, as they could just as easily dump the boats on the sand beach right beside the ramp until they are ready to launch/pull out. But no, they insist on dumping them right on the ramp blocking the access for paying users of the ramp that must use the ramp to launch their larger power boats. The list just goes on, and on. Absolutely no etiquette or concern for anyone but themselves.

The newest alternative power marine user group to emerge is a hybrid of the surf board with a para sail attached. I'm not talking about the old style wind surfers. These boards must have a hydro foil underneath because they go so fast it actually lifts the board completely out of the water when they are moving fast. I mean real fast, I'm sure these boards get up to 20 mph in a strong wind, and they turn on a dime. They are super cool and I have absolutely nothing against them, but they move so fast and can turn so quick that I can see real trouble coming wthe this new user group in the harbour. I can see a fatality easily occurring with these new boards because they are becoming more prevalent in the harbour and they have no fear of even cruising in front of an outbound freighter. They are definitely a real bad accident just waiting to happen. Sorry to say it, but I think it's inevitable.
 
I think a few of you have an issue with this ramp/area in general and its coming out here. We as sport-fishing boats dont rule the ocean or harbor because we have a motor. It's up to all of us to make sure we respect other vessels whether power or not. If you take any boating courses you will get that drilled in you. Same goes for sailboats are whatever. You have to at all cost avoid collisions/ respect other vessels. Unfortunately like it or not other user groups have just as much right to the waters as we do. When I come in/out from Sooke harbour (on Vancouver Island) where I usually leave I always slow down when I see kayakers etc. Its just the polite thing to do. I don't get mad if their on the ramp. Who really cares? Remember owning a boat is privilege many cant afford it so its up to us to show a little respect. This operator didn't do that, and looks bad on a business but that is my opinion.

To add this event is pretty large and its well organized just look at the sponsors. How the hell can you not work with the event? I mean this thing was probably planned all year and looks very large? Look at the charities they donate too?

http://vancouverdragonboatfestival.ca/

Look at there rule sheet. Fairly organized as to what would be set up.

http://vancouver-450a.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/03/2016-CPVDBF-Official-Rules.pdf
 
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SpringVelocity said:
I think a few of you have an issue with this ramp/area in general and its coming out here. We as sport-fishing boats dont rule the ocean or harbor because we have a motor. It's up to all of us to make sure we respect other vessels whether power or not. If you take any boating courses you will get that drilled in you. Same goes for sailboats are whatever. You have to at all cost avoid collisions/ respect other vessels. Unfortunately like it or not other user groups have just as much right to the waters as we do. When I come in/out from Sooke harbour (on Vancouver Island) where I usually leave I always slow down when I see kayakers etc. Its just the polite thing to do. I don't get mad if their on the ramp. Who really cares? Remember owning a boat is privilege many cant afford it so its up to us to show a little respect. This operator didn't do that, and looks bad on a business but that is my opinion.
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I don't have any problem with other user groups on the ramp or on the water. I own a small 12 foot row boat for freshwater fishing and I do not appreciate rude power boaters either. I do not appreciate when a power boater travels too close throwing a large wake when I'm in a boat with little free board either. It is all about being courteous on the water and not inconveniencing or obstructing other users needlessly.

I have no problem with non power boats using the ramp, but they have very little regard for the other users.. Vancouver just built a new float specially for the dragon boats so that they can load and unload. They used to chronically tie up the whole boat ramp with their canoes blocking any room for guys that needed to tie up briefly to launch/haul out. It remains to be seen if the Dragonboats will actually use this new loading area, or if they will continue obstructing everyone else at the ramp.

When I'm at a ramp I make my best effort to get in and out as quickly as possible so as to not inconvenience other users. Power boaters have their share of rude discourteous users as well. As a group though, most power boaters understand etiquette at a ramp. The complaints about the non power boaters at the ramp are not because we do not think they have a right to be there. The complaints are because as a group the non power boaters are disproportionately far less courteous to the other users at the ramps. When using a public ramp you need to make every effort to get in and out as quickly as possible without obstructing the other users of the facility. Generally the non power boat users of the False Creek ramp have little regard or courtesy towards the other users of the facility. That is why there are so many complaints about them. It is not because we don't think they have a right to be there. It is because they obstruct all other users without any concern for how long they block the ramp for power boaters who must use the ramp to launch. Everyone has the right to use a public facility, but they also have a responsibility to do so in a timely manner without needlessly obstructing other users.
 
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