Dragon boat racing in the Bay Area episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 16, 2026 · 7 MIN

Dragon boat racing in the Bay Area

from Crosscurrents · host KALW

As the Bay Area summer heats up, more people are spending time by the water, and sometimes you might catch the rhythmic and competitive sounds of Dragon Boat Racing. The sport is over two thousand years old and originates in China. The boats are long, thin and often decorated with dragon heads and tails. They are also very fast, powered by a team of either 10 or 20 people, these boats are propelled quickly with top tier teams hitting an average of 70-80 strokes per minute. And this Saturday the San Francisco Dragon Boat Festival is kicking off its first races at Lake Merced! Reporter Jacky Chiu, headed down to Lake Merced to bring us this story from 2016.

As the Bay Area summer heats up, more people are spending time by the water, and sometimes you might catch the rhythmic and competitive sounds of Dragon Boat Racing. The sport is over two thousand years old and originates in China. The boats are long, thin and often decorated with dragon heads and tails. They are also very fast, powered by a team of either 10 or 20 people, these boats are propelled quickly with top tier teams hitting an average of 70-80 strokes per minute. And this Saturday the San Francisco Dragon Boat Festival is kicking off its first races at Lake Merced!  Reporter Jacky Chiu, headed down to Lake Merced to bring us this story from 2016.

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Dragon boat racing in the Bay Area

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This episode was published on June 16, 2026.

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As the Bay Area summer heats up, more people are spending time by the water, and sometimes you might catch the rhythmic and competitive sounds of Dragon Boat Racing. The sport is over two thousand years old and originates in China. The boats are...

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