Redwood City Dragon Boat | San Francisco Dragon Boat Festival Fun and Adventures 2015

Redwood City dragon boat team DieselFish had a blast racing and hanging out at prestigious race

It was an honor to compete at the 20th annual Kaiser Permanente San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival. We paddled hard, ate good food and hung out with old friends. Check out these some stunning photos from the event, courtesy of Phillip Ma, Marynka Rojas and Hui Wa'a.

This view never gets old...

DieselFish paddles out to the starting line.

"PADDLERS ARE YOU READY? GO!"

"UP, UP , UP!"

"BURY THOSE BLADES INTO THE WATER!"

Fun times under the tent.

It was a pleasure paddling with you!

Season 18 is over! Off-season practices begin Saturday 10/17 from 10-noon in Redwood City. Let’s go Diesel!

- Alex, your Minister of Newbie Happiness

Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for fun foodie adventures and free dragon boat lessons!

Redwood City Dragon Boat | Special Sashimi Lunch

Special Sashimi and Fast Finishes with DieselFish

What We Ate
Alfred really likes Yokohama, a Japanese restaurant located in downtown Redwood City. “I’d eat at this place all the time if I could,” he said. “I wish there was a place like this near my office or home.” Why does Alfred like Yokohama so much? The big pieces of sashimi! “They cut the slices thicker,” said Alfred. He then ignored my further questions as he began to tuck into chunky slices of ruby-red tuna at a quick pace. Attaboy. You earned it after paddling, Alfred.

What We Learned
The most exciting part of a dragon boat race occurs during the last 100 meters. That’s when the crew summons its remaining energy and initiates the finish, a sudden and intense sprint that hurtles the boat towards the finish line. The finish is a beautiful sight to behold, but it takes work. Coach Sean had us work on our finishes on Saturday.

Fortunately for us, Sean is a veteran instructor. He showed us how to improve our synchronization and tweak our body movements in a way that generated maximum speed for a minimum of effort. By the end of practice, our boat was flying!

SEE YOU NEXT PRACTICE!
Alex

Set your own paddling and eating records! Email me at dfcaptains@gmail.com for free dragon boat lessons!

Redwood City Dragon Boat | Hawaii BBQ Power

What We Ate

After practice, we went to our old hangout, L&L Hawaiian Barbeque. I ordered my usual: the BBQ beef plate (hold the veggies) and a spam musubi. But what I really wanted was an espresso and throat lozenges.

During lunch, we got to know Ray and Bonnie, the newbies that joined us for practice. They had just completed their first dragon boat experience. They looked like they were in high spirits. (I’m not sure if their good moods were the result of their endorphin rushes after paddling or the BBQ.) We look forward to seeing them again!

What We Learned

Wow, what a day out on the water! Coach Sean asked us to focus on power. We paddled some endurance pieces—but with a twist. The new technique seemed to work and help us synchronize our strokes. We achieved greater power for longer durations. 

SEE YOU NEXT PRACTICE!
Alex

San Francisco Bay Area Dragon Boat Team DieselFish offers free dragon boat lessons. Email us at dfcaptains@gmail.com for details!

Dragon Boat #Bling

How do you paddle with that thing around your neck?

#DieselFish #dragonboat #bling #shiphop #2002willneverdie #captain4lyfe #SanFrancisco

Alex will provide you with free paddling lessons if you email him at dfcaptains@gmail.com. You need to sign a waiver before trying on the #bling. 

Dragon Boat Gear Essentials

Gear doesn’t make the paddler, but it can sure help!

Dragon boat paddlers need to leverage every resource available to deliver their best performances! This ongoing series will examine the technology and gear that DieselFish Dragon Boat Team uses to stay fit, fast and occasionally fashionable.

Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness, has paddled with DieselFish for seven years and blogged about dragon boat racing for almost as long. He keeps coming back year after year for “the people.” In this installment, he will stop writing in the third person perspective and talk about his favorite pieces of paddling equipment, which include an arsenal of paddles and several articles of technical sportswear.

[1] Paddles: (L-R)

● ZRE Carbon fiber: Too $hort

● Grey Owl Wood: Too heavy

● Burnwater Carbon Fiber: Ahh, just right. (I swear, the pink sticker wasn’t my idea. This paddle is a loaner.)

[2] Chinese Mom Visor: Just kidding.

[3] Nike Daybreak Visor: Keeps water, sun and sweat off my beautiful face.

[4] Stohlquist Barnacle Half-Finger Paddling Gloves: I used to think it was manly to have rough hands that were scorched by the sun, battered by the wind and drowned by the sea. I changed my mind after all the blisters and calluses I had accumulated started to affect my paddling. These gloves protect my hands from the elements and provide some extra grip.

[5] Adidas Supernova Running Jacket: Water resistant, yet breathable.

[6] Columbia Waterproof Pants: Prevents swamp crotch.

[7] Skwoosh Dragon Boat Pad: Paddling helped me lose some of the junk in my trunk, so now I need some padding down there.

[8] New Balance SM820 Water Shoes: I like wearing water shoes because they provide better protection and grip than sandals. (I’ve slipped inside the boat.) This particular model is loaded with technical features including drainage ports and mesh windows that help the shoes dry out quickly and prevent swamp foot. They slightly pinch my heels.

[9] Nike ACG Cordilleras Water Shorts: I bought four pairs of these shorts that are sadly no longer in production. They were designed for paddling, so they offer useful technical features including quick drying fabric, non-slip textures, cargo pockets and an internal lanyard for my keys.

[10] DieselFish Jersey: The DieselFish Electric Green on the sleeves stimulates the senses and also allows our supporters to spot us from the shore during races. 

Alex will provide you with free dragon boat lessons and might let you borrow some of his equipment if you email him at DFcaptains@gmail.com.

Redwood City Dragon Boat | Pie and Paddling for Pi Day

Today’s practice was different because of the national holiday. We’re a sports team, but in honor of Pi Day, we introduced empty calories into practice. (This was an irrational but fun move.)

What We Ate

The Pi Day festivities began right after we got off the boat. We celebrated an informative practice with delicious slices of apple pie. Dessert... what a great reward! Don’t worry, we’ll burn off the calories during our next practice.

What We Learned

We started off with a special paddling clinic taught by Coach Sean. Sean was fixture at DieselFish practices for many years as both a paddler and coach. We’re glad he’s back at the front of the boat because he’s an experienced instructor. A number of newcomers showed up today, so we went over the various parts of the basic stroke technique. His constructive feedback and willingness to answer our questions was greatly appreciated. Oh and we should plan more practices that end with pie.

DieselFish has fun off and on the water! Email me at dieselfishcaptain@gmail.com now to join our next adventure!

Happy 2015!

Keep an eye on us in 2015. Exciting changes are on their way!