Well this was it: the 2008 Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival was finally here. As we gathered at the race site on Saturday morning, there was a nervous anticipation in the air. More than 150 teams from across North America had gathered in Vancouver for the biggest dragon boat event in North America. Some of the teams were fun recreational teams full of team spirit, positive attitudes and crazy costumes that included wigs and super-hero capes; others were more serious competitive teams that had trained hard all year for this weekend with an intense mix of dry-land training and on-water practices. It was a fantastic weekend of festival fun and on-the-edge-of-your-seat racing that was capped off by the Guts & Glory race. The top 16 placing teams of the event (including that of yours truly - yay team!) competed in this 2000 metre race - the equivalent of 4 races in 1 - that required sheer determination and grit. Crazy passes, sharp turns and near-collisions excited the crowd as the 16 boats progressed the course. In the end the FCRCC team proved the victors of both the overall event championship and the Guts & Glory competition. Kudos to them and congratulations to my own team for such a great showing this weekend! Go team go! Thanks also to all the crew of 450 volunteers coordinating teams in the racers village, at the marshalling area, down on the docks and OutThere! on the water.

This past weekend marked the 16th annual Painter’s Lodge Women’s Salmon Fishing Derby. Hosted by the great folks at Oak Bay Marine Group, my fishing buddy and I took to the water with almost 100 other women in search of the derby winner. We were skunked on Friday and had a bit of a wild ride back to the dock as we took “Greenies” (waves) over the front and side of the boat…but it was more fun than any roller coaster we’d ever been on! Our guide got a good chuckle out of it as we shrieked and laughed with every wave. Thankfully we were bundled up in our flotation suits that kept us warm and dry throughout the day and protected us from the gallons of water pouring into the boat!

Saturday and Sunday were absolutely gorgeous with calm water, a light wind and beautiful blue skies. Jill caught her first-ever salmon on Sunday and was pretty ecstatic about it as you can see in the photo! We caught another one just a few moments later and then spent the rest of the day taking in the scenery as our fishing weekend came to a close. Chalking up my first weekend of fishing this season as a successful one with nice fish and LOTS of fun, I can’t wait for my next fishing trip in a couple week’s time. Until next time, stay safe on the water and have fun OutThere!

Click here to see more photos from our trip.

I was out paddling last night when a fellow paddler got caught by a bad combination of wind and waves that capsized her boat. Thankfully she was wearing a properly fitted PFD and popped up to the surface right away. She’s not a strong swimmer, but with the assistance of the PFD and another paddler she was able to get her boat flipped back over and haul herself out of the water within a few minutes. Crisis diverted, right? Wrong. It didn’t take long for the effects of shock and hypothermia to set in. With intense shivering and difficulty breathing, she was helped out of the boat, re-dressed in dry clothes and wrapped in blankets. A call to the ambulance and a trip to the hospital later, she is now at home recovering from the incident. She was lucky, though her experience should serve as a reminder to us all to always be prepared for the unexpected and to never underestimate the effects of cold water. It’s worth noting the paddler had just purchased her new MV5801 Deluxe Paddling PFD on Thursday of last week; it sure didn’t take long for it to pay off. Paddle safe and have fun OutThere!

A new dragon boat season is upon us and teams are out practising on Vancouver’s False Creek in preparation for the region’s biggest festival of the year - the Rio Tinto Dragon Boat Festival. Since my team’s practices commenced in February we have endured rain, wind and even snow, all in the effort of having fun and becoming as strong a team as we can be for the festival. Training however is just part of peak performance; the other part is equipment. I figure my part in ensuring my team is well-equipped is to make sure they all have the best new paddling PFD on the market: Mustang’s MV5801 Deluxe Paddling Vest! I wore prototypes of this vest last season as it progressed through its design stages and have to admit that I have completely fallen in love with it. It is without a doubt the most comfortable paddling PFD I have ever worn. The tapered sides allow me to bend and twist, the comfort features on the shoulder straps, waist and armholes keep me chafe-free and the Dri-Lex (R) lining keeps me dry and comfortable all day. I haven’t even gotten to the pockets big enough to fit my camera, keys and pretty much anything else I could ever want to throw in there, the good-looking style lines or the contoured fit yet, but I think I’ve probably boasted about it enough for one day (Plus if I go on anymore I’ll ruin the surprise you’ll have when you try it on for yourself, realize just how comfortable it is and wonder how you’ve ever paddled in anything else.)

