“I think today is a good day for everyone, regardless of how those seconds played out. It is said that everything has a beginning and an end, but these ‘Dragon’ boat races absolutely defy that rule, because there is no end – this is only the sixteenth stage. Today I congratulate this year’s winners, and for those for whom perhaps the wind did not blow so favorably or the oars did not obey and today was not so successful – there are other, still other years. Thank you all for participating so actively in this event – you are all winners,” said Algis Latakas, General Director of Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.
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This year, four teams that completed the 500-meter distance fastest in the first stage lined up at the start of the final race: “RNDV/NTX”, “Arijus Transport”, “Klaipėdos vanduo” and “VPA Logistics”.
The “Arijus Transport” team won the Klaipėda Port Winners’ Cup in the 16th race and became champions for the first time.
“If I’m not mistaken, we are participating in these competitions for the 16th time. We have taken third place, second place, and first place was won for the first time. It’s a very good feeling,” said Šarūnas Odavas, captain of “Arijus Transport”, while the team members accompanied these words with shouts of joy, before the emotions had subsided.
The second-place winners were “RNDV/NTX”, who took third place last year. And this time, the honorable third place went to the “Klaipėdos vanduo” team, which demonstrated excellent results.
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In the women’s category, the “Plungė Seals” crew was unbeatable. Their rivals, the RNDV/NTX team members, who managed to participate in the competition at the last minute, were also awarded.
This year, more than 400 participants, including guests from Portugal, took part in the “Dragon” boat races organized by the Port Authority, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary.
The teams in these races must consist of 8 paddlers, 1 helmsman at the stern of the boat, and 1 drummer at the bow of the boat. The rule here is that professional paddlers cannot participate in the competition.
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