A 1,000-vessel royal salute

LEANNE JACOBSEN

As I stood with my teammates on the bank of the Thames River in front of the famous London Rowing Club, the import of what we were about to do had me attempting to absorb every moment. Here we were, preparing to launch our dragon boat and begin this journey as a part of an historic 1,000-boat flotilla marking Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

The 14 women crewing our boat were joined by Mike Haslam, president of the British Dragon Boat Association, and steersperson Sue Menzies, a former navy “helms.” Our team name, Abreast from the West, was derived from our history as breast cancer survivors who paddle in the Vancouver area. Our captain, Heather Trenholm, was the driving force behind this London adventure. It was she who had applied to be part of the flotilla and it was her application that was chosen as one of the favored 1,000 out of more that 4,000 applicants from around the world.

When the official list of vessels was announced, we were the only team representing Canada and were very proud of that fact, though we later learned that the last-minute addition of a canoe from Eastern Canada was managed.

My teammates, Wendy Barrett, Francoise Doe, Margaret Hobson, Glenda MacDonald, Debbie McElroy-Johnson, Deb Middleton, Esther Newcombe, Georgina Patko, Rosemary Shandler, Jenny Silver, Yvonne Stich, Heather Trenholm and Elisabeth Villeneuve, and I were so worried that we would not be able to keep to the four-kilometre pace dictated – not only keep that pace but do so for more than 17 kilometres – we were inventing scenarios where we would be towed off the river in shame.

The sky was overcast and the temperature cool as we paddled out to take our designated spot near the front of the procession. The slight wind helped lift the large Canadian flag that was raised at the back of our boat. With the boom of the cannon, the flotilla began and, suddenly, the Thames was filled with manpowered boats of every description and color; from dories to a Maori war canoe, kayaks to dragon boats, it was visually chaotic and wonderful.

The manpowered boats were all located at the front of the flotilla and the powerboats brought up the rear, with our boat located among the first 100 to pass through the course. The noise was cacophonous. The eight bells on the belfry barge leading the procession were chiming and were answered by church bells along the entire route; boat horns sounded and the cheering crowds who lined both banks and bridges and gathered upon balconies on either side of the river, added to the decibels.

As we neared Albert Bridge, we spotted the Royal Barge and, within minutes, were within a few yards of the royals. Dressed in red, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cornwall, was there waving to us all. Standing next to her, Prince William, his brother Prince Harry, Prince Charles and Lady Camilla. Finally, here was the Queen and her husband Prince Philip, who were themselves standing in the cold throughout the entire procession, as if to acknowledge the endurance required for all of us to complete the full 22 kilometres it would take to reach home base. We had all practised a royal salute involving raised paddles and somewhat unfamiliar terms such as “easy oars,” but the plans must have changed in the interest of time because none of the boats we saw stopped to offer the salute, which was disappointing.

From there, the course became a little more chaotic as boats jockeyed for position but, amazingly, no collisions occurred. At some point, the rain started and the wind increased but the sight of some of London’s many historic landmarks kept us wide-eyed and undaunted. The procession took us under seven bridges, ending at the iconic Tower Bridge and, along the route, the parliament buildings, Big Ben and the Eye were only some of the beautiful landmarks we saw. From that point, with adrenaline sadly depleted, we had another hour of paddling to reach our final destination.

Eventually, we arrived at the ramp where our supporters were waiting, too numb with cold to really internalize and appreciate the journey. However, later that night, with a glass of wine in hand, we were able to recount our varied impressions and realize that lifelong memories had just been made.

Leanne Jacobsen is director of sales at the Jewish Independent. She started dragon boating in the late-1990s.

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