So French Dragon Boat

Against the backdrop of a historic milestone—the 50th anniversary of the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races—the So French Dragon Boat achieved a rare double: a podium finish and a new 500m team record, racing among elite all-women crews from Hong Kong and around the world. 🐉✨

Our race journey was anything but smooth.
2️⃣7️⃣ June
👉 Race #33: 2:36.773 (6/7)
👉 Race #43: 2:35.011 (7/7)
2️⃣8️⃣ June
👉 Heat #12: 2:40.067 (6/7)
👉 Semi-final: 2:44.642 (7/7)
Each race tested us. Our times slipped, and by the semi-final we hit our lowest point.

But the So French spirit does not give up 🇫🇷💪 In the Silver Cup Final, we reset. We put in our minds, our hearts, and all our strength, trusting our stroke and each other until the very last metre.

And we delivered 🔥
🏁 Silver Cup Final: 2:18.985 (2/6)
Our fastest 500m ever—better than any training time—and a 1st runner-up finish🥈🏆
We brought home a trophy and a beautiful silver medal featuring Hong Kong’s iconic skyline, a perfect keepsake from this 50th anniversary edition.
From struggle to breakthrough, this weekend was about resilience, belief, and driving our performance to a new level.

This race also concludes our 2025–2026 season: 7 competitions, 5 podiums, and one unforgettable new benchmark. So French. Toujours 💙🤍❤️

🙏MERCI Lacoste, On The List, Tv5monde Asie Pacifique, Banque Transtalantique, Alea, Mesklenn, Hong Kong Accueil.

🐉🇫🇷 The sweet taste of glory at the Shangri-La Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships! The So French Dragon Boat lined up against 10 strong all‑ladies teams and delivered a huge performance: 3rd in the first race, then 2nd in both the second and third races, securing 1st runner up in the Ladies’ Gold Cup🏆 and a SILVER medal🥈.

When Coach Vanessa and Co‑Coach Linda took over in autumn 2025, we began from a modest position in the rankings; in just one season we’ve climbed to finish right behind Hong Kong’s number 1 all‑ladies team, the Renegades – a true remontada and a steep learning curve powered by hard work, commitment and grit👊

Huge thank you to our sponsors for believing in us, our amazing supporters on the shore, and the organisers for a fantastic championship – onwards and upwards from here 🚀
On The List Lacoste Tv5monde Asie Pacifique Banque Transatlantique Mesklenn Alea Hong Kong Accueil

(Almost) end-of-season vibes with the So French Dragon Boat! 🇫🇷🐉

After months of hard work on and off the boat, we hit pause for a fun little celebration – and the season isn’t even over yet!
In her speech, Captain Georgia suggested keeping the same comité for next season, and the team gave it a big thumbs up🙌
So far this year, the So French Dragon Boat already climbed onto the podium three times 💪
🥉 3rd place – 500m VRC Deep Water Bay Regatta - 12 April
🥈 2nd place – 1000m Lamma - 26 April
🥈 2nd place – 250m Stanley Warm-Up - 23 May

We celebrated at our Mesklenn's terrace with a cosy BBQ, enjoying delicious, high-quality meats and products from Brittany imported by Sebastien Hesry.

Our amazing coaches Ness and Linda handed out fun awards to each paddler, shining a light on everyone’s progress and personal achievements. Then, because So French can’t resist a bit of competition, we wrapped up with a dragon-boat quiz, where the top three on the leaderboard won 500, 400 and 300 HKD coupons to spend on sports gear.

Now we turn our focus to the last two big races of the season:
👉19 June – Shangri-La Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships at Stanley Main Beach
👉27–28 June – 2026 Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races in Victoria Harbour, celebrating the 50th edition of this iconic event
Come down, cheer for us, and soak up the festival vibes, it’s going to be loud, colourful and unforgettable!

Racing in Stanley, our home club, and we brought everything we’ve got.
Competing in the Ladies’ Small Boat division (12 paddlers, 8 teams), So French Dragon Boat showed what months of focused training can do. We clocked 1:39:56 in the heat, then came back sharper in the final, improving to 1:38:51.

