Oceanus sets sights on 2023 Pan Am Club Crew Champs

Tobago-based dragon boat club Oceanus is preparing for its 2023 Pan Am Club Crew Championships debut.

The marine event, held by the Pan American Dragon Boat Federation, paddles off from March 14-19 in Panama City, Panama.

The 30-member team, like many other domestic clubs, made a welcome return to the competitive circuit at the 15th annual Chinese Arrival Dragon Boat Festival last weekend.

They, along with Aquaholics, dominated the two-day regatta and copped three titles each.

Oceanus paddler Damien Leach said the event served as a good gauge for the team as they amplify preparations for next year’s regional test.

“After a three-year pause, we were excited to go back on the water. Just before the competition we were a bit anxious because we wanted to know how the body would perform under race conditions after three years. This was the perfect opportunity for us to test it out.

“It has been pretty good. This is a precursor to the Pan Am Club Crew next year. It’s the first time we’ve been able to test out our race strategies,” Leach said.

Leach confirmed there was no major qualification process for the 2023 regatta.

“Once you’re part of the federation for this part of the hemisphere, you’re automatically qualified, once the local federation supports you. The results from this local regatta will be used to place you in certain races for Panama.”

When domestic sport resumed in full earlier this year, Leach said training started off a bit slowly, since the pandemic, understandably, changed the priorities of some of their previous members.

Currently, Oceanus is in a recruiting phase despite boasting 30 members and a recently formed women’s team.

Training ahead of last weekend’s regatta was tough, he said, since the pandemic reduced their physicality and endurance over the last two years.

"There was only so much we could do. Although our training is split into two – land and water – it was a challenge to regain that muscle memory after two years.

"But following the local regatta, we’re going into hardcore training for Panama next year.”

At the Chinese festival, Oceanus won the 500m team, open and mixed events. There were also scheduled to do the 2000m event but a lack of teams for this event saw it cancelled.

“Sadly, we were looking forward to the 2000m because it’s a race of strategy. But we have six months to work on our strengths and weaknesses ahead of the Panama competition.”