SARSCENE was a great venue in many ways. It provided the opportunity to meet with the leading experts in search and rescue, engage in discussions about our latest gear with customers, uncover opportunities and develop partnerships. While this sounds very text book, the discussions are rewarding as we all strive to the common goal; Keeping people safe while they are doing their job or enjoying leisure time on the water.

One of those partnering opportunities that presented itself is improving your visibility. With winter approaching, this is the time to think about getting some accessory lights, for you, your family, employees and colleagues.

Mustang Survival makes products for water rescuers and all those that work or play on or near the water. So we’re talking about visibility of the rescuer, workers or pleasure boaters. Our foam and inflatable life jackets, flotation coats, immersion and dry suits all benefit from lights to increase visibility. We have always had the essential strobe lights in our line, but there is a new type of lights that can significantly increase safety in closer proximity applications. Bright, rugged, waterproof, extremely compact, light weight, efficient power use, Adventure Lights manufactures specialty lights for the military, rescue professionals and recreational boaters.

The Guardian is ideal for rescuers; with five bright colors available, different members or groups can be quickly & easily identified (see who is where). The Guardian is a dual function beacon that can be changed from flashing mode to steady on (flashlight mode) by simply flipping over the battery pack inside. Imagine the uses you would have for a compact waterproof flashlight on your lash tab? Boasting over 250 hours of bright light in flashing mode and 100 hours in steady on, the Guardian will ensure that you have light when you need it.

With a weight of only 15g, the Guardian offers visibility of over 1 mile. (1.5 Km) Available in White, Green, Blue, Amber & Red, the belt clip (included) fits easily on a standard lash tag, the light loop on our Deluxe and HIT Inflatable PFD, paddling vest and work vests. It can also be used with a simple Velcro loop for a semi-permanent attachment. A special S.O.S./steady on version is the perfect addition for packs, kits & glove boxes.

The VIP Signal Light is the pinnacle of portable emergency lighting. Tested in deserts, the Arctic, in the stratosphere and recently certified to 600 M in Deep Ocean testing, the VIP has proven to hold up to the demands of extreme environmental conditions over unpredictable terrain. The VIP is the only waterproof light in the world that is a flashlight, emergency flasher and SOS survival beacon all in one terrific package. With visibility over 5K, many of the world’s most elite military, police and search and rescue teams currently use the VIP and attest that it sets new standards of quality and reliability.
This is your chance to win a Standard Yellow Case VIP signal light.

Comment on this blog why you think an Adventure light on your Mustang gear will make your job or pastime safer. We will choose 3 of the most compelling ideas and reward them with a free VIP light ($85 value). Please be in the US or Canada and comment by November 18. We will announce all winners here on November 22.

Not only did I catch some fish this weekend, but I looked pretty while doing it. I thought the FisherGirl Team looked so good in their hot-pink inflatable PFDs that I decided I just had to have one of my own! I would even venture to say I was the best looking girl out there on Sunday (okay, maybe I was the only girl out there, but I still looked good).

This past weekend was possibly my last fishing trip of the season so I took Friday off work and tried to make the most of it. Friday was foggy, cold and rough - a perfect day to be bundled up in my Integrity bomber jacket - and my dad and I dragged the lines around for four hours before calling it a day and heading back home with no fish in the box. The up-side of that is that we had no work to do when we got back to the dock as no fish caught means no fish to clean! Saturday and Sunday presented huge improvements in weather as the fog disappeared, the water calmed down and we were bathed in sunshine both days. The fishing was still a bit slow, but we got lucky and managed to add some serious poundage to our total catch this season as I brought in a 27 lb. spring salmon and my dad caught another weighing in at 20 lb. Now I’ll let you in on a little secret: I almost lost my dad’s fish on him. His was a fighter and as it threw its head back and forth and skimmed across the top of the water, I dove for it with the net and…missed. Bad things can happen when you miss netting the fish. I could see the trailing hook dangling dangerously close to the net; if that hook caught on the net and the fish threw it’s head, it would have popped the leader and left two disappointed anglers watching it swim away free. Lucky for me, the hook didn’t catch, I made another dive at it and, even luckier for me, the fish turned and swam right into the net. Together we hoisted it into the boat and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I hadn’t cost my dad his catch!

So as I wrap-up another fishing season, I have to thank my dad for being such a good guide and steering me onto so many big fish this summer. Even if we hadn’t caught anything, it’s just great to be OutThere, but it really is so much more fun when you have big fish to brag about afterwards! I hope all you other anglers are having successful seasons too, and that you’re staying safe on the water with your Mustang PFDs.