Race at the Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival

Carol Wang, of Syosset, never pictured herself competing across Long Island waters until she discovered dragon boat racing in spring 2023. Wang, an accountant, first heard about the sport through her son’s Chinese language school and was eager for a new fitness challenge after the pandemic.

“I tried it once and fell in love with it,” said Wang, 54. “It’s a team sport on the water, which is rare. The scenery is beautiful, and on good weather days it’s incredibly enjoyable.”

Wang is part of a growing community of dragon boaters on Long Island. The annual Port Jefferson Dragon Boat Race Festival, held every September, has been fueling the sport’s rise. The festival was launched 11 years ago by the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. It started with 17 teams and now draws as many as 28, with more than 700 participants and 2,000 attendees.

For both new and seasoned paddlers, the races offer more than just competition — the festival is a celebration of culture and camaraderie. Last year, spectators enjoyed Pan-Asian entertainment, food vendors, land dragon races and a fire-breathing dragon made of steel.

Barbara Ransome, the chamber’s director of operations, said the festival was inspired by a dragon boat event she saw in Rhode Island. “I knew right away it would be a fit for Port Jefferson,” said Ransome, who’s widely known as the “mother of dragons” for her organizing efforts.

Entering a team for the Port Jefferson race will cost between $1,100 and $2,400, depending on the type of team. For individuals, joining an existing community team can be simpler. Many local teams, like Wang’s Huaxia, welcome new members with no prior experience. Participants train in narrow, 40-foot-long boats, each carrying 20 paddlers, a drummer and a steersperson. During the race, teams must cover 250 yards from a dead standstill, relying on precision and teamwork rather than individual strength.

“You can’t move a 3,500-pound boat without focus and teamwork,” said John Perkins, captain of Keeping the Faith, a team sponsored by St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson that has raced for 10 years. “The team that can work together is the team that wins the race.”