Picture a narrow, 40-foot boat, 20 passengers armed with paddles, a caller at the bow pounding a drum to set the pace, another to steer the vessel in the stern, all capped off with an ornate dragon’s head leading the boat downriver. Now picture five more vessels just like it, rushing over once placid waters, churned white with the dip of 120 paddles, racing by the Washington waterfront.

The fastest growing team sport in the world — dragon boat racing — will make its first splash in the Pamlico during Smoke on the Water weekend, Oct. 18 and 19.  Six teams of 21 will take to the river that Saturday, first practicing, then competing to be the first dragon boat race winner on the Pamlico.

Their debut was a last minute affair: organizers only had a matter of weeks to put the race together. A chance introduction of two dragon boat aficionados — Washington dock attendant Guy Blackwell and Oriental dragon boat event organizer Flora Moorman — by Smoke on the Water coordinator Pam Anderson was the first step. Signing on the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation as official organizers was the next. Since, those who’ve been given the chance to help have literally jumped on board, according to Blackwell.

For the races, promoters provide the boats and all the safety gear, and the cost for that can be steep — either a percentage of the sponsorship money or a flat fee usually around $15,000. But organizers for the Washington event lucked out: a promoter based out of Tampa, Fla., has a race Virginia prior to SOTW weekend and agreed to bring his boats to Washington for a mere $5,000.

The six teams signed up for the event so far include a team of the kayakers and paddle boarders from Inner Banks Outfitters, a team from Vidant Wellness Center and an all-women’s team out of New Bern. From Williamston, a youth team from Riverside High School will be competing, as well as a mixed team, made up of individuals — men and women — who don’t have a team but just want to take part. The sixth team, a team of Marines from Camp Lejeune, is $500 short of full sponsorship.

Many local businesses and individuals have been asked about sponsoring team members at $25 for a child and $50 for an adult, but Blackwell said the reception he’s gotten has paid off big: one local business owner offered to sponsor three Marines instead of the one he agreed to; another jumped at the chance to sponsor one of the Riverside teens, saying, ”Yeah, 25 bucks to see a kid out there having fun?  I’ll go there.”

“This has been very well received by everybody in the community,” Blackwell said.

Blackwell became a fan of dragon boat racing during a trip to Vancouver Island in 2006. He’d just retired after a career that revolved around all things marine — selling boats, repairing boats, managing marinas — when he stumbled upon Vancouver’s resurgence of native water craft construction.

“I was really taken by that and I watched at a number of places where they were building boats — then I witnessed a dragon boat race,” Blackwell said.

“The thing that interested me most was the wide range of people who were involved in this — anywhere from teenagers to 60-plus year olds,” he said.

He said at the Vancouver races 200 to 400 people would show up on the waterfront just to watch the teams practice and when he and his wife settled in Washington later, his thoughts quickly turned to dragon boat racing — for a reason.

“As soon as I saw the Washington waterfront, I thought this is the most fantastic spot to have a dragon boat race,” Blackwell said. “Here on our waterfront, we have the absolute perfect venue for the sport.”

Sheltered waters are a big plus in the sport, as is the ability to host longer races that earn teams higher marks for national competitions. Blackwell describes a scenario in which Washington could become a huge draw for the dragon boat racing community. And there is a large community, he said. At a dragon boat race held two weeks ago in Carolina Beach, five teams came from all the way across the state and one from out of state — from the University of Maryland — to compete.

“Virtually all the teams were staying in hotels and motels. One team alone booked 18 hotel rooms,” Blackwell said. “If we get a full-blown race here in Washington, we could easily fill every hotel in town.”

Most of the teams competing next Saturday, however, are local enough not to have to stay overnight, though practice sessions for the races will be held the afternoon of Oct. 17 and early the morning of Oct. 18. Races will begin at 10 a.m. Oct. 18, with the race between finalists at 2 p.m.

According to Blackwell, there are dragon boats enough for two more teams.

For more information, to sign up or sponsor a dragon boat team member, contact Guy Blackwell at 252-947-0363 or email guy.portside@yahoo.com.