That effort secured us 2nd place🥈

Beyond the result, it’s the progress that matters. Tough sessions on the water and in the gym, and a crew that keeps pushing together—it’s all paying off 💪

As Coach Ness says: epic🔥 And we’re not done yet.
A big thank you to our sponsors for their continued support 🙏
Lacoste On The List Tv5monde Asie Pacifique Banque Transatlantique Alea Mesklenn Hong Kong Accueil

☀️ WHAT A RACE DAY! On Sunday 26 April,🇫🇷So French Dragon Boat hit the water at the Lamma 500, racing in both the 500m and 1000m under perfect blue skies—sunny, warm, and not too humid… just how we like it! 🚣‍♀️🌊
We started the day in serious style, hopping on a junk boat 🛥️ from Aberdeen to Lamma with the whole crew and our amazing sponsors: Lacoste, Tv5monde Asie Pacifique, and Meskleen. Huge merci to Sebastien Hesry for the delicious breakfast spread 🥐🍳 on board—fueling us up for a big day of racing.
On the water, we pushed hard through four races, with two strong 500m heats (2:26:440 and 2:20:930 🏁), shaving off precious seconds and showing real progress with every stroke. Our efforts paid off with a spot in the Women’s 500m final, and we’re so proud of what the team delivered 💪.
The MAGIC MOMENT of the day was the 1000m RACE: we smashed it in 4:09:120, taking 1st runner-up 🥈 and stepping onto the podium 🎉—a huge boost for the whole team and a memory we won’t forget.
Having our sponsors with us all day—cheering, laughing, celebrating on the beach and on the boat—made everything even more special 👏.
We wrapped up this unforgettable day cruising back to Aberdeen, joined by Axelle Cohu from Hong Kong Accueil, enjoying wines, oysters, and cheese 🍷🦪🧀, once again beautifully curated by Meskleen.
A day of teamwork, performance, sunshine, and friendship. MERCI to everyone who paddled, supported, and believed in us On The List, Banque Transatlantique & Alea❤️

🏆 Race recap – Deep Water Bay Regatta 2026 🏆
What a day! The So French DragonBoat crew brought the heat to the 24th MOX VRC Deep Water Bay Regatta — and we left our mark on the podium!
🥉 Half-Full Category: 3rd place!
💪 Full Boat Category: a huge improvement from last year’s 2:50 to this year’s 2:39 — faster, stronger, and even louder!
Once again, we proved that the So French spirit means determination, teamwork, and a whole lot of passion.
Merci à toutes les guerrières du bateau et à nos supporters pour cette superbe journée sur l’eau! 🇫🇷🐉
Et un GRAND MERCI à tous nos sponsors: On The List Lacoste Tv5monde Asie Pacifique Banque Transatlantique Hong Kong Accueil Mesklenn Alea Insurance

So French Dragon Boat is back on the start line for our third race of the 2026 season! 🚣‍♀️🔥
This Sunday 12 April, we’ll be charging down the 500m at the 24th MOX VRC Deep Water Bay Regatta in not one but two categories:
-> Full Standard Boat 500m Women 💪
-> Half-Full Standard Boat 500m Women 🌊
Expect power, noise and lots of So French spirit in Hong Kong’s fiercest 500m dragon boat showdown at Deep Water Bay – come cheer us on and follow our stories from race day! 🇫🇷🐉📣
***
So French Dragon Boat est de retour sur l’eau pour la 3e course de la saison 2026 ! 🚣‍♀️🔥
Ce dimanche 12 avril, on attaque le 500 m à la 24e MOX VRC Deep Water Bay Regatta… et pas dans une, mais deux catégories -> Full Standard Boat 500 m Femmes 💪
-> Half-Full Standard Boat 500 m Femmes 🌊
Au programme : puissance, ambiance et l’esprit So French sur l’un des 500 m les plus intenses de Hong Kong ! Venez nous soutenir sur place ou suivez nos stories en direct! 🇫🇷🐉📣

🇫🇷🚣‍♀️ Quelle journée sur l’eau ! The paddles were flying, the cheers were loud, and the team spirit was très fort! 🐉💪

On March 28, 2026, the So French Dragon Boat ladies took part in the second race of the season at the Kellett Island Cup — right in the heart of Victoria Harbour, facing some of Hong Kong’s top women’s teams!

Two heats of pure adrenaline over 200 meters:
🕐 First heat: 67.84 seconds — steady and strong, just like in training
⚡ Second heat: 65.62 seconds — et voilà, a new personal best!

A HUGE merci to our Coach, Vanessa Watts, bringing her perfect mix of discipline and encouragement to get the best out of us. And if you watch the video, you can definitely hear her voice and excitement cheering us on all the way through! 💥💙

Big thanks to our amazing sponsors for their generous support — you help keep our French colors flying high on the Hong Kong waters! 🇭🇰❤️🇫🇷
On The List Lacoste Tv5monde Asie Pacifique Banque Transtlantique Hong Kong Accueil Mesklenn Alea insurance