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- Aug 24 - Gold for Canada's dragon boaters
Aug 24 - Gold for Canada's dragon boaters
Plus: High deep sea temperatures. Highway 4 closed again. New electronic fare on buses.
Capital Daily team
August 24, 2023
Good morning !
Today we’re diving into some water-specific topics, from warming deep sea temperatures to Canada’s gold-medal dragon boat team, which features 30 Islanders.
I’ve never stepped foot on a dragon boat, but—like many Islanders—I have a soft spot for water sports. I’m wondering what your favourite H2O activity is—hopefully you’re getting your fill of it this summer!
— Robyn
What's your favourite water sport or activity? |
Today’s approx read time: 6 minutes
🌡️ Weather Forecast
🌫️ Air quality: Low risk today (2/10). Light smoke expected.
🚘️ Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.
NEWS
Islanders Thai one on, paddling Canada to gold at dragon boat world championships
Thailand may be known as the Land of Smiles, but it was a group of Victoria dragon boat racers who returned from the Asian paradise with big, gold-medal grins on their faces.
Canada placed first overall in the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) World Dragon Boat Racing Championships held earlier this month in Rayong-Pattaya.
Thirty members of VI Paddling were among the more than 300 paddlers who propelled Canada to 101 podium finishes and 52 gold medals overall. Team Canada also won 36 silver and 13 bronze medals to finish ahead of China and the United States after the 351 races that ranged from 200m to 2km.
Canada’s cups runneth over, too. Team Canada took home the World Nations Cup, the Seniors Cup, the Juniors Cup, and the Women’s Cup.
For the first time, Canada competed—quite well, thank you—in the ParaDragon division, scoring three gold, four silver, and two bronze.
Dragon boating is a traditional Chinese cultural sport more than 2,400 years old. It began, according to legend, in the effort to recover the body of the poet Qu Yuan after he was drowned by a river dragon.
⚠️ Capital Bulletin
Hwy 4 closed today while crews remove dangerous boulders. From 8:30am-9pm.
Umo launches on BC Transit: The new electronic fare system allows for contactless payment and reloadable cards.
NEWS
Record high August temperatures recorded in deep sea near Island
Ocean Networks Canada (OCN) has recorded the highest average daily water temperature at two locations near the Island since recording began 14 years ago.
Two weeks ago today, a temperature of 8.57C was recorded at the Folger Deep site, 95 metres below the ocean's surface. That beat the previous high of 8.44C for that date.
On the same day, ONC recorded a new high for the 400-metre-below site at Barkley Upper Slope, where the mercury hit 6.01C, an increase over the previous record temperature of 5.9C for that date.
OCN, a UVic-funded initiative, operates an underwater observatory system known as North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments (NEPTUNE). The system records ocean-floor data through an 800-km cable network in the waters near Vancouver Island’s west coast.
While these temperature changes may seem negligible, ONC senior scientist Kohen Bauer says “temperature plays a key role in many interconnected processes in the ocean.”
Bauer said the Barkley Upper Slope site has experienced record seasonal temperatures that “have mostly persisted since June,” revealing that “even deeper waters at the shelf's edge are anomalously warm for this time of year."
He told Capital Daily that, while these temperatures could return to normal, the rise is “worth investigating in more detail.”
Bauer said there are several factors that could help cause such warmer deep-sea temperatures—from the effects of climate change and recent marine heat waves, to changes in wind and water patterns.
Because the project is fairly new by data-collection standards, 14 years of information isn’t seen as enough to offer a conclusive cause.
“It’s a little difficult to link the marine heat wave—a surface phenomena that we’re observing—to these deeper waters, but natural oceanographic processes do connect the ocean’s surface to the bottom through a variety of mechanisms,” Bauer told Capital Daily.
More research will need to be conducted to fully understand how these sections of the ocean influence one another, he said.
“Ultimately, that’s what ONC empowers—our observatory networks are meant to produce this data that then can get into the hands of literally anyone to try and help figure out what is actually going on,” Bauer said.
