Betty Steinbart holds the flag up high as the women’s team of the Osoyoos Lake Paddling Club completes their race against a Penticton team (foreground). (Richard McGuire photo)

The Osoyoos Lake Paddling Club is calling Saturday’s Osoyoos Flag Race event a big success.

Mandy Purssey, who organized the event, said all the participating teams responded positively and they plan to return in September 2019 for the event’s second year.

“It went very, very well,” said Betty Steinbart, a board member with the team. “We were really happy with the whole outcome. The weather was amazing.”

The event took place in front of Safari Beach Resort and followed a dinner the night before at Walnut Beach Resort.

In total 10 teams participated – six from out of town, two corporate teams and both a mixed and ladies team from the Osoyoos club.

Members of the 50-person Osoyoos club were busy handling the logistics, filling in with other teams that were short a few participants, as well as busy doing their own races.

Purssey said the event was organized to let teams race against their own times rather than to pick a grand champion.

But the races were competitive as two teams paddled from near Haynes Point, passing in front of the Safari Beach Resort, toward a flag for each team set on a buoy on the water. A person at the front of each boat grabbed the flag.

“The flag part of it was unique,” said Steinbart. “As a person standing on the beach watching, you could really tell who won the race. There were some very close races, but as soon as they grabbed that flag, you knew that the team had won, which was really cool, instead of having to rely on times.”

Times were also taken, but the flag made the victory more visual.

Participating teams came from Penticton, Kelowna, and Kamloops. And there was a mix of other participants from the Lower Mainland, Vernon, and even a couple women from Alberta, who happened to be in the area.

In total, there were three mixed teams, five ladies’ teams, and the two corporate teams, said Steinbart.

The event started around 9:30 a.m. and it wrapped up around 3 p.m., leaving many participants sore and exhausted, but feeling like it was worth it.

And not too long after that, the winds blew up and the rain began to come down.

“Thank goodness we were all finished,” said Steinbart. “If that storm had come along (during the event) we would have all had to cancel.”

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times

Jim Peltier, of the Osoyoos Lake Paddling Club, grabs at the flag in one of Saturday’s flag races at Safari Beach Resort. (Richard McGuire photo)