Seawolves Set Sail at 10th Annual Dragon Boat Race Festival

Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine took to the waters of Port Jefferson Harbor for the 10th annual Dragon Boat Race Festival. Photos by John Griffin.

Stony Brook University Seawolves made waves in Port Jefferson Harbor on September 14 at the 10th annual Dragon Boat Race Festival, hosted by the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce.

Two teams from Stony Brook - Stony Brook Medicine's "S.S. EmergenSea" and the Stony Brook Seawolves - joined the competition, representing the university and Stony Brook Medicine(SBM). Suzanne L. Velázquez, clinical professor in the School of Social Welfareand member of the Chamber's Board of Directors, served as master of ceremonies.

The festival drew hundreds of spectators from across Long Island and New York City and kicked off with an 8:30 am opening ceremony featuring the traditional "Eye Dotting" ceremony, a blessing by Buddhist monks to awaken the dragons, and a performance by the Asian Veterans Color Guard.

Interim President Richard McCormick welcomed the teams to Port Jefferson Village, also known as Seawolves Country, and encouraged them to network and enjoy the beautiful day in the community.

Throughout the day, dragon boats raced in three-lane heats along a 250-meter course, with teams composed of 20 paddlers, a steersman, and a drummer who kept the beat to maintain synchronicity. While the Stony Brook teams (made up of students, faculty, and staff) didn't make it to the final round, they still enjoyed a full day of festivities including land dragon races and a tug of war competition.

Erika Karp, associate director of University and Medicine Community Relations, along with Judy Jaquez, associate director for Diversity, Intercultural and Community Engagement, served as co-managers of the SBU team. Kerri Reino, department administrator for Emergency Medicine, served as captain for the SBM team, while Dawn Dawson, nurse practitioner at Stony Brook Children's, served as SBM's drummer.

"The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce's Dragon Boat Race Festival is one of our favorite community traditions," said Karp. "Our Stony Brook teams had a wonderful time meeting new people, enjoying performances, learning about local businesses and spending the day in beautiful Port Jefferson Village. We are tremendously grateful for the Chamber's work organizing this event and are proud to be part of it."

In addition to the races, attendees enjoyed a cultural festival featuring performances like the famous Lion Dance, Taiko drumming, and martial arts demonstrations.

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