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⭐️ Capital Picks
🎧 Dark Traveller on CFUV: A podcast with commentary, voice acting, and sound effects made by a group incarcerated at William Head Prison.
🍑 SAVOUR THE SWEETNESS OF SUMMER: Beautiful and bountiful BC Stone Fruits have arrived at The Root Cellar! Enjoy that blissful moment of biting into a sweet peach or plum - with juice dripping down your chin... Now that’s summer! Learn more today.*
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🗞️ In Other News
Traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe hōkūle’a in Vic: A legendary voyaging canoe that some credit for reviving the lost art of Polynesian water travel is on a big tour. It’s part of a four-year, 43K nautical-mile circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean. [Tacoma Daily Index]
Thetis Lake fire stopped in tracks: A close call for a family whose home was in the path of a brush fire near Thetis Lake. The flames could have spread to their home if not for the work of firefighters and crews from the BC Wildfire Service. [CHEK]
Victoria cyclist Riley Pickrell wins in France: The 22-year-old took the second stage of France's Tour de l’Avenir—which is commonly known as the Under-23 Tour de France. [Times Colonist]
From haircuts to pet care to tax advice: Some 57 organizations, including the United Way, dished out their goods and services to the vulnerable for free yesterday at Royal Athletic Park in Project Reconnect 2023. [Victoria News]
SPONSORED BY SOUTH ISLAND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP
A scaly solution to fast fashion
7 Leagues Leather founder Tasha Nathanson (pictured above showing off her products at a COAST Mixer) is passionate about sustainable fashion. She’s spearheading an innovative startup manufacturing wholesale fish leather, creating a product as tough as its animal counterpart. Listen as she shares her story on the COAST Talks Podcast.
🗓️ Things to do
🎵 Music in the Bay: Two Wheeler will perform roots and folk tunes tonight at Cadboro-Gyro Park, 6-7pm.
🎙️ Oak Bay summer concert: Black Angus will perform tonight at Willows Park, 6-8pm.
🎸 Stephen Fearing at Butchart Gardens: The musician and songwriter will perform tonight on the open-air stage, 8pm.
🎹 Warren & Ward at Hermann’s Jazz Club: The band made up of Chase Ward, Bella Fedrigo, Simon Williams, and Josh Warren will perform together tonight. Doors 5:30pm, show 7-9pm.
💍 Val Nunns at The Avenue Gallery: The exhibition of the jeweler's work opens today and is on show until Aug. 31.
🌭 Hot Dogs at the Eiffel Tower: As a part of the Victoria Fringe Festival, this comedy drama show will be performed tonight at The Baumann Centre, 6pm.
🎭 No One Special: Julie Kim’s debut show will take place tonight at Metro Studio, 6:15pm.
🏍️ Sadec 1965: A Love Story: The drama performance about a woman who embarks on a motorcycle journey through Vietnam shows tonight at VCM Wood Hall, 7pm.
📼 Dave and Jon's Mixtape: This interactive show, which combines improv and music, will kick off today at VCM Wood Hall, 5pm.
🎬 New Earth Bandits: This unconventional performance takes its viewers 5,000 years into the future, tonight at Macauley Point Park, 6:45pm.
🎟️ I Fell In Love With Moby Dick: This drama play about a woman who grows up as a lesbian in a small town shows tonight at Belleville Street Garden, 7pm.
🎤 Fringe Cabaret: Solo guitarist Anneda will perform tonight during the pop-up programming at Intrepid Theatre’s studio and lobby. 9:30pm.
👀 In Case You Missed It
Wednesday’s headlines: The Ocean Cleanup removes litter from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Eventide celebrates a decade of music, overdoses become main killer of 10-18-year-olds, and more. [Aug. 23]
Provide input on upcoming street upgrades: Surveys and a Q&A forum will be available until Oct. 10.
Pulling Together Volunteer Program: Help remove invasive plants, restore natural areas and enhance biodiversity. Look here for times.
That’s it!
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