Under an unforgiving sun followed swiftly by thick clouds, thousands of competitors yesterday paddled their way through the choppy waters of Victoria Harbour during the city's annual Dragon Boat Carnival.
Canada's 22 Dragon-MDBC won the Women's International Championships, while Thailand's national dragon boat team took the International Cup.
The main race yesterday drew professional and amateur teams alike to Tsim Sha Tsui East.
Competitors seemed unfazed by the reported presence of a shark off Lamma Island, which triggered the closure of 12 beaches on Sunday afternoon. 'I am not concerned,' said Wukihiro Garcia, a racer for the Okinawa Takara Dragons. 'We have lots of sharks in Okinawa too.'
The one-day event was divided into three races for international teams and seven for local teams, including the Professionals' Championships and the Hong Kong Disneyland Mixed Championships.
There were 155 participating clubs from 12 countries, including Thailand, Canada and America.
